ignition switch actuator rack help

[mpierce9]

Hello, My ignition switch recently stopped feeling like it was doing anything internally. It would spin freely and not activate the Accessory, Run, or most critical position Start.

After some research i'm feeling my ignition switch actuator rack has become disconnected. I'm working on breaking down the steering column in order to expose this piece but i've run into a snag. The turn signal actuator is hardwired and those wires run down the center of the column. I'm trying to remove the upper jacket bowl from the steering column and since I can't disconnect the turn signal actuator AND the wires are so short, there isn't enough room for me to pull the upper jacket off the column. I need to separate the wires from the turn signal actuator in order to allow enough room to slide the jacket off the steering column.

I've included some pictures to reference.


Below is the turn signal actuator and the attached wiring. As you can see it is not a plug, but is hardwired.




Below you can see the upper jacket with some separation from the lower jacket. However it stops due to the connected turn signal actuator being hard wired.



On a final note this is for a 1975 K5 Blazer. I can't imagine the steering column is that much different from a truck. Any insight is welcome.

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by mpierce9

Hello, My ignition switch recently stopped feeling like it was doing anything internally. It would spin freely and not activate the Accessory, Run, or most critical position Start.

After some research i'm feeling my ignition switch actuator rack has become disconnected. I'm working on breaking down the steering column in order to expose this piece but i've run into a snag. The turn signal actuator is hardwired and those wires run down the center of the column. I'm trying to remove the upper jacket bowl from the steering column and since I can't disconnect the turn signal actuator AND the wires are so short, there isn't enough room for me to pull the upper jacket off the column. I need to separate the wires from the turn signal actuator in order to allow enough room to slide the jacket off the steering column.

I've included some pictures to reference.


Below is the turn signal actuator and the attached wiring. As you can see it is not a plug, but is hardwired.




Below you can see the upper jacket with some separation from the lower jacket. However it stops due to the connected turn signal actuator being hard wired.



On a final note this is for a 1975 K5 Blazer. I can't imagine the steering column is that much different from a truck. Any insight is welcome.

Your plug for the turn signal switch isn't hard wired. The plug to disconnect is at the bottom of the steering column. It will slide off the metal tabs it is mounted on. Take your time so you don't break the plug. If you want to completely disassemble the column you will also need to remove the 4 1/2" bolts that hold the column mounting bracket. Once this is done slide the black plastic protective cove off the wiring then carefully pull the wiring up and out of the column. Are you sure the rack is the issue? When you turned the key could you watch the rod the goes to the ignition switch? Was it moving as you turned the key? Sometimes the electric ignition switch that the rod goes to can be bad. If you don't have all of the proper tools and are not a very patient mechanical person these can turn into a real headache! I rebuild 2-3 of these a month and the biggest reason my customers buy from me is that they decided to work on it themselves and it spiraled and parts got lost and broken.
With all of the above being said. If it is a project you feel you can handle, do yourself a favor and clean/regrease all of the bearings, and put locktite and tighten all 4 bolts the mount the tilt assembly to the steering column tube. I hope this helps. There are some great videos on Youtube. Look up S10 steering column rebuild.

[mpierce9]

excellent feedback. i'll check the bottom of the column in the morning. I'm speculating that the rack is the issue. I do NOT see the rod moving as I turn the key. The key turns in the cylinder as if there is nothing internally restricting its movement. It just turns freely. I would really like to avoid going any further into the column. I have the parts and feel good about assembly where i currently am I just don't want to get neck deep.

Is a complete reassembly with a push button starter a reasonable option?

[1774btcrew]

There is also a good chance just your ignition lock cylinder is bad. Remove it by pushing the black plastic tab and gently wiggle the cylinder out. With as far as you have your column apart now you could technically grip the rod that runs down to the ignition switch with vise grips and move it back and forth. While you are doing this see if the cast gray piece with the teeth(part of the rack) moves the plastic gear. If it does it will eliminate the rack being the problem and save difficult disassembly. I am happy to help you with any questions you may have.

