12 volts won't shock you, can make things very hot very fast, but not shock you. I have used a crecsent wrench to jump across the two big terminals on the solinoid when it quit.

 

Ya, you don't need insulation except when you become the ground!

 

Here's the sequence I"m following, compliments of jas88.
1) Remove steering wheel.
2) Remove the turn signal lever.
3) Remove two-piece plastic column cover that hides column where it meets dash.
4) Drop column down and remove ignition switch. Put column back up but do not tighten bolts.
5) Remove ignition lock cylinder.
6) Remove lock cylinder gear (snap ring pliers required). It is down in the hole that you took the lock cylinder out of.
On number 4 "remove ignition switch", is it held to the steering colum by 2, 7/16 nuts and has the long rod from the steering wheel end of the colum to the underside of the switch where the bundle of wires are connected?

 

has anybody seen a parts breakdown of the steering column on this site or anywhere?

 

Never done one before but i took one out of a junkyard for a buddy (the column was already dropped). Id sure think you could leave the wheel on and just drop the column the switch is about halfway down the column itself far beyond the lock cylinder and turn switch. This was on an 84 but i don't think they changed that part.

 

I"d still have to remove the ignition switch which I think is part of the problem. It feels like metal scraping metal when I turn the key and gets real hard to turn the key toward the end of the turn. Just wish I had the fixed steering column instead of the tilt.

 

The grease in them gets dry most benefit from a good cleaning

 

96extracabpsd I was able to jump the selnoid and she started right up. Runs great, just doesn't work with the key. Nowe back out to remove the key switch. The starter switch, does it have around 10 or so wires connected to it and is bolted to the top of the column?

 

Pop the hood on your truck and put one had on the positive terminal of your battery and the other hand on the negative terminal. Tell us what happens...

I already know the answer.