Key cylinder BROKE! - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 05:15 PM

ok, well the key cylinder broke today, luckily at home and not at school. Anyways, while i ewas at school, my dad started pulling the steering coolumn apart. it took him an hour to pull the steering wheel off, finally had to flood it in WD40 and let it soak an hour then use a long handled ratchet to pull it off, now we can't get the retainer ring off. Anybody know how to get that area compresed to get it out?

beaterC10 · 11-18-2005, 05:26 PM

You will need a compressor. I think the name is "lockplate compressor" They are fairly cheap to buy or rent. The tool threads onto the steering shaft and allows you compressor the lock plate by threading a nut. The only trick is to make sure you don't bend the the lock plate with the compressor. The plates will sometimes hang up on the shaft splines and bend if you apply too much pressure with the compressor.

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 05:39 PM

ok we got that off (just pushed hard), but now this:

WHERE OH WHERE IS THE IGNITION SWITCH?

the steering lock piece moves, so it's not the lock cylinder, but we cant find the switch itself at the base of the column. We have pulled the lower panels and the air ducts, can't find it. Also unplugged the turn signal harness, no help (except getting at the lock cylinder..no slack in the wires)

piecesparts · 11-18-2005, 06:17 PM

The ignittion switch is on top of the steering column, just behind the dash panel. It is about four inches long and it has a slide that sets over the rod that comes down from the top end of the column, to allow for it to connect to the different wiring tabs. If you take the two nuts loose under the dash the column will swing down and you can see it. It is held on by two small screws and the ignition/key assembly is attached using a rod that runs down inside the steering column tube. The common part that breaks on these setups is the linkage piece that is on the LEFT HAND side of the column, just behind the turn signal lever. It is a wierd shaped "Potmetal" piece that allows the ignition switch to turn and pull the rod. I had one break on the road once and had to tear down the truck in a parking lot in Louisville Ky. That part is easy to replace, but it takes some dexterity to get it all to fit together and slide the column cover over it.

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 06:37 PM

We've had a push button start on the truck for a long while. We found a whitish connector that had the 2 prong connector for the starter (2 purple wires- we unhooked/bypassed for push button) and another 2 prong with a pair of green wires. Are we on the same topic or do we need to undo another pair of screws?

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 06:44 PM

lets see...if pictures are worth 1000 words...

7 pictures is easier than 7000 words...

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 06:46 PM

again.....

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 06:48 PM

also, it comes into/out of any gear in any key position.....

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 06:59 PM

my dad wanted me to ask..

how do you get the turn signal switch off? Its hardwired on both ends, and the huge connector cant possibly fit through the column...how's it come off? Couldnt find a connector or anything.

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 07:06 PM

my dad just undid those other 2 bolts, but it didnt swing down, it's still connected somewhere..eng comp..?

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 07:58 PM

how does the column come down?

the 4 bolts are out, the 2 studs that come down from the gauge pod area are unnutted, the gear selectors unhooked and i cant get it to come down past the end of the studs and thats with a good bit of my weight on it

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 08:06 PM

more pics...thus far...?

magnethead · 11-18-2005, 08:30 PM

FaastC10's been helping me on IM..i got it all figured out!

Russell · 11-19-2005, 02:30 AM

Yikes!

That is one seriously hacked up wiring harness...

I'd highly reccomend getting a new one, and replacing your steering column right away!

magnethead · 11-19-2005, 01:30 PM

We're basically giving up and getting a new column..repairing the old one aint worth the trouble. We're scouting junkyards and might get HRN-45 from http://www.americanclassic.com/asp/d...ype=to&exyear= if none of the yards around here have one. We already checked out 1.

magnethead · 11-19-2005, 03:08 PM

does anybody else know any places that sell complete (+-) steering columns?

piecesparts · 11-19-2005, 03:20 PM

I realize that you are in a different state, but you might try the guys at the website listed below. They run a salvage yard that is GM parts specialties, and they will ship and contact all over the country.

http://www.lewisautoparts.com/

magnethead · 11-19-2005, 05:54 PM

http://www.lewisautoparts.com/asp/pa...p?ID=167666079

that looks right...

just a matter of if its a full complete one (minus key) or if its missing stuff. plus it dont say tilt/non-tilt or automatic/manual.

the one for $250 rebuilt a few miles down the highway is minus ign switch and key

magnethead · 11-19-2005, 06:08 PM

I sent a few emails..we'll see what happens.

Russell · 11-20-2005, 02:35 AM

Got any junkyards nearby?

I've bought several very nice tilt columns in the neighbourhood of 20 bucks before, depending on if they have a wheel on them or not.