[mpierce9]

Thank you for the insight and help. It has been raining here almost daily so I haven't had the chance to do much. I would like to take you through my journey so far.


First of all i'd like to point out that I've loosely followed this link as well regarding how to open up the steering column.
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=12525.0

This will mostly be a list of images.

So I was running into issues getting enough slack on the turn single actuator to pull the upper steering column jacket off. I believe the picture is above. The direction to resolve this was perfect. The upper portion of the turn single wiring is not a plug, however the lower portion is a plug. It is necessary to unbolt 6 bolts (for my year) to allow the steering column to drop enough for me to get my hand up there an unplug this. As a result it allowed me the slack to pull the blinker actuator out and also the upper steering column jacket bowl and expose the next stage.

The problem visualized


The first steps to a solution. removing the bolts that hold the steering column steady to the dash.


You can see where the wires had been plugged in. Directly below the two empty bolt holes is a plug receptacle where I unplugged the turn single wires.


Here on the left you can see the receptacle (barely) and hanging next to it the plug that was removed.



I should at this point, remind you that the goal here is to verify that the ignition rod and or the ignition rack is failing and therefore be replaced.

So now i'm down to the final section of the upper jacket. After opening up the top portion and making my way down from here I've run into a spot I need a special "Tilt wheel pin removal tool" This was on amazon for $4.00 so i ordered it.
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-19940-Pivot-Pin-Remover/dp/B000P0ZJTC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1386289836&sr=8-3&keywords=tilt+wheel+pin+removal+tool

Before I get to that point I realized that with the wheel unbolted from the dash and able to flex as much as it can now, I can try to identify the "Ignition switch rod" and try to move it myself in order to test if the car would start or I had another issue.

I'm sorry it isn't clear but in the image below you can see the rod. it's the white mark the travels down the steering column just past the lip of the lower steering column jacket. Anyway. . . I was able to grab this with a pair of pliers and move it through the ignition switch positions. I could easily feel resistance, then a settling like the rod found a groove it fit in. Repeating this process I was able to start the car.


My last image is of the ignition switch sector and ignition switch rack. This ignition is a complete mess of different pieces and all that. The yellow piece is the Sector. The silver/gray piece beneath it is the Rack. which as you can see here continues into the lower steering column jacket, which I will remove hopefully just after I get my special tool from Amazon.



That's where we are today. I'll post more pictures once the rain goes away and i can work on her some more.

[mpierce9]

Originally Posted by 1774btcrew

There is also a good chance just your ignition lock cylinder is bad. Remove it by pushing the black plastic tab and gently wiggle the cylinder out. With as far as you have your column apart now you could technically grip the rod that runs down to the ignition switch with vise grips and move it back and forth. While you are doing this see if the cast gray piece with the teeth(part of the rack) moves the plastic gear. If it does it will eliminate the rack being the problem and save difficult disassembly. I am happy to help you with any questions you may have.

Your feedback is excellent. I followed your direction to remove the turn single wires.
With the cylinder still in and the jacket off I turned the cylinder and observed the sector and rack moving as you would expect. The rod did not move. I also just used my hands to move the sector and rack and that also did not move the ignition rod. I can manually move the rod and start the car. With those milestones in mind I feel like the rack and rod connection must be severed. Would you agree? Either way, thanks for the guidance.

[Gryndar]

I repair alot of these older Gm columns and I have seen the actuator rod break before though not common.

[mpierce9]

well it turns out that it was the rack.


Autozone had this item in stock.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...k-Kit/_/N-25t0

Went by, picked one up and reassembled everything. Reassembly took some time. I made a good attempt to clean everything very good and reapply lithium grease on pretty much everything. After assembly Everything works great. I did try to kill two birds with one stone which caused an issue I'll go into in the next thread in an effort to not hijack my own thread.

[mpierce9]

Here is a follow up to this project that is really a different topic. It's related to the turn signal canceling cam.


http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...01#post6410201