Cant find aerostar flasher

[Franklin2]

There should be a rod going down the top of the steering column. See if you can take some pliers and push on this rod after you take some of the column shrouds off. You may have to fiddle with a mechanical steering interlock higher in the column to release it, but pushing down on the rod should make it run and start.

[j-aero]

Dave I can tell you know what you are doing because that is exactLY HOW i WAS STARTING IT UNFORTUNATELY THAT BAR HAS EITHER WORN DOWN OR FILLED WITH DUST I NEED A WAY TO REPLACE IT DOES THAT ASSEMBLY REPLACE WITHOUT CHANGING THE STEERING COLUMN

[Franklin2]

The bottom part of the rod is directly attached to the ignition switch, which is mounted on top of the column under the dash. The ignition switch is the business end with all the wires.

At the top part of the rod, there are little pieces that break, and little gears that strip. It's through all the pieces in the top part of the column, through which the cylinder lock/key activates the rod. These little pieces up top are replaceable.

I thought you could possibly access the rod itself, further down the column, thereby eliminating all that stuff in the top of the column. It is possible that the rod has popped out of the ignition switch down under the dash. I can't think of any other failure mode for the rod besides maybe getting bent.

If you take the u-clamp off the steering column that holds it to the dash, you can drop the column a little bit and then see the ignition switch under the dash.