Also, if the truck you are pulling the column from has a nice wiring harness, do yourself a favour and pull it right away. I realize you have a brake controller, but you can do a far nicer install than was done there! Solder all connections, and seal them with shrink wrap (electrical tape falls off eventually) Anything else is asking for an electrical fire, lol

You'll only need to cut then splice 4 wires to install a new harness from the fusebox back. That includes the two white ground wires that go to the ground switches on the doors for the courtesy lights, and the connected orange and white wires that go to the dome light / box light if so equipped. other than that, everything is plug n play!

magnethead · 11-21-2005, 07:53 PM

we finished today. Found a donor truck at a local junkyard this morning and it was a perfect match. Also, we took the key cylinder from both colummns to orielly's and it turns out that both our dually and the donor truck had 1973 steering columns that used the old cylinder design (stot instead of pin). We replaced the ign switch and the key cylinder just to make sure everything was halfway decently new. Runs fine now and we undid the pushbutton start but left the button in there with the wire capped incase we go back to it.

magnethead · 11-21-2005, 07:55 PM

oh, and russell, those are all wires for the speakers from the head unit that had nowhere to go..we zip tied em up and tied em to the column..they aint falling infront of the brake pedal again fro a long time.

magnethead · 11-21-2005, 08:00 PM

heres pics

magnethead · 11-21-2005, 08:02 PM

the wheel that was on the column was a deep dish, so we took it off when we replaced the lock cylinder and put our old shallow dish on it...but the blinker handle was designed for a deep dish, not shallow, so it's close but dont touch

magnethead · 11-22-2005, 11:08 PM

http://www.auto-chat.net/help/text16.htm

i wrote that up from my experience..somebody check and see if i left anything out.

11-18-2005, 05:15 PM	#1
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Key cylinder BROKE! ok, well the key cylinder broke today, luckily at home and not at school. Anyways, while i ewas at school, my dad started pulling the steering coolumn apart. it took him an hour to pull the steering wheel off, finally had to flood it in WD40 and let it soak an hour then use a long handled ratchet to pull it off, now we can't get the retainer ring off. Anybody know how to get that area compresed to get it out?

11-18-2005, 05:26 PM	#2
beaterC10 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,277	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! You will need a compressor. I think the name is "lockplate compressor" They are fairly cheap to buy or rent. The tool threads onto the steering shaft and allows you compressor the lock plate by threading a nut. The only trick is to make sure you don't bend the the lock plate with the compressor. The plates will sometimes hang up on the shaft splines and bend if you apply too much pressure with the compressor.

11-18-2005, 05:39 PM	#3
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! ok we got that off (just pushed hard), but now this: WHERE OH WHERE IS THE IGNITION SWITCH? the steering lock piece moves, so it's not the lock cylinder, but we cant find the switch itself at the base of the column. We have pulled the lower panels and the air ducts, can't find it. Also unplugged the turn signal harness, no help (except getting at the lock cylinder..no slack in the wires)

11-18-2005, 06:17 PM	#4
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! The ignittion switch is on top of the steering column, just behind the dash panel. It is about four inches long and it has a slide that sets over the rod that comes down from the top end of the column, to allow for it to connect to the different wiring tabs. If you take the two nuts loose under the dash the column will swing down and you can see it. It is held on by two small screws and the ignition/key assembly is attached using a rod that runs down inside the steering column tube. The common part that breaks on these setups is the linkage piece that is on the LEFT HAND side of the column, just behind the turn signal lever. It is a wierd shaped "Potmetal" piece that allows the ignition switch to turn and pull the rod. I had one break on the road once and had to tear down the truck in a parking lot in Louisville Ky. That part is easy to replace, but it takes some dexterity to get it all to fit together and slide the column cover over it. Last edited by piecesparts; 11-18-2005 at 06:18 PM.

11-18-2005, 06:37 PM	#5
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! We've had a push button start on the truck for a long while. We found a whitish connector that had the 2 prong connector for the starter (2 purple wires- we unhooked/bypassed for push button) and another 2 prong with a pair of green wires. Are we on the same topic or do we need to undo another pair of screws?

11-18-2005, 06:44 PM	#6
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! lets see...if pictures are worth 1000 words... 7 pictures is easier than 7000 words... Attached Images

11-18-2005, 06:46 PM	#7
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! again..... Attached Images

11-18-2005, 06:48 PM	#8
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! also, it comes into/out of any gear in any key position.....

11-18-2005, 06:59 PM	#9
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! my dad wanted me to ask.. how do you get the turn signal switch off? Its hardwired on both ends, and the huge connector cant possibly fit through the column...how's it come off? Couldnt find a connector or anything.

