Help steering locked at a shop....
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 511
Likes: 1
From: Wilmington NC
Help steering locked at a shop....
hi everyone,,,took my 99 frc to shop, oil change and other stuff,, battery got low and "POW" steering locked!!!!! they were unable to free it so they cut the pin...it now turns but they want to pull the steering wheel to remove the pin but the wheel is stuck on... they messed up 1 puller and almost messed the plate in the steering wheel... any sugestions on what to do ????..Thanks in advance..
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
hi everyone,,,took my 99 frc to shop, oil change and other stuff,, battery got low and "POW" steering locked!!!!! they were unable to free it so they cut the pin...it now turns but they want to pull the steering wheel to remove the pin but the wheel is stuck on... they messed up 1 puller and almost messed the plate in the steering wheel... any sugestions on what to do ????..Thanks in advance..
Bill
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 511
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From: Wilmington NC
Get it away from those Dorks as quickly as possible and get it to somebody that knows how to work with the lock. When power is lost like that the lock system sometimes gets out of synch and won't unlock. There are ways to recover without cutting the pin or pulling the steering wheel.
Bill
Bill
thanks again...
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
Taking a wild thought here, wondering if the relay for the Steering Pin lock, cooked when the battery went low. Might send a PM to 8VETTE7 just in case.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 511
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From: Wilmington NC
thanks,,, If there was a proper Corvette shop around here it would have been there in the 1st place....
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Wilmington NC
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,547
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From: Huntersville, NC
Pin?
something doesn't add up. what pin did they cut? If it is the column lock pin, then wouldn't the steering wheel have to be removed to access it?
If they did indeed cut the pin, then they will owe you a new lock motor.
They must really be zeros if they resorted to the hammer and saw to solve a problem like this.
If they did indeed cut the pin, then they will owe you a new lock motor.
They must really be zeros if they resorted to the hammer and saw to solve a problem like this.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 511
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From: Wilmington NC
yes the pin is cut...the wheel will turn...but the steer. wheel is stuck on and the pullers will not work...he said the only way to remove it is to make cuts and pull on it til it comes off...
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Wilmington NC
If the pin is actually cut and you have looked carefully at the pictures in the link I PM'ed you (same as the one above) then you will see that the column will no longer lock. That being said there is NO REASON to remove the wheel. I would get the car put back together, the battery FULLY charged and get the car out of there as fast as possible. The people you have workinkg on the car are professional a$$ holes and not mechanics. First they cut the pin which they never should have done and now they want to cut the steering wheel. WTF Run from them before they destroy the car and/or it is totally unsafe to drive again.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Wilmington NC
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 511
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From: Wilmington NC
well after 3000 miles, I so far have $3000 plus on repairs,and its in the shop now with more problems,,, loved the car but my nerves are shot, my visa is maxed, unable to get a full nite of sleep and wondering should I take to the dealer and trading it for a simple ride...this has been the worse car I ever owed,, at 56 years old this is saying alot...sorry if I offended you or anyone else here...I hope you can understand.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Murrysville PA
Placed the key in the ignition and got the message: remove the key and wait for 10 seconds, which I did.
You guessed it, the wheel locked up again and won't unlock. Even tried to turn the wheel left and right against its stops repeatably and no luck.
It will be towed tomorrow to my Chevy dealer. I do have the column lock bypass part of which I am going to ask them to install once the situation is diagnosed properly. The harness mod/recall was installed by Chevy in 2004.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 719
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From: Columbia South Carolina
When one buys a Vette, one should learn and be able to make repairs by themselves as much as they can. when one takes car to dealer, all they see is a Lamborghini or other exotic car coming in and either don't know exactly how to work on it, charge excessive repair fees or both. Personally I would have had the car towed to the house and then posted to the forum if the problem or/and fix was not evident.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 718
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From: Jacksonville , NC
well after 3000 miles, I so far have $3000 plus on repairs,and its in the shop now with more problems,,, loved the car but my nerves are shot, my visa is maxed, unable to get a full nite of sleep and wondering should I take to the dealer and trading it for a simple ride...this has been the worse car I ever owed,, at 56 years old this is saying alot...sorry if I offended you or anyone else here...I hope you can understand.
I'm right up the road in Jacksonville (Richlands) I am retired and willing to give you a hand to get your ride up and running . Drop me a line. Bob