Poor man's steering lock fix
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Poor man's steering lock fix
Here is my solution to the steering lock problem:
1- grind the locking pin of the steering lock actuator. For this you have to remove the steering lock form the steering column. This will assure that the steering is not locked forever. Having a lock failure with the steering locked will make very difficult loading the car in a flatbed.
Re install the sterring lock in the sterring column.
2- To simulate the lock function in the computer, use a 12 volt latching relay. The best is a 2 coil (set - reset colis) relay. I used an IDEC RH2LB-U-DC12. You will also need 4 diodes (general purpose rectifiers 2 amps will be fine. These are all the components you will need. Less tahn $30.
3- Cut the cables from the lock actuator (close to the actuator). Solder the green and black wires to a pole of the relay. The response the car computer needs is a closed circuit when the steering "unlock command" is sent from the computer.
4- The purple and orange wires are the ones that drive the motor. In this case hey will drive the two relay coils. Set and reset coils. Solder two diodes to each of the wires (orange and purple) the diodes must be one with the positive side and one with the negative side soldered to each cable.
5- Solder the positive sides of the diodes (2) to the negative side of the coils (set and reset) in the relay. Solder the negative sides of the diodes (2) to the positive side of the coils (set and reset) in the relay.
When the unlock command is applied to the coil, the pole on step 3 must be closed. if not , change the connections on the coils (keeping positive and negative connections) set connection to reset and vice versa.
To test the assembly before installing in the car, apply a positive voltage to the purple cable and ground to the orange cable. at this time the contact in step 3 must be closed (test with multimeter ohms must be close to cero between black and green cables.
when positive is applied to the orange cable and ground to the purple cable , the relay must change state and the resistance between the green and black cable must be infinite.
Make sure that the diodes and connections are not shorted together. I applied gasket maker to the all the diodes / connections to avoid shorts.
If everithing is woking as tests above install the assembly to the connection in the car. When the key is set to on you will hear the relay latch and when the key is removet it will unlatch.
You just saved a few bucks.......
1- grind the locking pin of the steering lock actuator. For this you have to remove the steering lock form the steering column. This will assure that the steering is not locked forever. Having a lock failure with the steering locked will make very difficult loading the car in a flatbed.
Re install the sterring lock in the sterring column.
2- To simulate the lock function in the computer, use a 12 volt latching relay. The best is a 2 coil (set - reset colis) relay. I used an IDEC RH2LB-U-DC12. You will also need 4 diodes (general purpose rectifiers 2 amps will be fine. These are all the components you will need. Less tahn $30.
3- Cut the cables from the lock actuator (close to the actuator). Solder the green and black wires to a pole of the relay. The response the car computer needs is a closed circuit when the steering "unlock command" is sent from the computer.
4- The purple and orange wires are the ones that drive the motor. In this case hey will drive the two relay coils. Set and reset coils. Solder two diodes to each of the wires (orange and purple) the diodes must be one with the positive side and one with the negative side soldered to each cable.
5- Solder the positive sides of the diodes (2) to the negative side of the coils (set and reset) in the relay. Solder the negative sides of the diodes (2) to the positive side of the coils (set and reset) in the relay.
When the unlock command is applied to the coil, the pole on step 3 must be closed. if not , change the connections on the coils (keeping positive and negative connections) set connection to reset and vice versa.
To test the assembly before installing in the car, apply a positive voltage to the purple cable and ground to the orange cable. at this time the contact in step 3 must be closed (test with multimeter ohms must be close to cero between black and green cables.
when positive is applied to the orange cable and ground to the purple cable , the relay must change state and the resistance between the green and black cable must be infinite.
Make sure that the diodes and connections are not shorted together. I applied gasket maker to the all the diodes / connections to avoid shorts.
If everithing is woking as tests above install the assembly to the connection in the car. When the key is set to on you will hear the relay latch and when the key is removet it will unlatch.
You just saved a few bucks.......
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
Instead of grinding off the actuator pin, it might be easier to just drill out the spot welds on the lock plate, separate the two plates, and grind down the lockplate.
See post #20
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ing-wheel.html
Or if you can find the turn signal cancellation plate from an automatic, you can replace the lockplate with that, like they do in the Harness K kits.
See post #20
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ing-wheel.html
Or if you can find the turn signal cancellation plate from an automatic, you can replace the lockplate with that, like they do in the Harness K kits.
