73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Steering Columns => Topic started by: cwilson jr on January 28, 2009, 07:00:48 pm
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i'm moving very soon and need to move my truck. i'm looking at doing the lock and rack later. what are my options for using my pickup a little while without the traditional setup? keyless start, hot-wiring, etc.?
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Can you push and pull the rod that goes to the Ignition Switch? If so that is all you should have to do.
Why not hit the bone yard for a column then you wont have to mess with the rack?
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i can move the rod, but it's out of the switch and i don't see what would holds in there.
as far as the column, i thought abut that. how hard is it to swap or dou you have to tear into things anyway?
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Column swap is pretty easy you have a haynes or chilton book ?
There should be one bolt under the hood that connects the steering column to the steering shaft (thats what I call it ) under the column there is a plate (it looks like a part of the dash) take that off and there is two nuts) where the column goes thru the floor there is 10 (or so) bolts 3/8 or 10mm now the column will drop disconnect the wires and it should come out
Its been awhile but I think I got everything if not hopefully someone will chime in..
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Why not just fix it? I just rebuilt my whole column, replaced the turn signal switch and painted it today in about 2 hours. It's not a hard job. If you absolutrly can't do it you can pop the switch off of the column and just move it manually.
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my column is broke on my truck right now too lazy to fix with the cold weather out but i ran a hot wire from the bat to the hot wire on the distributor cap and jump the starter could rig it up wit a couple of switches but again I'm too lazy and also don't feel like drilling a couple hole in the dash also the lock plate is disabled that helps
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alright, just messed with it agian and here's my current situation.
there seems to be the acc. on or something as the radio has is on constantly while the batt. is connected. i have the ignition lock out. i press on the ignition switch and nothing happens.
what do i need to do?
notes:
if i temporarily purchased a new switched and hooked the harness up to it, would it crank the truck. i imagine it would need grounded? i also see where there are diff. positions on the switch in my book. don't see any on mine? i just need a way to be able to crank it and shut it off to move and eventually it will get fixed.
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well, it looks like the switch and rod i've been messing with is for the dimmer located towards the bottom of the cloumn, the floor and duct. where is the actual ignition switch located then?
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It too should be on the column it is longer than the dimmer one and also has a rod going to it
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i haven't had the pleasure of taking mine out yet but on my 79 its on the top left side of the steering column. if i can remember right on my 89 the dimmer switch was more on the left side
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i have an 85 by the way. not sure if that makes a difference, however i just looked down towards the bottom again and on the other side of the column right across the dimmer switch, there is a black rectangular plastic piece with a harness, but it doesn't look like the switch to me?
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The swith is on top of the column. Just lower the column and it's right there.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Sabaka454/switch.gif)
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you have to take the black plug off first if your going to remove it. but it will only take a min or two to run the hot wire to the dis and jump the starter solenoid
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without actually looking at it right now, how do you lower the column? i probably won't get to it again untill this weekend, so i'm going off memory here. there were four bolts that i took out at the bottom. all that did was loosen the column. it's still held in by that piece that doesn't come out.
and irish, if i had to go your route, how do you cut the engine once i have it going?
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the four bolts you took out put them back in and there should be two nuts inside they hold the plate you took the four nuts out of they are like 15mm and then inside the engine bay on the firewall there should be two more nuts that hold the column in place with them removed the column should fall then you can reach the plugs. and if you go with the hot wire route then you can pull the wire from the bat terminal or put a switch in it since your not going far or on a road trip, since the terminals are led then you can use a fork connector and find a gap and slide it in place if you plane on going far i would wire it eather to the fuse box on a terminal thats always hot then just pull it when you want to shut off the engine
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thanks for all of the info. i'm going to get back to this on the weekend.