TDMuley

How to remove this collar from steering column?


Hello Cherokee folks, this is my first post.
I've searched forum and found most of what I need to know.
I am replacing the turn signal switch wiring harness and am stuck on pulling the old wire out and once I get it out concerned about getting the new wire threaded back down thru the collar on the steering column.


Is there a trick to getting off the collar that I am pointing to with screwdriver in the attached pic?
OR is their some other trick to pulling the wire out / replacing without having to disassemble any further?


Thanks!

TDMuley

Hey folks, I finally figured out the trick, at least for me.
I remembered somewhere reading about the tilt steering needed to be fully up before any sort of work on the column.


I thought I had fully pushed mine up prior to the work.
Just to check, I screwed the tilt lever back in and lo and behold it went up a bit further.
I am not sure if that actually makes any more room in the cowling cover. (I've called it shroud, cowling, collar, not sure the correct name, it's the black plastic piece that goes around the column that I was asking about removing above).
But at a minimum it allowed me to see better down the shaft.


Here are my steps:
This assumes you've already figured out how to drop the steering column and have unplugged the harness.


*Watch out for some of the grease that will collect on the wires, do a wipe down occasionally so you don't get it all over your favorite white t-shirt :-)


1. Once unplugged make sure the soft rubbery plastic wire gutter guide is removed.
2. In pulling out the turn signal switch harness sit in drivers seat and use an old book or something on your knee to allow you to hold up the column as far as you can so you can see.
3. With your right hand on the connector end of harness and left hand on part that goes in steering will do the push / pull method to work it up as far as you can.
4. You'll have to jiggle it a bit and get the wires line up in such a way to reduce the thickness so you can push / pull.
5. Once it's as far up as you can go, then shift your right hand to pulling the wire from top.
6. You might have to use a long shafted flat head screw driver to help "steer" the connector a bit.
7. You might have to pull firmly.
8. Work it like that and it will come out.


For me replacing the new wire back down the shaft was MUCH easier.
Just do the reverse process.


Hope this helps.


Thank You!