Steering Lock: Cutting the Brownie

rhd

ALL CREDIT GOES TO FRITZ FOR THE GREAT R&D ON OUR STEERING LOCK AND ITS INNER WORKINGS - LINK

The hardest part about this whole deal is getting comfortable enough to work, I had a couple of new wheel boxes that were just the right height next to the car to make a level place to lay on my back and look up under the dash at the steering lock. I put some blankets and horse pads (I have a couple of horses) in the foot well to lie on and put my head.

Once you get your place to lay all nice, put your car in ACC (steering lock should disengage, should be able to hear it).

Car will start beeping (PITA) – I put ear plugs in at this point.

Get a little LED flashlight or headlight so you can see up in there.

The wire loom holding the wires going to the steering lock socket has a wire tie connected to it above the metal steering lock, cut that wire tie and it will be easier to get the plug out of the socket – be careful cutting.

I used a Snap-on curved pik tool to get the plug out of the socket – THE NOTCHED PART OF THE PLUG IS ON THE TOP – The pik tool helped a ton getting the plug out of the socket.

The real hard part is done!

If you are not too big (I’m 6 foot and 200lbs.) you can then slide in on your side facing the front and gently pull the plug downward to be able to work on it.

Once the plug is out the wires are covered with wire loom and tape, with your small cutters, cut back the wire loom/tape so you don’t have to cut the brown wire right flush with the socket, if you cut the wrong wire (highly unlikely) flush with the socket it would be next to impossible to do a splice repair and you would be up sheet creek.

I cut the wire loom up a couple of inches, removed more tape and exposed the wiring, this made it much simpler to cut and retape the brown wire.

ALL THIS TIME THE CAR IS BEEPING!! – PITA!!

Tape up the wires, plug in the socket and done – viola!, no more steering lock.

Make a nice work bed...


I used this tool to remove the plug...


After the plug is out of the socket it is easier to work on laying on your side, don't cut the brown wire too short at the socket just in case.