daved5150

iTrader: (1)

I have a 94 4Runner with the non tilt column. A friend of mine is scraping his 95 4Runner with a tilt column which I want to swap into mine. I've been doing my homework here at Yotatech about the swap and it seems relatively straight forward. The posts here have been very informative. I took the column cover and lower dash apart to see what I was up against. Not bad. I took my ignition lock cylinder out to see how to do it and then put it back in.

Most of the posts seem to suggest that all the lock cylinders are the same whether tilt column or not, except for one post I saw. I would think that they all would be the same.

So before I dive into this swap, my question is this: is there any difference between the tilting column lock cylinders and the non-tilting column lock cylinders?

Any input here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

Bump for answers, i'd like to put tilt wheel in my 91 pickup.

slacker

iTrader: (1)

no differance .. simple swap

just need the "covers" to complete .. your originals wont work (obviously)


.

Stuwy123

iTrader: (1)

Do the swap and let us all know how it went.

JamesD

Very easy swap. The hardest part is getting the cylinder lock assembly that is bolted to the column off because it uses "headless" bolt and actually is very easy to take them off. Just use a 12 point socket and a hammer and wack them on then put pressure on the top of the ratchet while unscrewing them so the socket does not fall off.

James

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for your input, Slacker. Yeah, I'll have to use his cover which is tan. My interior is gray. Oh well.



I'll let you guys know how it went.


Thanks for the input, James. But what I meant by my question was: can I swap my old lock cylinder into the tilt column's lock cylinder assembly? I was hoping that the cylinders were the same from both the tilting and non-tilting columns. They come out real easy if you have the key and he has the old key. Actually, my cousin has a 95 4Runner who's lock cylinder is messed up and he wants to take the one from the tilt column when I put mine in from my 94. I want to keep the assembly on the tilt column and just swap out the cylinder.

If anyone has any experience or knowledge on this matter, please let me know. Thanks to all that have posted.

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

I found out yesterday that my friend just misplaced the only key to the 95 4runner. I still want that tilt column. I'll keep you guys informed on what I do. Worse case here, I'll have to drill out the lock cylinder in the assembly and put mine in. I'll let you dudes know what happens.

Today after work, approx. 0800 am EST, I went to see my friend's 95 4Runner. He still hasn't found the key. That's okay because after further study here at Yotatech in Yotatechnology, I just found out that you can drill out the little pin on the bottom of the assembly that holds the cylinder in instead of having to drill out the whole cylinder:

From DeathCougar: "If its like the older toyotas, you will need to get it to turn to the "Acc" position to remove the lock cylinder. If it won't turn, you will need to drill the brass colored pin to take it out."

From wyoming9: "Easy fix drill out the pin holding the lock cylinder in.

Replace your done"

From NorCalVP: "What about drilling the small pin on the bottom that holds the Cyl in place? Usually once you have the key into the ACC position the pin goes inside the Cyl and the whole thing slides out. Just drill out that small pin, you'd have to get a new Cyl for it though..."

From headcase: "Yeah, that will work. If it were me I would drill out the pin and pull the cylinder now and worry about getting a replacement cylinder when I got home. At least that way you aren't stuck waiting for parts and you can actually use your vehicle."

And shazaam's advice: "one step ahead of you .. I just got off the phone with a used parts guy in NY. He's going to send me a new lock cyl .. he said basically to drill out the old lock .. but not to damage the case housing its inside. drilling the pin would work .. but since I'm replacing the lock cylinder anyway, I don't want to risk damaging the metal casing." This is definitely more work than drilling out that pin.

Thanks for the valuable insight, gentleman. I just have to make sure my 18 volt batteries are charged and ready for my cordless drill. I will take pix for you guys who are interested in doing this because I was in your shoes not that long ago before I became enlightened here at Yotatech for this swap.

Keep your fingers crossed...

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Today I pulled the the tilt column out of my friend's 4runner. I pulled the whole unit out with the lock cylinder assembly still attached to the column. I took all kinds of pictures that I will post when the swap is complete. I had to drill out the pin of the ign. lock cylinder because my bud lost his key. If you have to do this, it is best to leave the column in the truck so the assembly will be not move when you are drilling. And get ready, because the pin spins when you drill it. It takes awhile. Be patient. Between using a nailset w/hammer and a drill, I got it out. I was fairly careful with the pin so I didn't enlarge the hole in the bottom of the assembly. It appears that both assemblies are the same except for a black box that has a plug that is on the tilt column. The non tilt has the same mounting point where the black box goes but it is not threaded for the screws that hold it to the assembly. I am going to try to plug in the ignition switch from the tilt column into my truck with the extra plug hanging and see if it works. If it does, I won't have to remove my assembly and put it on the tilt column. I'll just put my lock cylinder in the tilt assembly. I will take pix of the two columns next to each other so everyone can see. I will finish the job at home. I have to create an album so you folks can see the job. Thanks for reading. Keep posted here...

