Need help/advice: steering shaft reinstall -Completed

[Daryl]

Do you know how much that clock spring has moved since you started? It'd be a bit difficult to move it without the wheel attached. But see it helps to know because there's essentially a ribbon cable attached to it internally to provide signal continuity between cruise control switches and airbag down into their respective modules lower in the dash housing. The clock spring needs to correspond exactly with wheel position or else when you re-attach everything and you turn either way to full lock you could damage that ribbon cable and maybe make the airbags go boom.

Both front wheels are off the ground (pictured). Steering shaft U-joint is disconnected (pictured). Snugged the steering column back up after loosening all 4 nuts in order to remove bolt & detach the U-joint.
Manually rotated click spring from 0600 position to 1200 position (pictured), then snugged in the steering wheel (pictured).

 

[Daryl]

So now when I manually crank the tires all the way to one side, should the ignition lock cylinder be in the steering column or no? About how many turns of the steering wheel should it take to reach fully to each side?

 

[Daryl]

Do you know how much that clock spring has moved since you started? It'd be a bit difficult to move it without the wheel attached. But see it helps to know because there's essentially a ribbon cable attached to it internally to provide signal continuity between cruise control switches and airbag down into their respective modules lower in the dash housing. The clock spring needs to correspond exactly with wheel position or else when you re-attach everything and you turn either way to full lock you could damage that ribbon cable and maybe make the airbags go boom.

Numerous times. It moves freely.

 

[cobrajeff96]

Damn. There's things you have to take into account before doing a job like this.

At this point, if you have no idea how/when things have moved during the course of this job, I guess you're running on a little bit of faith.

If you think everything is centered then I guess just try to re-attach everything and hope for the best.

 

[Daryl]

Any idea what these belong to and where they go? You’d think by the size and shape of them it’d be readily apparent. But for the life of me, I can’t locate them.
Have everything else buttoned up. Fingers crossed it’s all back together correctly the first time!

 

[Daryl]

Never mind, found ‘em! Thx to Google & eBay ;-)……Multi-function connections for steering wheel. Cheers!

 

[Daryl]

It’s 5:00 somewhere, right? Here’s why I need a 5:00 beer @ 1:00…

Got it ALL put back together then noticed the ON/OFF switch for the cruise control was wobbly. Turns out the lower mounting point’s little cheap-ass plastic tab is gonzo. Missing. Nowhere to be found. Not even to plasti-weld it back on, small as it is.

Ordered replacement set of OE switches, which ironically (because I just received replacements) include the horn buttons already attached. Classic “forehead-smacker”! Delivery 10/31 - 11/7.

 

[Daryl]

Turns out it was just stripped threads at the beginning of the bolt causing it to NOT thread into the U-joint. Bought a quality replacement ($3.19) but well worth it because it threaded right in perfectly.

And the replacement horn button/cruise control buttons assembly popped in nice and snug.

 

[ttocs]

Ya just needed to curse at it more.....

 

[joemomma]

Dang man what an ordeal! Reminds me of the time I tried to do replace u-joints and ended up buying a new driveshaft because I snapped one of the ears off the driveshaft. But hey - I got new u-joints and an upgraded DS out of the deal.

 

[Daryl]

I knew it was going to be a challenge (for me anyway), but man what a cluster f*ck it turned into. Delays ordering horn buttons, missing springs and washers, replace the U-joint bolt, new to me cruise control buttons . Bunch of varying information via YouTube and similar go-to’s…yada yada yada confused things even more until I got to the point where I got tired of chasing my tail and just said, “screw it; I’m just gonna pop the damn thing in and HOPE”! And it worked out perfectly!