11-18-2005, 07:06 PM	#10
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! my dad just undid those other 2 bolts, but it didnt swing down, it's still connected somewhere..eng comp..?

11-18-2005, 07:58 PM	#11
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! how does the column come down? the 4 bolts are out, the 2 studs that come down from the gauge pod area are unnutted, the gear selectors unhooked and i cant get it to come down past the end of the studs and thats with a good bit of my weight on it

11-18-2005, 08:06 PM	#12
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! more pics...thus far...? Attached Images

11-18-2005, 08:30 PM	#13
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! FaastC10's been helping me on IM..i got it all figured out!

11-19-2005, 02:30 AM	#14
Russell Professional Grade Join Date: May 2003 Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta Posts: 7,915	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! Yikes! That is one seriously hacked up wiring harness... I'd highly reccomend getting a new one, and replacing your steering column right away! __________________ 1995 Chevrolet 2 Door Tahoe (6.6L LBZ Duramax / ZF6 / NP241 with 1 ton solid axle swap)

11-19-2005, 01:30 PM	#15
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! We're basically giving up and getting a new column..repairing the old one aint worth the trouble. We're scouting junkyards and might get HRN-45 from http://www.americanclassic.com/asp/d...ype=to&exyear= if none of the yards around here have one. We already checked out 1.



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11-19-2005, 03:08 PM	#16
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! does anybody else know any places that sell complete (+-) steering columns?

11-19-2005, 03:20 PM	#17
piecesparts Parts and more parts Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lebo, Kansas (middle of nowhere Posts: 6,821	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! I realize that you are in a different state, but you might try the guys at the website listed below. They run a salvage yard that is GM parts specialties, and they will ship and contact all over the country. http://www.lewisautoparts.com/

11-19-2005, 05:54 PM	#18
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! http://www.lewisautoparts.com/asp/pa...p?ID=167666079 that looks right... just a matter of if its a full complete one (minus key) or if its missing stuff. plus it dont say tilt/non-tilt or automatic/manual. the one for $250 rebuilt a few miles down the highway is minus ign switch and key Last edited by magnethead; 11-19-2005 at 05:57 PM.

11-19-2005, 06:08 PM	#19
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! I sent a few emails..we'll see what happens.

11-20-2005, 02:35 AM	#20
Russell Professional Grade Join Date: May 2003 Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta Posts: 7,915	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! Got any junkyards nearby? I've bought several very nice tilt columns in the neighbourhood of 20 bucks before, depending on if they have a wheel on them or not. Also, if the truck you are pulling the column from has a nice wiring harness, do yourself a favour and pull it right away. I realize you have a brake controller, but you can do a far nicer install than was done there! Solder all connections, and seal them with shrink wrap (electrical tape falls off eventually) Anything else is asking for an electrical fire, lol You'll only need to cut then splice 4 wires to install a new harness from the fusebox back. That includes the two white ground wires that go to the ground switches on the doors for the courtesy lights, and the connected orange and white wires that go to the dome light / box light if so equipped. other than that, everything is plug n play! __________________ 1995 Chevrolet 2 Door Tahoe (6.6L LBZ Duramax / ZF6 / NP241 with 1 ton solid axle swap) Last edited by Russell; 11-20-2005 at 02:36 AM.

11-21-2005, 07:53 PM	#21
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! we finished today. Found a donor truck at a local junkyard this morning and it was a perfect match. Also, we took the key cylinder from both colummns to orielly's and it turns out that both our dually and the donor truck had 1973 steering columns that used the old cylinder design (stot instead of pin). We replaced the ign switch and the key cylinder just to make sure everything was halfway decently new. Runs fine now and we undid the pushbutton start but left the button in there with the wire capped incase we go back to it.

11-21-2005, 07:55 PM	#22
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! oh, and russell, those are all wires for the speakers from the head unit that had nowhere to go..we zip tied em up and tied em to the column..they aint falling infront of the brake pedal again fro a long time.

11-21-2005, 08:00 PM	#23
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! heres pics Attached Images

11-21-2005, 08:02 PM	#24
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! the wheel that was on the column was a deep dish, so we took it off when we replaced the lock cylinder and put our old shallow dish on it...but the blinker handle was designed for a deep dish, not shallow, so it's close but dont touch

11-22-2005, 11:08 PM	#25
magnethead 7000 #'s of american IRON Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: north tx Posts: 883	Re: Key cylinder BROKE! http://www.auto-chat.net/help/text16.htm i wrote that up from my experience..somebody check and see if i left anything out.

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