Root cause of column lock problem?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,240
Likes: 2
From: Cedar Rapids Iowa
Root cause of column lock problem?
Does anyone know the root cause of the column lock problem? Does the lock motor fail? Does the locking pin bind against the locking plate?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,772
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
Originally Posted by slwhite
Does anyone know the root cause of the column lock problem? Does the lock motor fail? Does the locking pin bind against the locking plate?
an engineer was rushing out the door on a friday because he was going to get drunk with some friends and while on his way out he found a flaw in the column lock device because he got so trashed monday morning he forgot all about it and the column lock was produced as is
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: corvettiesberg
Originally Posted by Neablas
an engineer was rushing out the door on a friday because he was going to get drunk with some friends and while on his way out he found a flaw in the column lock device because he got so trashed monday morning he forgot all about it and the column lock was produced as is
Racer
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: Framingham MA
Originally Posted by slwhite
Does anyone know the root cause of the column lock problem? Does the lock motor fail? Does the locking pin bind against the locking plate?
Theories include:
a) Misalignment and binding, worsening over time, possibly the result of folks using the steering wheel as a brace getting in and out of the car...
b) Column lock motor poorly made and weakening (degrading) over time
c) Longterm effects of summer heat and battery voltage degradation
d) Just a plain old bad design
e) All of the above
Who knows, who cares? My recall notice has arrived and I will be column lock-free by the end of next week!!!
Monk
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,672
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From: cincinnati ohio
Senior Member
Cruise-In V Veteran
Originally Posted by jrose7004
I don't know but when you least expect it " Service Column Lock"! 
Come on don't believe all you read. It is like newspapers. It is not all true. Some people have more time on their hands than they need.
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Racer
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 271
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When mine finally went bad I took special interest to find out this answer. I believe it to be an excess current draw from the motor, due either to lack of lubrication or shorting of some of the windings. Though I never pulled the wheel and the motor itself, the evidence was slightly melted wire insulation and (the very first sign) the slightly "relaxing" of the electrical connector pins (in the plug/socket where you plug in the CLBypass). After I "re-bent" the pins, I got another couple weeks out of the system before it failed to un-lock again, and this time it took my big bench power supply to un-lock it (the cigarette lighter cord would NOT supply enough current this time!!).
Gary
Gary
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 10,976
Likes: 21
From: FL
St. Jude Donor '13
Originally Posted by slwhite
Does anyone know the root cause of the column lock problem? Does the lock motor fail? Does the locking pin bind against the locking plate?
The fact that I have unlocked at least 100 of them over the past 8 years by simply tapping the actuator with a hammer (lock plate on or off) is proof of that... That is why it is eliminated on the A4 and why there is no guaranteed fix for the M6 short of installing a "fresh" actuator that will fail again in the future or the CLB of course 
Last edited by C-5 TECH; Aug 10, 2004 at 11:50 PM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 10,976
Likes: 21
From: FL
St. Jude Donor '13
Originally Posted by tipcapman
The latest recall requires a check of the clearance between the lock pin and the lock plate, so it would appear that mechanical binding is at least a contributing factor.
L
L
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: D*ck ina Box
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
There are already several open threads and dozens of "archived" threads, please do a search so this doesn't become the CL section 