B4 - Contact Ring and Clamping Washer missing from steering column

[Farmboy]

Bentley Picture N94-0025, Section W 94-13 thru W 94-16

Number 13 Contact Ring

Number 16 Clamping washer

What function do these parts serve?

What problems would you expect if they were absent?

Why? Because they are missing on my B4 and there has apparently been a long-standing short from my wiper switch to the lock housing across a space these are apparently supposed to fill. Now I know why I was losing a wiper fuse every so often . . .

Last Friday, the car developed unpredictable, intermittent, total electrical loss when (1) key turns to start position (found out by trying to start car) and (2) when lugged badly (found out quite unintentionally).

After reading and reviewing here and on Vortex and in my Bentley, and trying to figure out where the elctrons were getting lost, I decided to replace the ignition switch to isolate cause, since the battery cables were tight, and when the car wasn't acting up, it was 100% normal (started fine, seemed to have normal electrical power, etc.).

I've had the car for 3 years. While tearing the column apart, I could tell I wasn't the first person to do so due initially to witness marks, and due to missing parts ultimately. Someone else either didn't realize they didn't put the parts back in, or didn't think it mattered . . .

I've reassembled the column, with new igntion switch, new wiper switch, wiper fuse deleted until I know the situation with the missing parts and understand the short that was happening, hoping to at least have a car to drive when it's not raining or snowing, but no luck for now, starter still won't engage & no dash lights. Time for bed, will have to play swap Relay 109 tomorrow, since I have a couple spares I can try . . .

Thanks in advance

CORRECTING EDIT: Missing parts aren't really missing. Apparently, not all parts listed in drawing were installed on US spec cars. Further comment in later post.

 

[Lug_Nut]

Without that ring the steering shaft could shift side to side within the column tube. It might be a problem if the next item to limit its movement within the tube were the electrical connector for the wipers, which as it appears from W 94-20 and illustration v94-0583 might be the case.

 

[Farmboy]

Thanks for the reply Lug_Nut. Dealer tells me the diagram is not US specific, the two parts I was "missing" were never on my US spec car. Anyone able to verify this for me?

Apparently, the "Number 9 Support Ring" keeps the "Number 8 Steering Column" spaced within the "Number 7 Support Tube" properly, so that it doesn't come into contact with anything not broken & properly mounted on the outside (ignition housing, wiper switch & contacts, etc.).

My new theory regarding the electrical short is that either grease/lubricant/dirt crossed the gap betwen the Wiper Switch and the ignition housing carrying enough metal flakes or other conductive material to create a good conductive path, or a circuit (ground?) is so compromised that a spark across this gap is the shortest path to ground.

I haven't had a chance to get my hands dirty again yet, too many other hobbies, I guess, along with a trip to the library to get PDF prints out of ALLDATA for easy reference, etc., and the time lost sharing a car with my wife . . .

Tomorrow night, hopefully, I'll play musical Relay 109s, but I don't expect much, because I am missing more electrical than seems attributable to Relay 109. I'll simply be doing this as an elimination action, I think.

After that, I guess it's going to be a lot of time spent becoming very familiar with the wiring diagram and the circuit paths through the electrical switch and doing a lot of continuity checking, maybe even voltage drop checking, etc. Yuck. I hate this kind of troubleshooting.

I'm leery of putting the wiper fuse back in beacause I don't want to melt my $60 replacment wiper switch . . . maybe I'll put the old switch back in for troubleshooting purposes . . .

Since airbags make me paranoid, and are just a PITA to work around anyway, if I leave the airbag out so it's easier to work in the area with power on, is anyone able to tell me how hard is it to correct any error codes absence of the airbag will cause?

 

[Lug_Nut]

No error codes following restoration of the air bag. There'll be an "intermittant" error stored, but the CEL won't be on once the bag is properly re-installed. Thee intermittant errors clear themselves after some number of good readings.

 

[Farmboy]

Thanks, again, Lug_Nut.

Problem solved, the plug came loose from the back of the ignition when I put it all together . . . argh . . . makes me wonder if that was my problem with the previous ignition switch . . . argh . . .

 

[bobby638]

steering column assy

i had my column out and on the way back in i cant seem to figure out which way it worked , i cant get the adjuster lock to work correctly
does anyone have a pic

 

[Farmboy]

i had my column out and on the way back in i cant seem to figure out which way it worked , i cant get the adjuster lock to work correctly
does anyone have a pic

"adjuster Lock" . . . for the tilt?

Are you looking for a pic or a diagram?

 

[bobby638]

a pic of the lock arm and washers and pin assembly would help
cant figure out why it wont "lock" in place
cant seem to make the backwards thread nut tight enough to

 

[bobby638]

a pic of the adjuster lock would help
it seems pretty foward but still does not work