47-55.1 Aftermarket Steering Column Wiring Issues

[steve aleve]

Hey there!
Has anyone had issues with the wiring in an aftermarket steering column not working as it should? I purchased a GH 32" plain steel tilt column from the bay a little while back and I finally started wiring it and I am not having any luck. It says that it is the generic GM wiring scheme and I have looked at those on line and it doesn't seem to work.
The wires it has are as follows:

White
Green
Yellow
Purple
Brown
Blue
Grey
Black

It is my understanding that the flasher has to plug into purple but I am not getting any conductivity between purple and another pin (even when I switch the turn signals).

Thanks in advance

[mr48chev]

Not sure who sells the "GH" units but normally the aftermarket follows the GM wiring diagram and uses a factory style GM switch and plug. Probably not the only headache you will have with that Ebay special though as they don't have a good rep.

Did it just give you loose wires or does it have a flat plug on the end?

A bit of hunting shows it is a Gearhead unit and the Gearhead units that I found have the standard flat GM switch on them. If you don't have the pigtail to connect to it you can snag one out of a Mid 70's GM rig at the wrecking yard and get as much wire with it or there are aftermarket units such as these.

http://www.painlessperformance.com/webcat/30805

http://www.autozone.com/electrical-a...575585_723562_

I'm still thinking that there is an inexpensive plug and pigtail that plugs to the plug on the switch available somewhere but can't remember where at the moment.

You don't want to cut the plug off and just wire connectors as then you have to cut things apart if you need to pull the column or change the switch.

[Rude Dude]

Here you go

[mr48chev]

This is just the Ididit plug to connect your wires to the GM style switch plug to make a nice neat setup http://www.ididitinc.com/accessories-3/Wiring_Acc-62

Part number is probably available though Summit or other vendors.

Summit, Jegs and even Amazon show it
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/idt-3106050010

Wire color wise what is listed as "new" on this list that I copied off Squirrel's post on the Hamb should be right.

this seems to pop up occasionally, someone needs to wire a later GM column into an earlier GM car, or vise-versa....and GM changed the color codes some time in the early 60s. Old is the 50s and early 60s color code, Function is what the wire does, New is the mid60s- and newer color code. Some of the columns have all black wires with a color stripe, so for these the New color is the color of the stripe on the black wire.

Old----------function----------New

pink---------left rear----------yellow
purple-------right rear-------dark green
light blue----left front--------light blue
dark blue----rightfront-------dark blue
white------brake switch-------white
yellow---power from flasher----purple
brown----------horn-----------black
n/a power from hazard flasher-brown

[mr48chev]

The diagram Rude Dude posted should be easy to follow, If you have a printer I'd print that out and take it to the garage. Probably a print out that we all need in our notebook of need to know stuff.

[OrrieG]

I used an ez wire kit for my 80's gm column. It came with the wire ends terminated for the column and two different plastic connectors for two most common applications. Wires pop into connector and it snaps onto column. Here is painless wiring diagram and a current ebay auction that has the plastic connectors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Painless-Wir...VYI7w3&vxp=mtr

[steve aleve]

Thanks guys! mr48chevy, Yes its a Gearhead unit and it came with the GM flat plug on it. I went to a junk yard and picked up a GM female to fit and am going to use that. I also used the same diagram that rude dude is showing (just like you said I even printed it out and brought it to the garage!! lol ) and it is still not working correctly. I am not planning on hooking up a horn yet so I have ignored that and I don't have a flasher for the 4 way so I am just running a hot wire to the white through the brake switch. (maybe this is causing an issue)

It was strange, I hooked it up like the diagram shows and I couldnt get the signals to blink and the brake switch was controlling the front and rear driving lights. I then decided to test continuity through the column to see if it was acting like I thought it should and the purple (flasher) wire doent have connectivity to any other wires, even when I hit the signals..

Not sure what other tests I can run to see whats wrong.

[mr48chev]

The white only supplies the stop lights you have to have the purple connected to the fuse for the turn signals (hot) to run the signals. From OrrieG's list in post 6 (I'm saving that one too) the brown supplies the power from the hazzard flasher to the switch.

Or as in supplied power to switch
White---Brake lights
Purple -Turn signals from turn signal flasher
Brown- power to hazard flasher.

