Re: Re: 1988 Full Size Bronco Ignition Question

Im going thru this same problem on my F150. When I came to the drift pins holding the tilt mechanism, I found a very helpful and practical tip online. Turn a machine screw into the threads (#10), clamp onto that with a ViseGrip, and tap it out with a hammer. Mine fell right out, no problem. Still waiting on part to come back, so not sure on re-installation. Good Luck.

"dadrich" wrote: > Does anyone know if there is a special tool designed to remove > the tilt pins so I can get to the actuator? If so, what is it > called? That is the problem I am running into. I can get > everything apart except for those pins. If I can get the pins > out, my problem will be solved and I will be able to replace > the actuator on my 91 Bronco. Mike

Reply to
wingnut2727
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Here is a site with large clear pictures from disassembly, right thru re-assembly.

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Very well done, and I don?t feel like a total idiot for stumbling through it the way I did now.

"wingnut2727" wrote: > Im going thru this same problem on my F150. When I came to the > drift pins holding the tilt mechanism, I found a very helpful > and practical tip online. Turn a machine screw into the > threads (#10), clamp onto that with a ViseGrip, and tap it out > with a hammer. Mine fell right out, no problem. Still waiting > on part to come back, so not sure on re-installation. Good > Luck.

Reply to
wingnut2727

Hey Gang, Luckily I found these pictures as well. Once I got into it, I found that my tilt mechanism was broken in 3 places, and had to be placed too. Once I got the actuator out, the repairs were pretty easy. On the reinstall a pin sheared off of the lock cylinder causing it to become jammed into the outer casing. I had to pry it loose, cracking the case in the process.

Now I'm waiting on a new casing and keys to come in. :( The dealer wanted well over 1K to complete this job. They initially wanted $600 to do the actuator alone, then they tacked on another 6-700 to replace the outer casing and keys. Thankfully with the help of the posters in this group I was able to do it on my own for the cost of a few tools and parts.

Actuator: $14 Tilt Mechanism: $96 Outer Casing: $63 New Keys and Cylinder: $30 Crappy Tool Kit: $30 Snap Ring Pliers: $14 Total Price of Parts and Tools: $247

On a side note, my tilt has never worked. Even with the new tilt mechanism it still does not function. When you press the tilt lever it presses on the tilt jaw but does not move it. Does anyone know if there is supposed to be some kind of spacer in there? To elaborate a bit:

On the left side of the tilt mechanism is a bar that looks kind of like an "Ohm" symbol. When you pull on the tilt release (turn signal) bar, it applies pressure to the middle of that Ohm shaped bar, the bottom portion of the bar applies pressure to the tilt jaw, in theory releasing it and allowing adjustments. Mine just kind of flounders around and doesn't do much of anything. It seems to me that there should be an extra part in there that helps release the jaw. Any ideas?

Reply to
lorenbachman

Good job Loren. I don't remember the particulars of this column and can't help much with your remaining concern about the tilt mechanism. It's likely a worn part that was reused when you reassembled it. Look close, think about how the mechanism is supposed to work, and do some deductive reasoning and compare to your parts breakdown. I know this sounds vague, but you've reassembled it piece by piece and should have a sense of how it "should" work. Study it a bit and the problem should be fairly obvious. (aoommm, be one with the column Loren, aoommm...;) ) Steering columns can be tricky for DIYers, and even for some technicians. Kudos for going this far. I missed this post at the beginning. The Bronco column is the same as most Ford trucks of that era, only shorter, mostly at the bottom. It's hard to find a used one complete because they are a popular vehicle and most folks swap the whole column when there is a problem. You could have bought a used tilt column from a Pickup and had all of the parts you needed for ~$100. My aplogies for not paying attention and mentioning this earlier. The learning experience, though, is priceless. It's also been much cheaper than the prices you were quoted. Good luck, and keep us informed.

Reply to
Tom Adkins

Turned out to be pretty easy. It was just labor intensive. Took a total of 4 hours from start to finish. All I needed was a pivot pin puller and some patience. I did realize that once you get the upper flange, lower flange and pull the pins there is a trick to it. Once you get the 3 bolts out from behind the yoke (also providing you drop the steering column first which will allow easy acces to these bolts using a 3/16 allen wrench) have the new ignition actuator sitting on the dash board. Pull out the yoke (about 1/2 inch and turn it to the right about a quarter turn (definetly need to remove the gear shift lever for automatics). With the yoke still in your left hand, slide out the old actuator and then slide the new one back in. Turn the yoke back to the left (upright position) and then push it back in. Worked perfectly for me. Just remember to pull the pin on the old actuator and lift up on the rod first. You just want the actuator to come out, not the rod. Another tip is if you have tilt steering, pull the spring before you pull the pins. It took a little to get the spring back in but just use a standard screwdrive and you should be able to force it back in. Now it works great. New actuator and tumbler. Had to replace the upper flange too. Tore up the old one trying to get the old lock cylinder out. Hope this helps.

