Has anyone else installed a tilt away steering column in a 68 XR-7GT and had issues. Mine will adjust in height but wont actually tilt away. Mechanic is saying its a cable within the column that is “too tight”. Does that sound correct? Is it easy to fix cos hes saying he will have to disassemble the whole column to get at it
There is a vacuum motor at the base of the steering column that operates the “Tilt away” mechanism in the column.
Normal operation is release with engine off, drivers door open condition so long as adequate vacuum is present (enough vacuum is stored in tank at rear of passenger inner fender apron below hood hinge when engine is running).
If you havent done so already, test the vacuum motor directly with a vacuum pump to eliminate/bypass any other external electo-mechanical components.
You can also disconnect the vacuum motor itself from the column and test.
When I was building my current 67 that came from the factory with tilt-away, I thought the column mechanism felt hard to operate when I was inspecting the column. But it actually works perfectly fine with the vacuum motor.
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Before having someone, that doesn’t know much about the tilt-away system, take it apart, get in touch with Tony Augustine (on this forum). He is great at figuring these systems out, and can also restore the column to like new condition. He did three tilt-aways for me.
I agree. I would not recommend letting anyone tare into a tilt away steering system without the expertise to do so. If the cable gets broken, it will be $300+ to replace it.
Here is a simple explanation to help you visualize what was already stated:
This is basically the control module. It bolts up under the dash to the right of the column. when you open the door, the black button contacts close and powers the “relay”. This fires the “vacuum solenoid”, which allows vacuum from a vacuum canister (inside RH wheel well) to flow into the “vacuum actuator” which pulls a “plunger” with a cable attached.
the cable has a “pawl” at the end of it that gets pulled back so that springs within the steering column knuckle can push the steering column away.
this is the spring in the column that pulls the wheel away.
I have not shown the rest of the mechanism inside the column….
All of these parts are expensive and are hard to come by.
You should contact Tony for assistance as he is the pro.
If you find yourself taring into the vacuum actuator, this is what it looks like inside. I could never find a picture like this on the web, so I thought I would post it here.
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