Steering Column Repair - Part 1 - 07/21/2015
Driving to work 2 months ago my truck wouldn't shut off. Key flopped around but didn't do anything except start the truck. Ruh roh. Reading around it's a pretty common flaw in the steering column that Ford started used around 1993 and continues to use in slightly modified form to this day. The Ford service manual details how to do it, and it looks to be a pain. Fortunately my truck is a '95 and doesn't have airbags...
And we begin! Ignore mildew\mold on armrest, apparently you can't escape moisture around here.
Steering wheel cover pulls right off, revealing the cruise wiring and horn ground piece.
Lower trim plate is removed and the ignition switch is exposed. This is what I have to get to from above to fix the problem. I could be ghetto and remove it and switch it manually with the key in the lock, but that would be as I mentioned already... ghetto. The cable that runs across the bottom of the column is the shift indicator (it's neat).
All of the posts and logs I read insist that the steering wheel isn't keyed so you have to use a Sharpie to mark it. Well there's a dent in mine and a line in the wheel and they both line up on the spline, so no need. Parts tag is dated May 26, 1995.
Everyone also says if you use a steering wheel puller it will strip out the threads in the wheel. I don't know what bad luck other people have but it pulls right off with the tool and no damage at all.
Wheel removed, bottom cover plate removed revealing internals.
Put key in Run position, insert screwdriver, and out come the tumbler assembly. Inside is a plastic snap ring, a plastic key buzzer, and the sector gear. The plastic snap ring has to gently come out before anything else does, and then the rest is rotated out.
The sector gear is out along with the rest of the hardware and you can see the upper actuator here. It flops around in the breeze, confirming my suspicions.
Turn signal switch is allowed to dangle away.
Using a big screwdriver I pry out the tilt spring. Be careful! You WILL shoot your eye out if it gets in the way... I used a thin screwdriver through the hole and a large screwdriver to pry on, it fell out but didn't shoot because the long thin one kept it from shooting out.
Where the spring goes.
Everything gets disassembled. Amusingly enough someone had already removed the upper trim plate before and broke 2 of the 4 mounting screws. They super glued them back together but it wasn't enough. I super glued them again.
Have to get the snap ring, spring, and bearing cover completely removed to get the upper tilt housing to pull off.
You can see the broken stud in the lower actuator. Also of note is that the lower tilt clamp is broken too. Le sigh.
Upper actuator should have that metal pin pressed in where it can't move.
This is where things got weird and ugly. Ford says to pull the entire column out and then drive out the lower actuator via removing the shift lockout. Well the shift lockout can't be reached without completely removing the column and the upper actuator will NOT go in to the lower actuator without removing the shift lockout. Things got ugly as I ended up pulling EVERYTHING apart to find out how it was supposed to work and be done per Ford...
It's completely out! Surprisingly this was pretty easy. The steering column rod is keyed to the u-joint assembly on the column so it really is idiot proof - you can't put it together wrong without it being 180 degrees out and OBVIOUSLY wrong.
Column's out.
Last piece to remove. Except I can't. Ford says "use drift and drive out pin from shift lockout, replace with new." Except how in the world can you drive out a 1.5" pin from the left side at a 45 degree angle? I would think maybe they make a little slide hammer that will do it for you? I couldn't figure it out. I spent 2 hours on it. Various websites with a 5 speed column say "it just slides right out" which I'm sure it would if that lockout rod wasn't there... Then I got angry and called it a night due to no more daylight.
The internet to the rescue again. "Just file the upper rod down slightly and twist it in." Well THAT was obvious.... and it worked. 30 seconds of filing a slight little bump down and there is virtually no way that this upper actuator is coming out, you would have to twist it at an extreme angle to get it out and that isn't happening with the upper column housing locked in place.
Frustrating, but at least now it's just a matter of putting it all back together on a day when there ISN'T a torrential downpour. People can laugh at my misfortune, but don't laught too loud if you have a Ford vehicle... this will be YOU one day and the dealer charges around $600 labor to do this job... I R now xpert...
Return to '95 F250 Page
Last updated July 21st, 2015