High Beam Switch - Adjustment for free play in actuator rod?

[Greg72]

Man... I've had the stupid steering column apart about 6 times in the last few days trying to finish the sloppy tilt column fix (which I did)... but every time I reassemble it seems like some small part either falls out of position... pops out completely or is misaligned in a way that I don't discover until everything is 100% reassembled....

Anyway, tonight is the closest I've been to a perfect reassembly... I even installed a new turn signal / wiper stalk and snaked the wire down through the column successfully. The only part that isn't working well is the high-beam switch. To be fair, I never checked this BEFORE starting all of this steering column work so maybe it was never right... but the steel rod that sits in the pocket under the dash has about 1/4" (maybe slightly less) of freeplay before it actually bottoms-out in that cup and activates the high-beam switch. The stalk doesn't have enough travel to activate the high beams... but it does move the rod properly. If I manually pull down on the rod from underneath it will click and turn the highbeams on/off.

I was told that there is a small amount of adjustment in the mounting plate for the high-beam switch on lower column... and there might even be a procedure for setting the proper amount of free play? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Anyway... here is a shot of the offending part. I'm open to any BTDT tips or ideas if you've already conquered this issue on your own FSJ. Thanks!





-G

[tgreese]

Geez Greg, did you read the TSM? Maybe I'm missing something.

This is from page 8J-3 of the '89 TSM, free to read and download on the Tom COllins site:

dimmerAdj89Jeep.png

There is more in the next column. Also picture of the switch with its long adjustment slots earlier. Seems pretty clear.

[Greg72]

tgreese,

Sorry... you're right. It's there.

I've bought the hardcopy TSM (Vol 1, 2 & 3) as one of my first purchases 2 months ago when I first got my '89 GW.
Then somebody here (maybe you) let me know that the entire thing is available for free (all 2192 pages!!) in a searchable .PDF format from the Tom Collins site so I grabbed that too.

Guess I'm not doing a very good job on my keyword searches on FSJN or the TSM. I was getting fouled-up by not always checking to make sure that the stuff I found was for "SERIES 15" (Grand Wagoneer) specifically.

Still don't really understand the numbering of the pages in the books (like 8J-3 for example) but maybe I will eventually.

I genuinely appreciate the help... the frustration over spending something like 12 hours on this steering column repair (so far) had me pretty short on patience. Will take a deep breath and take a more careful look in the reference materials next time before posting up.


-G

[Stuka]

Still don't really understand the numbering of the pages in the books (like 8J-3 for example) but maybe I will eventually.

The page/chapter numbers are weird, you aren't alone there

[SJTD]

Or put it back on the floor where it belongs.

[Greg72]

Or put it back on the floor where it belongs.

WORD!

There is something even more "analog" about stomping for your high beams!!!

My 1972 K5 has a floor mounted switch. I like it.


EDIT: For the record, the advice offered here was spot on..!!! inserted the 3/32" drill bit.. loosened up those two set screws and slid the entire switch assembly toward the wheel until all the lash was gone. For some reason the switch was set as far away as the slots would allow. Works PERFECT now!!!!

So happy this repair is over... Tilt column is tight, and I've got a new turn signal stalk that is plugged in to the CC harness underneath (previous owner had it unplugged for some reason)... the cable in the engine bay is not connected to the carb so I need to find an appropriate linkage for the 1406 Edelbrock carb to attach it, but I will leave that for another day.


-G

[tgreese]

...Still don't really understand the numbering of the pages in the books (like 8J-3 for example) but maybe I will eventually.
...

Suspect there is nothing profound to the numbering system. When I found the above info, I looked at the section descriptions at the front of book 8. The '89 TSM opens to that section, so that was easy. "Multifunction switch and hazard" seemed likely to include the controls located in the column. Some of these books, like the '89 book, have chapters that you can click on to seek. This book also has major sections listed in the right margin, which are also clickable. I went to the section and scrolled through.

So why "8?" I suspect it's historical. The TSM started out as one book, then it got so large that it split into three by '82. Maybe "electrical" was book 8 at some point. Some of these extra pages came because of the Jeep product line expanding, though I expect most of it was to cover the increased complexity of more modern cars. The early TSMs expect a higher mechanical savvy from the reader too; the later manuals are clearly more helpful. Good for amateurs like us, but we are not the intended audience. I don't think your average line mechanic spent much time studying the book... service managers, yes, by necessity. One wonders if the proficiency of the reader was decreasing, or if the dealerships demanded a better manual, or if the deeper pockets of AMC/Chysler allowed them to develop a nicer/better manual.

Just my yakking. Maybe of interest.