"wingnut2727" wrote: > Im going thru this same problem on my F150. When I came to the > drift pins holding the tilt mechanism, I found a very helpful > and practical tip online. Turn a machine screw into the > threads (#10), clamp onto that with a ViseGrip, and tap it out > with a hammer. Mine fell right out, no problem. Still waiting > on part to come back, so not sure on re-installation. Good > Luck.

Reply to
dadrich

I got my part last night, and installed it today, about 2 1/2 hours all told. The only problem I ran into was getting the ignition switch lined up right so that all the positions were correct. After about 3 tries, I got it.

The tilt mechanism gave me no trouble at all, in fact, I had it apart and reassembled 3x in trying to get the switch right.

I think if I had to do again, I would not remove the 3 allen screws in the back. I don?t see that I gained any advantage by removing them. But, maybe I just don?t realize that I may have.

I?m no mechanic, but I don?t mind getting my hands dirty. If you take a systematic approach to this, and keep track of how everything came apart, this is a very doable job. The part cost me $7.50, and other then the internet research, I had a total of 5 hours, hands on, into it. It was my 1st ever steering column breakdown/reassembly/anything. I?m glad I didn?t have to pay a garage for the fix.

Good Luck!!

"dadrich" wrote: > Turned out to be pretty easy. It was just labor intensive. > Took a total of 4 hours from start to finish. All I needed > was a pivot pin puller and some patience. I did realize that > once you get the upper flange, lower flange and pull the pins > there is a trick to it. Once you get the 3 bolts out from > behind the yoke (also providing you drop the steering column > first which will allow easy acces to these bolts using a 3/16 > allen wrench) have the new ignition actuator sitting on the > dash board. Pull out the yoke (about 1/2 inch and turn it to > the right about a quarter turn (definetly need to remove the > gear shift lever for automatics). With the yoke still in your > left hand, slide out the old actuator and then slide the new > one back in. Turn the yoke back to the left (upright > position) and then push it back in. Worked perfectly for me. > Just remember to pull the pin on the old actuator and lift up > on the rod first. You just want the actuator to come out, not > the rod. Another tip is if you have tilt steering, pull the > spring before you pull the pins. It took a little to get the > spring back in but just use a standard screwdrive and you > should be able to force it back in. Now it works great. New > actuator and tumbler. Had to replace the upper flange too. > Tore up the old one trying to get the old lock cylinder out. > Hope this helps.

Reply to
wingnut2727

I don't remove the 3 allens from the rear. I don't see any need to, cause they do not hold anything on that needs to be removed. as for lining up the gears, I always put it in so they mesh at the very end of their travel, and never have any problem. its the little things like this, having patience, and helpful people on the net that makes this an easy job. unfortunately, there was no net when I did my first one back in 88.

Reply to
Tom

I agree. I would have never tried a job like this, were it not for the availablity of the internet, and the willingness of knowledgable, experienced people willing to share their thoughts, ideas and inputs.

Thanks to everyone for contributing to this column and this particular item. According to my local mechanic, I would have been looking at at least $300 + towing costs, if I had taken it to his shop (and he is fairly reasonable on labor rates).

Thanks again!

Reply to
wingnut2727

Hey Guys, I wanted to share one little tidbit that I learned during this process. I had a horrible time trying to align the drive gear, keys and actuator. Here is the easy way to do it:

Put everything back together put leave the steering wheel off. Push the ignition into the "On" position, using the actuator rod. Put the drive gear on the end of the ignition cylinder. Line up the word "Lock" on the cylinder with the bar on top of the cylinder. If you are looking at the cylinder from the side, it looks like a circle with a bar at the top and bottom, the word "lock" lines up with the bar on the top. This will be the proper position for the drive gear to mesh with the actuator. Slide the keys into the column and turn to the "off" position.

You should be good to go.

I must have tried to figure this one out for 2 hours before it finally clicked. I hope this helps someone.

Reply to
lorenbachman

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