Light Switch/Turn Signal Stalk Woes

Hey folks, I have an oddity manifest itself in my turn signal/light switch stalk and I am wondering if anyone has taken one of these 1) off and 2) apart.

Here is what is happening. The fog lights stay on all of the time unless I push the stalk down engaging the left turn signal, then the fog lights go off. So every time I run the Jeep I turn on the lights so the tinkle bell reminds me to turn all the lights off _and_ signal for a left turn to kill the fogs. Then when I start up the signal goes on and reminds me to turn on the lights again so I am reminded again what to do when I stop later.

There are two problems with just doing this every time. Nobody else wants to drive it now (that has its pluses and minuses) and eventually it will get worse to the point where I would need to disconnect the battery each time. So the idea is to get at it now.

I am figuring that some contact in there slipped or bent or something where it is contacting when it ought not. Yet It is not obvious to me how to get at things. While I fix most of the stuff myself, I have a mild dread of 'pulling the steering wheel' as I have never done that and suspect I would need some tool.

Any clues for me here? I am curious about how to attack this problem, thanks. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes
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I don't know if you can take the switch apart, or not, but you can certainly replace it. Buy a new one, then fix the old one or replace it, and take the new one back if you don't use it.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

Thanks Jeff and Bill, Yeah it would be nice if I told you what it was. I had it in the post and it somehow got deleted along the editing way. Anyways, it is a 2002 TJ.

The question right now is how hard is it to remove the stalk and how is it done?

Reply to
Tomes

Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

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If you need any parts the above link has just about everything and reasonable.

Reply to
Coasty

You have to remove the airbag -- proper precautions observed, all of that stuff ... -- then pull the steering wheel. the combination switch is under the steering wheel.

You may need to remove the shrouding around the steering column first, and you may discover that the combo switch can be taken out without pulling the steering wheel.

I'm not sure how yours goes together, but I've heard that some combo switches can be replaced without removing the steering wheel. All of my cars have required me to pull the steering wheel to get to the combo switch.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Don't know if this helps or not, but on 1997 Cherokee the steering wheel did not have to come off, but the airbag did have to come off. (for safety sake only). Then the ignition switch lock assembly had to be removed. (to gain clearances for worming and twisting the top and bottom column covers off)........ you really have to hold your mouth just right, and twist the two halves more than you can imagine. (the two piece cover had several easy to spot screws) Somewhere online, someone posted a really great step-by-step procedure for getting it all apart (and back together) with pictures, no less! Now, the assembly I'm speaking about is the combined turn signal/high-low beam switch. I'll look for that article online, but no promises.

Old Chief Lynn

Reply to
coffelt2

Thanks Bill and Jeff again. Bill - this link is perfect and told me what I needed to know. I can do this as the procedure looks easy enough, and it is all just one unfixable 'part'.

So I stop by the Jeep place on the way home today and they say it is a national backorder of 345 pieces and they cannot get it. I then found it at an on-line dealer for $70 including shipping versus ~$80 at the local dealer. I saw other cheaper knock-offs elsewhere online but went and bought the original online today. I expect to keep this Jeep for a long time, it only has 114K on it now, so I avoided the cheapo brands.

Cheers, Tomes

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote:

Reply to
Tomes

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