Tilt Column Problem

[GTchris]

I have a factory tilt column in the car and it keeps dropping any time there is downward force on the steering wheel. IIRC someone had mentioned that there is something that I can do to the column so that it would stop dropping but, the swing away feature would not function afterwords. I cannot remember what they said that I could do to fix this.

I do not have all the parts to make the swing away function properly, and I really don't care if it does swing away. I just want the steering wheel to stay where it is supposed to and only tilt when activated.

Any help would be really appreciated!

 

[Midlife]

Duct tape. :sarc

 

[JeffTepper]

My guess is that you either have broken parts or parts that need some minor adjustment.

Disconnect battery andpull the steering wheel off as well as the turn signal stalk and the emergency flasher knob;

Remove the two small screws holding the upper column housing and remove the housing by pulling away from the dashboard making sure not to break the emergency flasher escutcheon. reattach the turn signal stalk to facilitate testing of the mechanism during the diagnosis and repair process;

Looking at the tilt mechanism you will see an upper and lower pawl (spring loaded) held in place with one metal pivot pin each; Those pawls each have a flange on the inner edge that locks into the upper and lower slotted racks of the tilt mechanism to hold the steering wheel in one of nine vertical positions. manipulate the turn signal lever while watching the parts move to get an idea of how it all works. Note that the tilt head is spring loaded and will snap into the full up position when activated without the weight of the steering wheel to dampen the spring, so keep fingers and other appendages clear of the mechanism while working on it.

If the racks have broken teeth or are otherwise broken you need to find replacement serviceable parts before proceeding with a repair;

If the racks and pawls look ok, check the metal pivot pins for proper alignment. Over time they often work themselves loose from one side or the other and the now tilted pawls no longer lock the column securely. The fix is to press the pawls down against spring pressure (one at a time) with a flat blade screwdriver and, when aligned with the holes on the tilt housing, squeeze the pivot pins back into the holes using a pair of channel lock pliers. This should restore the pawl alignment and serve to secure the column head in the selected position. Note that a permanent solution includes securing the pins in the mounting holes. I have yet to find a permanent solution so periodically, the repair must be repeated.

Hope this makes sense. Good luck.

 

[GTchris]

Thanks for the help Jeff, the column is fixed!!

I took some pics as I went along on this really easy fix in case someone else ever has the same problem.

This is the upper pawl that moves when the turn signal lever is pushed and the rack the pawl locks into. The rack and pawls look pretty good in my column. You can see the pivot pin has slid out and causing the pawl to not engage the rack securely.

The lower pawl pivot pin has slid out as well.

I took a punch and used it to align the pawl where it is supposed to go.

Then used a channel lock pliers to push the pins back into place.

Sorry to disappoint you Randy, but the duct tape did not hold very well.

 

[Midlife]

:confu

Good job! :wor

 

[FordDude]

I had one of those a long time ago. You brought back memories of what a pita the tilt/swing away wheels are. But they are still kinda cool when they are working right.

fd