Engine dies when I tilt the steering wheel

[LWilliams]

This morning when I got in my truck to go to work I lowered the steering wheel down, started it and drove down the driveway. I stopped to shut my gate and raised the steering wheel to get out and the engine died. All electrical stuff went off. The radio, dash lights, everything acted like I had turned the key off. When I got back in I lowered the wheel and started it up and drove to work. When I got to the parking lot and parked and raised the wheel to get out it died again, just like I had turned the key off. It's pretty obvious that there is an electrical problem in the steering column. Have any of you had this happen? Any help before I tear into it tonight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[illflem]

I'll bet it's just a loose plug.

 

[Cooker]

I'm with Bill. A loose connector in the steering column, or somehow a wire was damaged.



-Ryan

 

[Jacobs]

Had the same type of problem on my 95. It turned out to be a broken wire under the steering wheel. On mine, it was the wire on the left when looking up at the bottom of the wheel when you remove the bezel. The manual recommends disconnecting the batteries to prevent deployment of the air bag. Good luck.



This has happened to me four times. Since I began to carry tools and materials to fix the problem, it hasn't happened.

 

[Joe G.]

Jacobs,



These things know when you have tools on board.

 

[danandamy]

Have you had the blower on high relay recall done? It's my understanding that if you haven't, it can cause enough heat in the wireing harness to melt the insulation off and cause all kinds of nasty shorts.

 

[Missouri Mule]

LWilliams,

Have to agree more with the few who said loose connector.



To shut down engine and turn off everything you are loosing the ground or power(hot) wire and you mite be loosing both.

So that is pointing to connectors or wiring.



The connection is under and toward drivers door of steering wheel good place to start.



When you raise steering wheel good chance of cutting/pinching a wire.



Take a test light down there with you. Find the main hot wire and ground wire at connector start testing there(move steering wheel up and down see what happens). If connector is OK (not loose and no broken wires burnt/bent pins, follow wiring to igniton switch.

Good Luck

 

[LWilliams]

Engine dies when I tilt the steering wheel--Fixed--

Thanks to everyone who replied with a suggestion. Sorry it took so long for me to respond but I had to take time out to have my 10th kidney stone. Not a fun thing to do but I had no choice. I removed the lower bezel around the steering column and moved the wheel up and down and watched what was happening. The large red power wire had come out of the connector. It would make connection when the wheel was down and pull out of the connector when it was raised up. I just put it back in the connector and was able to re-crimp it. I got lucky with this one, and the stone too. I passed it.

 

[Missouri Mule]

LWilliams,

Glad you found problem that was easy to take care of.



Of course your taking your daily recommended intake of water, right.