2002 ls1 camaro issues

[jsmith564`]

Scored an 02 for cheap has 80,000 miles. I'm finding evidence of body work and the steering is very sloppy. I drove. The car 100 miles after I got it. Lots of play.

Does the steering column collapse after a wreck?
The wheel feels broken. The key cylender is a pita and the car will either not crank, not shut off, or not go into park. without pulling the tilt lever I can move the wheel. I'm thinking of gathering tools to open it up and check the bolts. I just wanted to know if the column was built to collapse in a crash.

With the wheel in its natural position everything works fine as far as putting it in park or starting and turning it off.

[jsmith564`]

alright, i broke into my steering column. i rented a steering wheel puller from orileys which also came with the lock spring tool. i had to buy the pivit pin puller which they had on shelf for 10 bucks.

so i break it down useing these sites;

this site is good, but for older models and non air bag.
http://www.buickperformance.com/tilt...lumnwobble.htm

this site has videos and is also non air bag.
http://www.stolenandrecovered.com/video/index.php

right now my steering column is in peices all over the car because i was missing a couple peices which i'll track down tomarrow. but my steering column had 4 lose bolts behind the tilt housing, and one missing pivit pin. how they do that???

anyway, my column should be good to go after i find the plastic peice that goes between the dimmer switch lever and turn signal switch so i can use the high/low beams. oh and the clockspring...

one thing i need schooling on is the clockspring.. if anyone has any info on this please shed some light, and or pictures.. when i removed mine i did'nt mark it and i pulled it off with the wheels turned all the way to the left because the steering wheel nut was very tight. i didnt think to turn the wheels back streight. i unpluged it and pulled it out, so i think it's still good? i'm going to use an Ohm meter on it just to check, and if indeed it's still good all i need to do is reset it.

all insight welcomed, i'm not an exspert on this stuff...

[Cutlass]

You should center your steering wheel then center your clock spring. You can turn the clock spring by using your fingers. spin it one direction until you feel it stop. Then spin it the other direction and count the revolutions. Then divide by 2 and spin it back to center and reinstall it.

[jsmith564`]

i also worked on the driver window motor, which was already replaced. the motor had a date going back to 2005. i guess these motors are short lived? i scored a new one for free, yes thats right, free. my mom had a 1997 camaro that i replaced the motor on.

autostore lifttime warranty... thank you!! saved $60 big ones..

i baught this car for $3400 bucks.. my plan is to fix all it's little issues and keep it? ahh, sell it!!! so far i have $60 bucks in some CL t-tops i found.

cars known problems are;
drivers seat - fixed
t-tops -fixed
driver window - in progress
steering column - in progress
hacked exhaust -pending
front body panals missaligned - pending
speakers (all missing) - pending

my budget for this car is $600 -$1,000 for repairs. i figure exhaust will be the most bacause its the cme. i'm not sure how i'm going to handle the exhaust yet. if i order cat back or have a shop run "custom" with cme tips.

[jsmith564`]

You should center your steering wheel then center your clock spring. You can turn the clock spring by using your fingers. spin it one direction until you feel it stop. Then spin it the other direction and count the revolutions. Then divide by 2 and spin it back to center and reinstall it.

when you say "spin it" you mean the steering wheel? just wanted to double check.. these things cost alot of green, and i'm master of distruction.

[Cutlass]

No.
You should be able to loosely stick the steering wheel on the shaft without the clock spring being on the shaft. Then center the steering wheel.
Remove the steering wheel.
Then while holding the clock spring in your hand around the outside diameter, spin the inside ring from lock to lock. Following the rest of the above directions helps you find the center of the clock spring rotation.

[jsmith564`]

No.
You should be able to loosely stick the steering wheel on the shaft without the clock spring being on the shaft. Then center the steering wheel.
Remove the steering wheel.
Then while holding the clock spring in your hand around the outside diameter, spin the inside ring from lock to lock. Following the rest of the above directions helps you find the center of the clock spring rotation.

thanx... i did just like it say's too. i was at a u pull it today and found a mangled steering column and pulled the clockspring out and took it apart to figure out how it works. pretty simple really.

well i got the steering column put back together. the most pita of the whole thing was getting the gear shifter lock cable to link up with the key switch. so when you turn the key on, it springs the key back and also unlocks the gear shifter so your able to select a gear. i'll wire it up in the morning and see how i did... wrost thing that could happen is i ruined it..

[jsmith564`]

Got it wired up, drove it. Works like a dream. Window now rolls up again..