Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Hey guys,

Working on Gus, my 1985 GS here in Indiana. I was taking a couple of the plastics off of the dash tonight to get access behind them, and one of the pieces I had to take off was the top and bottom steering column surround. When I took them off, these two little pointy black plastic things fell out onto the driver's side carpet! Ahhhhh!!!! I'm guessing this is the work of the previous owner. I don't believe that I have taken the steering column covers off for any reason since I had owned the car. So these have probably been laying in there for quite a while, just waiting to fall out. The J109 ignitor is in the picture to give you an idea of scale.

Does anyone recognize these things? Whatever they are, they are obviously broken. At first, I thought it was the auto cancel ring for the turn signals. However, upon looking behind my steering wheel it looks like they are still attached. See the 3rd picture. I believe they are visible. I installed a Grant Formula GT steering wheel a while back, and don't remember encountering any problems while doing so. Anyone know what these little plastic pointy things are from? I'm not terribly well versed in the Steering Column 101 course. I hoped that maybe some of you who have disassembled the column a couple of times would recognize these things.

HELP! Thanks,
Jamie

Twilightoptics

iTrader: (1)

Those look exactly like the turn signal canceling cam dowels.

AKA the pieces that make the turn signal click in and then shut off when the wheel turns far enough.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

That's what I thought, but I think they are still in there in my 3rd picture aren't they? It looks like it to me. The right turn signal still auto cancels like it should. The left turn signal, however does not. I believe this is because of the Grant steering wheel I have installed. That seems to be an unfortunate side effect I have encountered in the past.

Thoughts?

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Okay, I went out and tested my turn signals. They both auto cancel just like they are supposed to (left and right). I can see the two pins that go into the back of the steering wheel hub also when I shine a flashlight behind the steering wheel. So I don't think that's what they are. I could be wrong, but the auto cancel system appears to be working just like it is supposed to....

82transam

iTrader: (18)

They are most definitely the pins for the turn signal cancel. Some previous owner probably broke them and then replaced the cancelling hub/combo switch but didn't realize the old pieces were still in there.
That cancelling ring/pin assembly is replaceable without having to change or even remove the combo switch (or even remove the plastic steering column cover) so those pins probably just got caught in there somewhere...

edit: Just looked at Mazdatrix and that part is replaceable for 83-85 so I'd would be pretty sure that's what happened...

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Is there a procedure for replacing them in the FSM somewhere? If you guys are positive that's what they are from, then I will probably take mine apart just to be 100% sure that they are in there, and not broken, or partially broken.

Thanks for the help fellas!

Jamie

Twilightoptics

iTrader: (1)

If your turn signals cancel, your pins are working fine.

82TA I agree with about previous repair.

IIRC it took some adjustment to get my old grant wheel to work properly with the signals. I'm not sure it was ever truly right. I ditched it for a stock wheel because my Grant was too small and needed serious armstrong to turn in parking lots.

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Not sure if the FSM covers it, but literally it's just removing the steering wheel and popping that plastic ring with the pins on it out and putting the new one in, but as said above, if they are cancelling then everything is fine

Kentetsu

Leftovers. Consider yourself problem free on that front.



.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

I just had the whole steering column apart last weekend. To get to the signal canceling pins is really easy if you wanted to have a look.

1. Pry the rubber cap off the horn
2. Take out the single bolt holding the steering wheel in place
3. Wiggle the wheel back and forth until it comes off

You should then see the canceling pins and get a very clear idea of where they are and how they work. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly (as the manual says!)

And for anyone looking to go a step further and remove the combo switch:

1. Unscrew the plastic column surrounds from the bottom
2. Remove the plastic column surrounds
3. Loosen the clamp that holds the combo switch in place (8mm bolt, underside of switch)
4. Unplug connectors you can easily get to
5. Behind the combo switch, in the middle, there's a metal tab that you pull forward (towards the combo switch) to release its lock from the steering column
6. The switch should now slide forward, allowing you to unplug the rest of the connectors, then it just slides off the column.

It's surprisingly easier than I expected. Step 5 was the hardest part to figure out. That tab lifts a little plastic pin that is seated in a centering hole in the top of the column. It's difficult to visually explain it, but once you've taken your first combo switch out you're like "OHH, so that's what was holding the damn thing in there!"

Cheers,

Jon

Edit: I love how you've got the J109 in there for scale representation. Only on this forum could someone post a pic of a J109 and be confident that everyone reading the post knows exactly what it is, what it does, and probably has a box full of spares at home "just in case".