hi,
i'm in the middle of trying to somewhat restore my DD its a 1989 f250 super cab and i am replacing the steering column, i swapped it with the column from a 1990 f350 everything lines up and the wires connect, its not bolted in yet i just connected the two harnesses to it and turned the key on and my turn signals are not working? the fuse is good, am i missing something, does it have to be completely connected to work? also the motor is not turning when i turn the key? any help will be greatly appreciated ( bumming a ride to work till i get it fixed) i cant find anything in any forums about this issue with this year and barely anything related to steering columns at all.

Thanks in advance..
JetFire

 

What happens when you move the the long actuator rod, that runs on the top outside of the column, by hand? That rod terminates at the ignition switch near the base of the column.

A weak point in these trucks is the internal connection between key switch and the actuator rod. Also there is a spring or two in that ignition switch that is easy to lose.

 

The rod and ignition switch seem fine, i did notice that the wiring from the old harnesses to the new ones are a little different, the harness that goes to the ignition rod, the one in the truck has eight wires, the one on the column has ten..?? would that cause a problem?

 

there should be no difference between the 89 and 90 columns.

 

I just recently had to replace my "Tilt Steering Ignition Acuator" on my 90 F250. It seems to me that the turn signals did not work until you had all the stuff back on. I think it had something to do with being grounded or closing the circuit.

And hey, if it doesn't work you can always stick your arm out the window.

 

Ouch! Either you miscounted or that "new" column is not from a '90 F-series.

 

Yeah i switch the harness that bolts into the column, with the old one and i got power, just isnt turning the engine.

 

at the bottom of the column, in the area of the brake pedal is the ignition switch.
make sure the truck is in park or neutral with the parking brake set.
remove the switch from the column. it should be 2 bolts with 7/16 wrench heads
with the switch out, use a small screwdriver and see if you can start the truck. if it starts, the switch is either miss-aligned, or the ignition actuator is broken.
if it does not start, either the switch is bad, or the wire is not connected to the solenoid

 

....Could also be the neutral safety switch or clutch switch if a manual transmission.

 

man... i'm struggling with this thing bad, i think i have the electrical problem figured out, but the main problem i'm having is getting that rod that goes from the shifter tube to the gear box back in at the shifter tube.It is a PITA can someone tell me how this thing goes back in.

 

ok, i replaced the steering column, it's an automatic tranny c-6, still the exact same thing. so i replaced the solenoid, still the exact same thing. i have a kill switch on the truck if i dont turn the kill switch off the radio and courtesy lights stay on, even with the key out. They key will not start the truck, i'm getting power to the solenoid and the ignition switch moves like it is supposed to and does not start when if i try a screw driver, i thought for sure a new solenoid would fix the problem but no luck. This all happened after i went through deep water. i do have the shift rod disconnected from the gear box and the gear box set in neutral, jumped it yesterday to see if it would turn over "i said i better check that gear box make sure its in park" my buddy said it wont start in gear just hit it see if it turns well jumped the solenoid and there it went ran the front of his car over, ( serious) i am having so many problems with this truck, but i wanna restore it and get it right. all help is definitely appreciated.

 

the neutral safety switch is on the shift arm on the C6, so if it started when you jumped the solenoid and took off, it was in gear and that will keep the key from starting it. you first need to either have it in Park or neutral. .

 

It will not start in neutral or in park, unless I jump the solenoid.

 

....because the NSS is disconnected or fubar -or- the wire to the S terminal on the solenoid is disconnected or damaged.

See post #9

 

Well i have to take the steering column back out, the steering tube is about an inch to long so i have to put the old steering tube back in, it will not let the gear box go in d1, SOOOO when i switch it out with the one that fits i'm hoping that it will let the NSS go into place or engage however it works. THEN i gotta make sure i have that solenoid hooked up right i have all the wire except the ground going to the positive and the ground on the negative and the little boot on the top small post, nothing on the bottom small post. anyways thanks for all the advice. its gonna be a long weekend.