The Dorman 525-213 brown 6 pin connector from the clock spring does not snap in or secure to the OEM harness. It is about 1/8" short from the clip snapping tight. I have used dielectric grease to try and make the connection, did not work. I compared the OEM clock spring brown 6 pin connector and they appear to be identical. The only thing that I can think of is that the Dorman connector is a bit too small and the OEM harness is not able to be fully seated.

I am going to test the operation of the clock spring with the parts reassembled. If everything works, I will tape the brown connector to the OEM harness. If it doesn't work, I will cut the Dorman brown connector off and replace it with the OEM brown connector, which snaps in and secures just fine.

Back to it...

Also, the puller worked great.

 

Got a picture of Dorman and original connectors side by side?

 

I'd be inclined to swap the connector shell, without cutting the wires.

 

I didn't get one, but they were identical to the eye.

That is an option going forward, but for now everything works as intended based on a 10 mile test drive. I will keep the OEM connector and wires in my stash in case they are needed.

 

Against my better judgement, due to price and availability I went with Dorman 525213 from Rock Auto for $110.

Below is how things went today.

Cleaned my workspace in order to stay organized and on task.




I disconnected the negative terminals and wrapped them in rags prior to doing anything on the truck.




Just like any other FTE'r, I had the dash bezel off in a few short seconds.




Turns out the tonneau cover makes for a good parts storage area.




I removed the instrument cluster in order to polish the clear plastic and clean underneath and around the space.




I think it turned out pretty good for free dollars.




I removed the air bag and set up the 67020 puller from O'Really's. I ended up using a 1/4" socket because I didn't want to mess up the T50 bolt or the splines. My intentions were to go horizontal with the jaws, but the connectors didn't allow that to happen. I felt the vertical anchor points looked stronger than the further out horizontal anchor points. It worked well and the steering wheel popped off after a few turns of the box wrench.





This piece of plastic cost me a few minutes and a bit of head scratching with a few WTF comments. At first glance, it looks like a piece that is supposed to stay, but it needs to come off in order for the new and differently designed clock spring to fit properly.







This now removed piece of plastic serves the same purpose as the white plastic piece on the back of the new clock spring and pictured below. When installing the new clock spring, there are alignment pins for the top and bottom (12 and 6 positions when on the vehicle) and small clips to hold it in place when fully seated.




As mentioned earlier, the brown 6 pin connector from the Dorman clock spring is a bit undersized. It is short by about 1/8" from clicking and locking into place. It is jammed together at this point and takes quite a bit of force to separate from the OEM harness. Tomorrow I will tape it up and retain the OEM clock spring brown 6 pin connector in case I need it in the future.

All in all, not a bad time installing the new clock spring. The most difficult parts were the brown connector and figuring out that the black collar piece needed to come off before the new clock spring went on. A test drive confirmed all systems were functioning properly and a FORScan Lite DTC check was a second confirmation that all systems were a go.

 

Sous,

I am preparing to tear into my column this week and was curious, how do you get the plastic trim piece over the key cylinder? do you have to remove the cylinder and if so how does it come out. older cars had a pin you could push in while the key was in the ignition and use it to remove the cylinder... is it basically still the same?

Ken

 

And this is why I don't buy Dorman if I can avoid it.

 

Insert key to key cylinder, turn to the RUN position, poke pin from underneath, remove key cylinder.

 

Ken, in addition to what Leonard wrote, at the 4:00 mark of the video below is a demonstration.


Yes, the cylinder comes out before the top column cover comes off.

I was very hesitant on purchasing the Dorman part, but at this point it was my only option. No OEM available and the other knockoffs were just as much of a gamble in my mind.

I will make it work one way or another and this is becoming a more common aspect of owning a 23 year old truck.

 

OEM connector salvaged and stored in a location that I will likely forget.

 

This connector the one giving you grief? I have had broken clips on ignition coil connectors and my workaround is to run a small zip tie through the connector between the wires. My vision is like the red line shows below. This should help secure the connection better than tape for the long term. Not saying you should pull it back apart to do this though! Just wanted to share the idea.

 

Jason, I did that exact same thing this morning before wrapping it in red electrical tape. Great minds think alike, but so do insane ones...

It is easily seen from the footwell or by removing the cover under the steering column. I will keep an eye on it when I perform any maintenance tasks and if it appears to be moving, I will take further action. For now, I feel it is making a good connection and will be OK for years to come. I will keep the OEM 6 pin connector just in case though. Went on another test drive today to return the puller and all is well.

Thanks for the idea, I appreciate it and others may in the future.

 

Post moved to link below.

Link: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post20846058

 

so the same as old cars.. thanks I wanted to know before I tore stuff apart.