# 1969 GTO Steering Wheel Won't "Lock"



## GeeTO400 (Jan 7, 2015)

Hi All!

Hopefully someone (or many people) will happen upon my post and can offer some helpful advice. To get the specifics about my car out of the way, I have a stock 1969 GTO (non-RA) with a floor-shift 4-speed manual transmission.

The issue I am having, and have been dealing with for quite a long time, is that my ignition switch will not turn off all the way to the "lock" position on the steering column, which means that when my car is off the steering wheel does not lock in place and can still be turned.

My assumption is that the source of my problem can be found somewhere in the back-lock assembly that runs from the transmission to the steering column. Possibly one of the rods or brackets is out of place slightly or damaged? Or there is a bushing or spring that has worn out?

Has anyone else had this problem, where the ignition switch would not turn off to the "lock" position? If so, and you corrected the problem, what did you find to be the source?

Also, if my problem does lie within the back-lock assembly, does anyone have a diagram/depiction of how to service or adjust that assembly?

Thank you!
Dan/GeeTO400


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## Red1970GTO (Jun 25, 2011)

Can you rotate the lower half of the upper steering column to get the column to lock?

Your 1969 GTO/LeMans* Factory Assembly Instruction Manual *has the diagrams you need.
Generic diagram: http://www.oocities.org/[email protected]/images/doc_muncie_adjust_shifter.jpg

If you discover that you need parts, INLINETUBE.COM/ has the parts you'll need, but be forewarned the parts are somewhat generic and you'll have to "adjust" them for proper fitment.


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## GeeTO400 (Jan 7, 2015)

Red1970GTO,

After doing some further research last night and taking a closer look at my GTO, that thought crossed my mind too. I noticed how the steering column rotates counter-clockwise when placed in reverse (which is what activates the back-up light switch), so when I placed the car back intro neutral and turned it off I tried to rotate the steering column further clockwise by hand and it would not budge.

Does the steering column need to rotate clockwise to a specific point in order to allow the ignition to turn to the "lock" position? Or could there be an issue with the ignition cylinder, or some component inside of the steering column, that is not allowing my ignition to turn off completely?

One of my concerns is that if I adjust the back-lock rod to allow the steering column to rotate further clockwise when the car is in neutral, that when I place the car in reverse the steering column will not rotate far enough counter-clockwise to activate the back-up light switch.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

That's a logical guess, but that's not how the steering wheel locking mechanism works. The lock cylinder engages a "rack" gear that moves a pin "out" (towards the driver) and "in" (towards the firewall). This pin engages a slotted wheel very near the top of the steering column, just underneath the horn mechanism. If you remove the center section of the steering wheel, you'll probably be able to see it. 

Here's a decent diagram:
http://1.bp.************/-Xrt2Sfuwka4/T0kPDsZSp_I/AAAAAAAAGMg/HzdJgFClnNs/s640/steeringcollum_diagram.jpg

Bear


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## GeeTO400 (Jan 7, 2015)

Bear,

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to learn! Sometime tomorrow afternoon I am going to have some free time to spend with my GTO and I plan to have a look inside my steering column to see what the heck is going on in there.

Hopefully I will be able to find and fix the issue, but either way I will let you know.

BTW, even though I do not post very often on the forum I browse it quite a lot and have taken a look through your build diary before. You did a great job with your GTO and I think it's incredible that you so willingly share your knowledge with members of the GTO Forum. That's what this car hobby is all about!

Dan


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## GeeTO400 (Jan 7, 2015)

Despite the helpful posts I'm considering aborting this project after two days of sporadic work on the steering column.

It's strange. Even though I never shy away from working on my car - in fact I really enjoy it - this project has me feeling uncomfortable about proceeding any further. Now that I have partially disassembled the upper housing of the steering column (removed horn pad, steering wheel, cover plate, lock plate and retainer ring, turn signal assembly) I realized that none of the components responsible for locking my steering wheel are accessible unless I completely remove the upper housing. All of the locking components are installed on the backside of the upper housing, and they cannot be seen or reached in any way while the housing is installed.

The locking pin/bolt, which is partially visible, appears to be in exactly the position it should be based on where the ignition switch stops, so the problem doesn't appear to be an incorrect alignment between the ignition switch and the locking pin/bolt. Whatever is preventing the ignition switch from turning the extra amount needed to reach the "lock" position, thus allowing the locking pin/bolt to protrude out of it's tube and "lock" the steering wheel, must be found within one of the components located on the backside of the upper housing.

Despite the diagram from Bear (which is helpful) and what I have been able to learn from reading through the "1969 Pontiac Service Manual" and GTO Restoration Guide that I have, I can't shake the feeling that I am going to make a mistake that will cause an even bigger problem than the somewhat minor one I am trying to fix. Like drop one of the many screws inside the column, or snap or break something.

For now I can (regrettably) live with the fact that my steering wheel does not lock in place when the car is turned off. I have an OCD level disdain for things that don't work like they are supposed to, so there is a chance that I will change my mind somewhere down the line, but for now I will just drive the car and enjoy it!


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