I am currently putting my steering column back together after installing a new clock spring. While trying to figure out how to squeeze that big fat connector through the column I pulled the plate over the tilt lever, and the little piece piece that goes between the tilt housing and high beam rod fell out, I have no idea how it goes back together. I have a service manual, but the picture isn't very good and I'm not sure what they mean by "the bottom edge of the dimmer switch rod actuator must rest on the bend in the dimmer switch rod". I've attached some pictures of how I think it's supposed to go together ... if that's right perhaps someone could point to where the rod is supposed to hit it? The whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me -- even if I just hold the little piece in the column so the stalk and hit it, it doesn't seem to actually reach and down on the rod. I'd appreciate any help ... my car is stuck until I get this fixed.

 

I'm pretty sure that the bent end of the rod (the "L" shaped part) should rest on the crescent part of that black piece, which is the actuator. It should work so that when you pull back on the dimmer lever to turn on the high beams, the lever moves that actuator towards the front of the car, pushing the lever into the dimmer switch (at the base of the column, just follow the rod down and you will find it) and turns on the high beams. The return spring is in the dimmer switch. The reason the actuator is curved like that is to compensate for when the column is tilted.

 

Thanks for the quick reply ... so it would end up being like the picture below? The rod goes into the little groove at the end? That would seem to make sense.

This is possible to do while it's on the car? The service manual shows it being done with the whole unit pulled off, but I don't want to do that. It seems to be pretty difficult, you can't have the actuator on the tilt trim plate and install it like I have in the picture, you have to kind of work it around the signal stalk and then put it on when it's almost closed, and it's tricky to get it all to go. Is it just a matter of trying it a bunch of times until I get lucky?

 

Got it fixed, thanks