New member, Just bought a 97 Z71, Questions!

[BernieB]

Originally Posted by hotrodpc

In you year of 3500 BB, I am thinking air bags were equipped on vehicles below 8600 GVWR, yours is probably 10,000. So you are saying he can change the whole column and be OK to run? Awesome if so. I was thinking at worst, get the new column, install it, then have it towed to the dealer for a reprogram to the PCM if needed and it should work, but without Passlock, I am thinking it should work just fine. I dunno for certain though. I have not worked on that year model.

You're probably right about the GVWR, and mine is either 10K or 15K, depending on which sticker you read. (The GM one says 10K, the one on the doorframe from the shop that finished the truck says 10K, but the one behind the seat, also from that same shop, says 15K)

And, like I said, PASSLOCK II didn't start getting added to GM trucks until the '98 model year, so he should be fine if he gets a column from anything prior to that. While a '98 or '99 column would probably fit, I think the electrical connectors will be different, due to the PASSLOCK, so that would probably be the easiest way to tell at a glance if the column he's looking at in the scrapyard is pre-98 or post-98.

[hotrodpc]

You gettin all that Coadster?

[mudseeker]

why change the whole column if it's just an ignition switch that needs to be fixed? it's a half hour job to replace the switch.

[coadster]

Well... the clowns that stole it busted the **** out of the little piece that turns the ignition switch thats connected to the tumbler. So even if I DID get a new switch, i'd still somehow have to get the column apart to replace that little piece, which i doubt GM even makes. I'll get some pictures today of what im dealing with here.

[Beverly Stayart]

Welcome to the forum.

[coadster]

Thank you Beverly.

One more question - anything I could do to activate the power windows? The drivers side is down and obviously because I cant turn the ignition on I am unable to get it up.

[hotrodpc]

Doh !!!, Now that sounds like a personal problem !!!

Unsure which ones to jump, but for that, it would seem if you knew the pinout on the wires, you could jumper part of the switch plug and get power to the windows.

[coadster]

I thought about that as I posted it and smiled. Wondered if anyone would catch it.

Thats what I'd like to know. I wonder if theres a schematic on the pinout for those wires...

[Wyley87]

i saw it but i didn't wanna **** you off

[mudseeker]

Originally Posted by coadster

Well... the clowns that stole it busted the **** out of the little piece that turns the ignition switch thats connected to the tumbler. So even if I DID get a new switch, i'd still somehow have to get the column apart to replace that little piece, which i doubt GM even makes. I'll get some pictures today of what im dealing with here.

you mean this piece?


it's part of the switch that you need to buy.