Uhm, hello boys, your resident bimbo is back and in need of your assistance. So for a while the turn signal switch in my truck (1991 F350) has been a bit foo-foo, I found some article online about replacing some cam-thing so I bought the cam-thing on Friday and today tried to install it (yes, on my own, good for nothing boyfriend is MIA with his buddies). I raided his toolboxes and found the tools I need, then pulled the steering wheel (damaging the threads for the puller bolts in the process), and it was all downhill from there. Turns out my factory cam-thing was broken on one end, just as expected. New cam thing looks like it will fit, but the wires on it are tiny, and I mean ridiculously tiny! They are held in place with two things that are apparently called rivets, so I looked up online how those get installed and feeling all brave and stuff located what is referred to as "rivet gun" (even though it looks like no gun that I have ever seen) and then proceeded to drilling the old rivets out and installing new bigger wires (that match my factory wires) with new rivets. That went okay, till I went t push the cam-thing in place - well what do you know, them silly paper-clip-like contacts on the under side are too long to fit in the rest of the turn signal switch! Okay, so I read the directions again, and it says that if te contacts are too long to just cut them down - and so I did, and now it fit perfect. Then I joined my new wires with the factory wires, and put the thing in, and to my utter amazement it actually works! Well, sort of - the middle (off) position feels loose, I can move the stick a bit up and down and when I push it slightly down the rear left blinker comes on but only it, not the front, at least not until I push on the stick all the way to where it clicks in place. Read directions again, they say I may have to bend the contacts a bit - and so bending I did, for over a hour I was bending them silly contacts, froze my butt out there - I got the left turn signals to work together most of the time but the off position of the stick was really foo-foo now, so I bent again and got a good solid off position but now if I so little as looked at the stick the turn signals would come on. I swear there is no winning in this game!!! So I decided to look into replacing the whole switch, and then I scared myself half to death, as there is no way that thing will ever come off - the switch is on the top end of the steering column, there is a giant electrical plug on the lower end, and the wires between the two run INSIDE the column!!! How does one go about that giant mess?

Oh, and to make matters worse, this morning I sold my blazer, so this now is my only truck, and as it sits right now the turn signals are still majorly foo-foo and I need them fixed by tomorrow afternoon so I can get to work...

 

arm sticking straight out is left, arm sticking up, bent at the elbow is right. that can be your turn signal in a pinch.
edit: oh, and to the point asap is key here. most all of us have add or adhd and its too long to keep our attention.

 

HAVE NO FEAR, SHOW NO MERCY!!!!
take the BF's chain saw, and cut the side of the column open. this way, you can put the wires in nice and easy like.

 

The easiest thing is to replace the whole switch, as you say. If you pull on it you can get maybe 6in of the wiring harness to come out of the column. Next cut the wires to remove the old switch, cut the wires on the new switch and solder the wires to join them or use crimp connectors.
make sure you cut the wires leaving you enough length to to strip the insulation back and easily join them.
The turn signal stalk just unscrews.

 

now that that is out of the way, let me explain how i do it.
go to NAPA or your parts house of choice, and buy the new switch.
while there, ask them if they have a pin removal tool for the plug. if they do, get it. it will make the job much easier.

when you get home, check to make sure the wires are the same color on new and old.
pull the switch as far out of the column as you can, then cut the switch off the wires.
using the pin removal tool, remove the wires from the plug of new switch. if you don't have the tool, cut the plug off the new switch.
wrap the new switch wire ends to the old switch wire ends with electrical tape, and pull the new switch wires through the column from the bottom.
hook the new switch up to the column and put the steering wheel back on.

now all you need to do is either put the pins back into their proper positions in the plug using the old one as a guide, or if you had to cut the plug off, cut the wires off the old plug leaving about 6 -8 inches of wire on the plug, and connect all the wires by either soldering them and using shrink tubing or tape, or using butt crimp connectors.
i prefer solder/ shrink tubing.

you can do it. i have faith in you.



on edit, i see lazy k beat me to it.
but that is only cause i type slow, and my post was longer. ;-)

 

also as you have ur hand out the window it is easier to give ppl the finger if they honk at you

 

I'm not reading all that........

 

From Alldatadiy manual, if it helps:

1. Disconnect battery ground cable.
2. Remove horn switch, then the steering wheel.
3. Remove turn signal switch lever by unscrewing from steering column.
4. On 1987 models, remove lower steering column shroud. On 1989-91 models , remove upper and lower shrouds.
5. On all models, disconnect electrical connector from turn signal switch and remove switch attaching screws.
6. On models with tilt column and Bronco with fixed column, remove wires and terminals from steering column electrical connector, after noting color code and location of each connector. Remove plastic cover sleeve, if equipped, from wiring harness, then lift switch assembly out through opening in shift socket.
7. On models with fixed column except Bronco, remove switch assembly by lifting out of column while guiding connector plug through opening in shift socket.
8. Reverse procedure to install.

Good Luck!

 

But but, it's cold out!!! Not to mention people are stupid and don't know better and will think I'm following rodneywar's suggestion and giving them the finger

I'm about to cut the side oh his head open when he gets back (whenever that is), as he doesn't even answer his phone - to heck with deer (or whatever else they are out hunting), I'm more important than some wild animals dammit!!!

Did your mother not teach you that if you are to ignore a girl's bitching and whining and carrying on anyways, you should at least do so in a less-blatantly-obvious way? People these days, no manners at all!

 

Least I was being truthful about it

 

Well, neighbor who is an owner operator says he can install a Freightliner turn signal switch in my truck, and then it will pretty much never go bad again! He will build me the magic thingie that will make this possible, and says it is all real easy to install too if we cut the old switch off and fish its wires out (so like you guys suggested) and then use those to connect the new switch through the thingamagic. This will happen either tomorrow or on Wednesday, in the mean time I have his old truck as a loaner vehicle to run my errands.

 

And what if your truthfulness hurts my feelings? Did you think about that? I see how you are... tehe!

 

damm, you can type alot !

 

You got me on that one....

 

I don't talk much at all in real life, so I make up for it online - but there, are you happy now?