I'm sure you can all relate...
busterswt
Jeeper
Had one of those 'down the rabbit hole we go' moments yesterday. I'm working on wiring the CJ, and was looking to use the extra #720 wire from the painless kit for a external electric fuel pump. Unsure of how this might work, I reached out to Painless support (awesome, btw) and he said no problem. However, he did tell me that on some Jeeps, there might not be adequate power when the key is turned to start (only RUN), and that I might need to wire up power to the I terminal on the starter (or something to that affect). Not having an I terminal at all (only an S), this was concerning, but he mentioned I should be able to test this with an ohm meter first.
Process: Turn key to 'start' position and test continuity from the maxifuse to the #720 coil wire. If there's a reading, I should be OK.
Problem: Turning the tumbler did not engage the rod in the column, and the tumbler overextended.
Ok, rewind. When I bought the Jeep last October, the PO did not provide the key. We met halfway, and he had left the key at home. Push button start had been installed. No big deal. I had to drill out the tumbler so I could install a new one and get the steering wheel unlocked. A few months later I found an extra key amongst the junk under the seat... (oh well).
My test was delayed by having the pull the steering wheel to see what was disconnected or broken in the column. Pulled the turn signal switch and found the sector gear was OK, but the rack was broken in half with the piece that engages the rod MIA. Easy fix, I thought. I was able to source the parts to the local auto store (part number 83221, btw), but then spent a while figuring out how to install it. Turning to the interwebs, I found the fix was not that easy, and required the removal of the tilt wheel pivot pins. Apparently, you can make your own tool. Cool, I like that. Or they make a special tool. Who needs that?
Comparing the two pins I found one had some gouge marks, and some sort of bubble inside. The other one had threads. "What is that bubble?" I thought. It was a broken bolt. Inside the pin. And the gouge marks were someone's misguided attempt to recover it:
It was at this point everything came full circle. Half the rack missing? - Someone's been in here before. Gouge marks and a broken bolt? Someone attempted a repair. Push button start? Not some lame attempt to be cool; someone was lazy and gave up on said repair. I was in for a long afternoon...
The hardened steel did a number on my drill bits, so I bought some cobalt ones to help. I probably spend a good four hours between drilling and using an easy out before finally getting the pin out:
Haven't been able to find these new (except maybe from the GM dealer) so I bought a set online. I was able to get the new rack installed without too much effort once I realized it needed to be in place before the column section was slid back on. I mocked up the tumbler and was able to activate the rod and ignition switch.
Moving it to START, I was able to test continuity at the wires mentioned earlier and confirmed that I was good to go without the I terminal. And it only took half of my day off to figure it out.
TL;DR - Testing one thing revealed something that didn't work, which in turn revealed something else that was broken, which resulted in half a day of work fixing something (seemingly) unrelated.
BIG thanks to the page below. It provided a lot of useful info for getting this apart and back together:
Tilt Column Fix - Dale's Jeep Junk
Process: Turn key to 'start' position and test continuity from the maxifuse to the #720 coil wire. If there's a reading, I should be OK.
Problem: Turning the tumbler did not engage the rod in the column, and the tumbler overextended.
Ok, rewind. When I bought the Jeep last October, the PO did not provide the key. We met halfway, and he had left the key at home. Push button start had been installed. No big deal. I had to drill out the tumbler so I could install a new one and get the steering wheel unlocked. A few months later I found an extra key amongst the junk under the seat... (oh well).
My test was delayed by having the pull the steering wheel to see what was disconnected or broken in the column. Pulled the turn signal switch and found the sector gear was OK, but the rack was broken in half with the piece that engages the rod MIA. Easy fix, I thought. I was able to source the parts to the local auto store (part number 83221, btw), but then spent a while figuring out how to install it. Turning to the interwebs, I found the fix was not that easy, and required the removal of the tilt wheel pivot pins. Apparently, you can make your own tool. Cool, I like that. Or they make a special tool. Who needs that?
Comparing the two pins I found one had some gouge marks, and some sort of bubble inside. The other one had threads. "What is that bubble?" I thought. It was a broken bolt. Inside the pin. And the gouge marks were someone's misguided attempt to recover it:
It was at this point everything came full circle. Half the rack missing? - Someone's been in here before. Gouge marks and a broken bolt? Someone attempted a repair. Push button start? Not some lame attempt to be cool; someone was lazy and gave up on said repair. I was in for a long afternoon...
The hardened steel did a number on my drill bits, so I bought some cobalt ones to help. I probably spend a good four hours between drilling and using an easy out before finally getting the pin out:
Haven't been able to find these new (except maybe from the GM dealer) so I bought a set online. I was able to get the new rack installed without too much effort once I realized it needed to be in place before the column section was slid back on. I mocked up the tumbler and was able to activate the rod and ignition switch.
Moving it to START, I was able to test continuity at the wires mentioned earlier and confirmed that I was good to go without the I terminal. And it only took half of my day off to figure it out.
TL;DR - Testing one thing revealed something that didn't work, which in turn revealed something else that was broken, which resulted in half a day of work fixing something (seemingly) unrelated.
BIG thanks to the page below. It provided a lot of useful info for getting this apart and back together:
Tilt Column Fix - Dale's Jeep Junk