[steve aleve]

Thanks mr48, rude dude and Orrieg!! I think I am coming to the conclusion that it is internally disconnected so i may have to take it apart. Has anyone done this? Is it a terrible idea?

[mr48chev]

The only internal connections are the ones at the switch it's self.

The switch should come out just like any other GM switch.

One thought just occurred when I was typing this and that is that normally the signals won't work if the hazard switch is in the on position. I ran into that on either my 71 or 77 truck a while back. No hazard flasher in place and the switch had got turned on and no signals.

Anyhow as I said above pulling the switch out is just like on any other GM column for a lot of years.

After the wheel is off:
Remove the hazard switch button.

Remove the lock plate if there is one (takes a special tool you can rent/borrow at Autozone)

Remove the turn signal lever
Take out the three screws that hold the switch in.

Unplug the harness at the bottom and tie a piece of wire to the plug (wire feed wire works great) so that the plug is straight with the harness wires and have the wire long enough so that it will reach though the column with both ends sticking out a foot or so when you are done
Work the switch loose from the housing and pull it out. You will probably have to keep some tension on the wire you connected to the plug to keep it straight and flat. Pull the whole thing out and then untie the wire from the plug leaving the wire in the column as that is what you pull the plug back down though the column with.

Then you can figure out what is wrong with the switch or wires and decide if you can repair it or take it to the parts house and match it up with a replacement.

Installation is reverse the steps. I put the plug in so that the ribbon wire lays flat in the direction I want it to in the column so it is straight with the switch when the switch is back in place.

The switch probably matches this Delco part number AC Delco D6208 http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...itemDetailTab_ As it fits most 69 to mid 70's GM cars

That part number will work as a starting point for looking for a replacement.
The BWD number is a whole lot less money though. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2100&ppt=C0039





hazard button isn't in the wrong position by chance? Turn signals won't work if hazard lights are on.

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by steve aleve

Thanks mr48, rude dude and Orrieg!! I think I am coming to the conclusion that it is internally disconnected so i may have to take it apart. Has anyone done this? Is it a terrible idea?

Send it back. These columns are notorious for electrical shorts out of the box, number one complaint when we sold these gems, . Second is chrome peeling off, third is the shift collar snaps and the tilt being so sloppy it didn't lock correctly, These are not GM guts in a cheap column and if they break you can not get parts for them other than the turn signal switch

This is the part number for most of those columns turn signal switches

Signal Switch is G10Van 80-81
NAPA DL6187
Standard TW40

Black (G) horn
Lt blue (H) lft Turn Signal
Blue (J) RT Turn Signal
Brown (K) hazard
Purple (L) turn signal power main
Yellow (M) lft rear turn signal
Green (N) Rt rear turn Signal
White (P) brake Light

[mr48chev]

I had read all too many stories about them falling apart or the tilt getting sloppy way too quick but hadn't read about the electrical shorts.

I didn't know what switch they used either.

One of my buddies has one like that in his Studebaker coupe that he hasn't driven much but no doubt I'll hear complaints on it one of these days if he ever gets the car all in one piece.

[steve aleve]

Thanks guys!!! I took the switch out yesterday and sure enough it was bad. After a bit of wiggling and tapping, my dad and I were able to get it to make connections! We thought that the connectors had a film on them so we put it back and and nothing. We did this about three or four times and then we decided that the switch was too intermittent so I contacted the seller and am going to have him send a new one. I was also thinking that maybe I can just have him buy me a new one from Napa or oreilleys. Thanks again for the info and it's good to know that I can get a replacement switch elsewhere if needed.

[steve aleve]

So just an update on things. I called gear head enterprises to let them know that I had a faulty switch. I provided all of the info from the ebay purchase etc. The guy said he would call me back to let me know what they can do for me. I received a call a few hours later and he told me they don't have turn signal switches. I didn't quite understand what he meant so I asked if he could clarify. He said we can't send you a new switch because we don't have them separate. I then asked if that means I have to send the whole column back. He said no they won't switch it. He wasn't great with words so I had to Re phrase it and ask him a few different ways. He finally said that I would need to buy an entire new column!!! Can you believe that! I don't usually lose it but this is ridiculous and I can only hope that this post saves someone headache down the road!

[OrrieG]

My guess they just resell, may not even take physical possession of the merchandise. So they have no recourse with the company they are dealing with, probably someone in China.

