i have a 1970 corvette and the keys wont come out of the ignition. I have taken the ignition lock out of the steering column and the keys come out but once i put the ignition lock back into the steering column the keys wont some out. Any suggestions?

 

If it is a four spd, your shift cable interlock may need to be adjusted.

 

This paper fully describes the General Motors Transmission Shift/Steering Column Interlock System.
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-co...tems27JL04.doc

In a nutshell, there is a cable from your transmission that connects to a lever on the lower end of the steering column (out under the hood, under the brake booster). The lever on the column must be pushed up by the cable to the full UP position. This opens a gate inside the column which allows you to turn your ignition lock cylinder all the way to OFF-LOCK and remove your key.

Jim

 

Another possibility is the 'toothed sector wheel'. This plastic gear pushes the 'rack' that activates the ignition switch. My '75 did the exact same thing. The end tooth on the 30 year-old plastic broke off allowing the wheel to get out of time with the rack.You could not turn the switch back far enough to get the key out. Just something else to check. Good Luck

 

how did you get at the toothed sector wheel. is it on the side of the ignition lock or the other side?

 

It will be very easy to determine if your problem is the lower lever. Check if the lever moves full UP when you shift into Park or Reverse with a manual trans. If in doubt just unhook the cable and place the lever in the full UP position.

If you have a problem with a broken plastic sector gear, I have complete instructions on replacing the gear. They are posted at www.corvettefaq.com
click on Jim Shea's Steering Articles
click on Corvette Steering Papers
scroll down to the Standard (non-adjustable) Steering Column
or to the Tilt & Telescoping Steering Column Sections

Download Disassembly & Repair Paper #1 & #3 and Pic #1 & #2 from the appropriate section. I do not think that you will have to remove the column from the car (although it is always easier to work on a bench.) Instructions on removing the steering column from the car are included in D & R Paper #2.

One other suggestion, there are some very easy tests that you can perform on the T&T column while it is in the car. They are at the very beginning of the T&T D&R Paper #1. They might give you some direction as to other things that could be fixed while you are working on the column.

Jim

 

The sector wheel is inside the column. The flat part of the lock cylinder fits into the plastic wheel.Check out Jim's papers. They really helped a lot when I rebuilt my column. Here is a pic of the wheel that i took out of my '75. The one missing tooth allowed it to skip across the rack, then it would not return fully to the OFF/LOCK position.

 

ok well i am going to try the interlock cable first because it seems easier. So, i was looking inder the master cylinder and i couldnt locate the cable. Is there any certain spot i should look or is there a description of what it links to?

 

There is an arm that comes off the steering column towards the engine. The cable comes up from the trans, is attached to a bracket, then the end of the cable attaches to the arm. The cable pushes and pulls on the arm and this locks the column. If you have the AIM, there is a pretty good illustration.

 

the AIM?

 

Assembly Instruction Manual. Required reading for all C3 owners. You can find them on ebay.



Rick B.

 

 

oh ok well i have a mid america manual but the picture is not very good. Although i did find out why i couldnt find the cable and that is because i found out... i dont have the cable!!! so i pushed the lever up and VOILA the key came out

 

I referenced my paper on the GM Transmission Shift Interlock System in an earlier posting. I don't know if you downloaded it or not. But be aware that with the lever permanently fixed in the UP position, it is now possible to turn off the ignition with the car rolling forward and locking the steering wheel at the same time.

It is not something that a person would normally do, but there are some safety aspects to driving along and being able to lock the steering wheel.

The AIM (Assembly Instruction Manual) will tell you how the assembly plant put your car together. It will not tell you how to fix things that are broken or in need of repair. The AIM can be of great assistance along with the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual and the Chevrolet Overhaul Manual.

Jim

 

oh no worries the car wont be road worthy until next spring anyway. and yes i did dl your papers and they have been very helpful with troubleshooting and reinstalling all of my steering components. One question though, before i took the steering all apart the telescopic didnt work but the tilt did, does this mean that something is missing from it or is it from some one building the steering column wrong

 

First, you can try adjusting the telescope locking ring. Disconnect the battery. Now remove the horn cap #1 by prying underneath it with a thin screwdriver. Remove the three screws #2 that hold the horn contact #3 and shims #4 in place. Remove the horn contact and shims.

There are two small phillips head screws #5 that hold the telescope locking ring #7 to the special "star" screw #6. Carefully remove the screws. You will now find that the locking ring is loose but trapped under the "star" screw. Now take a large phillips screwdriver and turn the "star" screw clockwise. See if your turning the star screw locks the telescope feature.

If this locks the telescope feature, leave the star screw in this locked position. Take the locking ring and place it so that the thumb **** on the ring is about the 2 o'clock position. Install the two small phillips screws. Now rotate the locking ring to the 11 o'clock position. The telescope feature should be released. Rotate the locking lever back to 2 o'clock. Are things locked in place again? Reassemble the shims, horn contact, and the three screws. Reinstall the horn cap.

If rotating the "star" screw does not lock the telescope feature, then remove the star screw. There should be a small diameter rod inside the steering shaft just behind the star screw. You may need a small magnet to remove the rod. It should be 0.22 inch diameter by 4.3 inches long. If the rod is missing, that is the cause of your problem.
It is very easy to lose the rod if the steering column is removed from the car with the steering wheel off.

Jim