Edit: What I've been calling the lock cylinder assembly is called the upper bracket on the illustrations in the FSM. Also, what I've been calling the lock cylinder is called the key cylinder in the FSM. The ignition switch for the A/T models like my friend has not one, but two extra electronic boxes on it that are wired to the ignition switch. So it is quite possible that the auto ignition switch is wired different from my manual ignition switch. We'll see what happens.

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Ok guys, the swap is done except for the lower dash that I have to put back up. I also have to remount the steering wheel as it is a little cranked right. With the wheels straight, I will pull off the wheel and remount it over one spline to the left. No big deal. It is very straight forward and I took photos as well as notes along the way if anyone is interested in me posting the job. The entire tilt column from the 95 runner swapped directly into my 94 runner with no problems at all. If you guys want the specifics, I will do a writeup on it.

James, I did not take the whole assembly off the tilt column. I had to drill out the pin because there was no key for the cylinder. That was the hardest part because the pin was spinning as I was drilling. Patience, man...patience. I was careful to not enlarge the hole and just put my old key cylinder in the tilt column's cylinder assembly. I think it would be a little tricky using a 12 point socket or bolt remover on those headless bolts because I don't think there's enough room by the head because the lip on the bracket where the heads are. Plus the fact that there's another bracket in the way. If push came to shove, I could do it. Looks like a pita though.

All I can say is that it is awesome that the bottom of the steering wheel is no longer rubbing on the top of my legs.

Let me know if I can answer any questions or concerns. Thanks for reading.

The lower dash is back in and I adjusted the steering wheel. Pulled it back off and remounted it back one spline left. It's now on straight. Having TILT steering is awesome. Easy project to do.

Robsteeler66

Sounds cool. I just bought a column myself, so anything you could post would help me out.
I need the wheel off of my fat legs

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that's why I put a tilt column in also...to get the wheel off my legs as well. Did you get the two piece cover with the column as well? The original cover will not work with the tilt column. Did you get the key for key cylinder?

Do you have any specific questions, Rob? I took pics and notes while I was doing it, so I could a write up with the photos if you like. Let me know.

Robsteeler66

I am supposed to be getting the keyed lock and the two piece cover, I guess I'll see when it gets here. Thanks for the offer, I'm sure I will need it!

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Let me know, bro. If you don't get the key, no prob. You can drill out the bottom pin, get the tilt column's key assembly out and put yours in. Keep me posted.

Robsteeler66

Cool, thanks dude.

Robsteeler66

Ok Dave, everything came as expected. here are pics:











It seems straightforward I guess I'll find out! I think the hardest part will be getting to the bolts under the column. Will I just plug in the harness that's there and throw away the cut off part on the replacement? About the rusty part, should I treat the metal with anything? Or paint it?

Robsteeler66

I better get this dirty thing out of the house before the wife gets home!

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Oh yea, that one sounds familiar.

Now, down to business. Whoever took the column out, cut off the connector for the combo switch (turn signals/wipers) which plugs into a connector under the dash. No big deal but you would have had a spare one. Now you have to take the steering wheel off to get the switch off and put your truck's switch on when you put the tilt column in.

Before you take the old column out of your truck, make sure the wheels are straight so when you put the wheel back on, it will be centered. The horn cover, if you never had it off, just pops off by hand on top and there is a screw on the underside bottom of the steering wheel in the center that holds the cover on there. There is a connector for the horn under the cover that has to be disconnected. The nut holding the wheel on is a 19mm I believe. You will probably need a steering wheel puller to get the wheel off once the nut is removed. I have a cheap one exactly like this:

http://www.foxruntools.com/steeringw...-otc-7245.aspx

I tried rocking the wheel back and forth to get it off but I had to use the puller. Even after I removed the steering wheel a second time to center it, I still had to use the puller.

Everything else will plug in that's there. Is your truck a stick or auto? What was the truck that the tilt came from ( stick or auto)? Let me know and I'll explain later. Take off the bottom piece of the dash. Also remove the heating duct that is directly under the steering column. This will give you more than enough room to get the four bolts that hold the column in out.

You can also swap out the key cylinder with the one from your truck. Just turn the key to "ACC" and then push in the pin that is on the bottom of the cylinder. Pull the old one out, make sure your cylinder's at the "ACC" mark, then pop in yours and you are set. This way the key will work with the doors.

My column was a little rusty also but not as bad as yours. No problem, that's solid steel and won't affect anything. I didn't paint mine but if it makes you feel good, paint it.

Anything else I forgot, let me know. Keep me posted. Good luck. Any questions, ask me before you begin. I'll look for anything that I printed out on this but I am having problems at home installing my new printer/scanner so I can't scan for now.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

you haven't experienced life until your wife catches you doing this:

Robsteeler66

Sweet! Thanks! I'll ask my buddy, I think he has a puller. Once I get the old column out, when should I pull the wheel and worry about taking out the switch?After I install the new column? My truck is stick, I'm not sure about the donor. I got it from ebay, I will message the seller and see if he knows. It came from an sr5 4runner so I'm assuming it was auto. If he doesn't know is that critical? Thanks again!

Robsteeler66

OCDropzone, I'll bet she was happy