You are not the first....

https://www.google.com/search?q=gear...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by steve aleve

So just an update on things. I called gear head enterprises to let them know that I had a faulty switch. I provided all of the info from the ebay purchase etc. The guy said he would call me back to let me know what they can do for me. I received a call a few hours later and he told me they don't have turn signal switches. I didn't quite understand what he meant so I asked if he could clarify. He said we can't send you a new switch because we don't have them separate. I then asked if that means I have to send the whole column back. He said no they won't switch it. He wasn't great with words so I had to Re phrase it and ask him a few different ways. He finally said that I would need to buy an entire new column!!! Can you believe that! I don't usually lose it but this is ridiculous and I can only hope that this post saves someone headache down the road!

This is typical of ALL the cheap import columns. Anything breaks it has to go back, if its past 90 days you out of luck and have to buy a new one. We refunded about 50 percent of the ones we sold and stopped selling them.

We purchased them for about $165 from a distributor who most likely paid $100 -110 and had to have it shipped from China at a cost of maybe 10% so just how much in parts and quality could possibly be left and make a profit. I suspect they had a $45 manufacturing cost. You can buy a legit GM tilt mechanism for $45 let alone a entire column. While Ididt and Flaming river can be pricy they stand behind their products and you can always get parts for them.

If they (Gearhead) won't make good see what ebay will do. If you paid by CC do a charge back with your cc company.

[Donaldo]

I used an EZ wiring harness with an Ididit column, TBI fuel supply, VA heat/ac, some of the circuitry was duplicated/deleted, but it all worked as expected, usually the first time. What mfg. support I needed was just a US phone call away.

[Daisy]

Ok... Why does my horn go off when I am putting the switch in? What am I missing? I can't even get the 3 screw in.. 1969 c20. No tilt, manually tranny

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by Daisy

Ok... Why does my horn go off when I am putting the switch in? What am I missing? I can't even get the 3 screw in.. 1969 c20. No tilt, manually tranny

That should be the subject of a completely new thread but I am going to say that you already connected your wires on the switch to the trucks harness and the horn connector is grounding out on the steering shaft when you try to go over it.

You have to flip the piece that moves one way or the other on all of them to get the screws in. It is too late and dark to go out and take a photo of the 70 column and switch I have now but you should be able to move that with your fingers.

[Daisy]

Thanks... I know what you mean about the screws. I can get them in...just not without setting the horn off. Yes I do have the harness attached. I'm just not savy in finding shorts and grounds etc....

[gigamanx]

Steve, I'm just commiserating with you. I have a thread going this past week for my own cheap-o steering column.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=761951

It arrived with a short that would happen when I tilted the column it would blow the headlight fuse. I spent nights running down issues with my lights and turn signals with the assumption that a brand new shiny steering column couldn't possibly be the source of issues. Where I found the issue was, tilting the column would power the turn signals and there should not be power to the turn signals until you actually make contact with the turn signal lever. Recently I broke off the hazard switch by accident and had to dig into the column wiring.

shout out to DWCSR for posting the one thing I couldn't find! I got an ACDELCO unit but there are slight nuances to the plastic housing. Now I can go to NAPA at lunch and pick up the right unit! The key that was pointed out to me is the exit angle of the turn signal lever.

Originally Posted by DWCSR

Signal Switch is G10Van 80-81
NAPA DL6187
Standard TW40

I'll add ACDELCO D6211 looks like the correct switch also.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by steve aleve

Hey there!
Has anyone had issues with the wiring in an aftermarket steering column not working as it should? I purchased a GH 32" plain steel tilt column from the bay a little while back and I finally started wiring it and I am not having any luck. It says that it is the generic GM wiring scheme and I have looked at those on line and it doesn't seem to work.
The wires it has are as follows:

White
Green
Yellow
Purple
Brown
Blue
Grey
Black

It is my understanding that the flasher has to plug into purple but I am not getting any conductivity between purple and another pin (even when I switch the turn signals).

Thanks in advance

I got mine all working today. Oddly, I had the same issue with purple. Its a simple and silly mistake, but the ignition has to be on to power that wire

[tim_mc]

Alternate tilt turn signal part numbers for ACDelco 6211 are Delco-Remy 01893592 and 1893592. I found a NOS switch in black plastic, Delco Remy 1893592 to replace my CPP tilt column turn signal switch that has a stuck flasher. Hopefully it will do the trick.