4x4taco

I installed a 1" RB body lift this summer and in the process broke some wires in the steering column (airbag, cruise control, horn). Once I had the steering shaft disconnected and put the spacer in, the guy helping me said the tires and steering wheel didnt line up and tried to spin the wheel to get them to line up. He spun it past the limit of the wires and they all broke or got pulled out in the process.

He agreed to pay half the price of getting it repaired by a shop, but since I've never let anyone but me work on my truck, I dont really want to start now. Has anyone ever had this problem or at least dismantled their steering column enough to get at these wires? Is it simple enough to go at alone or should I split the cost of having a shop do it?

4x4taco

Bump....anyone had experience with this?

Fahrenheit 451

Ok, I typed a big reply then thought about it, went back and reread your post and kind of changed my mind.
Is it possible that the steering wheel was pulled too far out disconnecting it from the combination switch? The lost functions you describe should not be a "wired" connection, but rather a plug on the combination switch that fits into the steering wheel. This center section of the switch spins with the steering wheel. If it became disconnected you would lose all those functions. My suggestion would be to pull the steering shaft assembly again to see if this allows enough freeplay to pull the steering wheel back to see if the steering wheel is actually plugged into the combination switch or if there is actual damage (i.e. broken wires).
Just a WAG. Good luck!

SteveO

That air-bag thingy might come in handy some day. I would take to the stealership and get a quote 1st. If its not too-too bad, get it fixed. Its out of this world, get a Factory Service manual and get-r-done.

4x4taco

Yeah, I've heard those "air bag" thingys can help you out every once in a while, even though I'm not sure if it will deploy with the TJM....anyways....I have the Haynes manual for my truck but haven't dived into it yet regarding this fix.

I started taking the plastic casing off the steering column after it happened but didnt get in far enough to find the problem. I don't think a switch could have been pulled out, the wheel was never pulled on, just spun too far around.

I jsut took an internship in Petersburg, VA for 6 months and since this place is so ˟˟˟˟ing boring I should have some time to work on the truck more. I'll try to get in there in the next couple days and see if I can figure anything out. Thanks for the input, I've never really heard of this happening before.

yamarocket630

The part that broke is commonly called a clock spring or contact coil. It is basically a coil of wires inside of a plastic housing the sits behind your steering wheel. The coil contains the wires for the airbag, horn, etc so that you always have a hardwired connection (unlike the old sliding horn contacts that always go bad at the wrong time - dont want that to happen to the airbag). Since the wires are in a coil arrangement, if you twist them too far they pull tight and break. If you have a steering wheel puller and some common sense, it's a pretty easy fix. Just be sure to disconnect the battery and wait at least 30 minutes before working on the airbag system.

As far as your airbags not working with a TJM, unless you relocated the sensors, the system should work fine. The impact sensrs are triggered by G-force, not by being crushed in a collision, and the TJM will not prevent your truck from experiencing G forges.

*edited because I suck at teh typing*

4x4taco

I did break the wires in the clock spring. After I typed my above response, I took the housing off the steering column and removed the airbag unit from the wheel. I figured the wires were in that round black housing but I could not get at it without a steering wheel puller (do they rent those at autozone or advance?) After I get the wheel off, does that housing just come apart or does it need some special tweak? And finally, when I get the housing apart, should repairing the wires be fairly straightforward (just a reconnection) or do you think they might need new pieces soldered in palce, a new harness, or something like that?

I looked through the Haynes manual but all it had was airbag and steering wheel removal they did not go into anything dealing with the wiring or that housing that I could find. Anyone ever found some sort or write-up on this?

yamarocket630

You need to replace the clockspring. It is not servicable inside.