Loucobalt

Just installed a new quick ratio (10:1) steering gear in my '69 Cutlass & have noticed that by doing so I have lost use of my turn signal cancellation (worked fine previously). Does anyone know what adjustment (if any) I would need to do to get it working again ?
Thanks !

oldcutlass

What happens when you turn the steering wheel further or stop to stop with the turn signal engaged? Did you remove the steering wheel at any time?

Loucobalt

When I engage the turn signal & make a normal left or right turn & then straighten the wheel the turn signal won't cancel. The other day I engaged the turn signal & turned the wheel an extra half turn back (after the wheels had straightened out) & the turn signal canceled at that point.
Did not remove the steering wheel during the new steering box install.

joe_padavano

The steering box has nothing to do with the turn signal switch or cancel cam. Most likely you've got the steering shaft installed 180 degrees out on the box. Either that, or you pushed the shaft rearward into the cabin and pushed the cancel cam up out of the turn signal switch. Is there an excessive gap between the steering wheel hub and the top of the steering column? Did you jack up the front wheels and turn the steering wheel more than 360 degrees to see if the turn signal cancels?

Loucobalt

Joe,
jacked the front end up & the turn signals do self cancel when wheel is turned back (works like it should). Any thoughts on what needs to be done ?

joe_padavano

Either the steering shaft is 180 deg out on the rag joint or the rag joint is 180 deg out on the steering box input shaft. Did you happen to notice if the cancel action occurs with an equal angle turn in either direction from straight ahead?

Loucobalt

I can't say with a 100% certainty but it did appear that the cancel occurred quicker when I turned the wheel to the left vs the right.

joe_padavano

Basically, you have to go back and verify that your steering shaft is clocked properly. Jack the front wheels up and disconnect the center link from the pitman arm (or pull the arm off the box). Place the steering box in the exact center of travel. Do this by counting turns - turn the wheel fully against the stop one way, count the turns to reach the other stop, then come back exactly half the number of turns. Ignore the location of the steering wheel, as it may or may not be installed correctly. With the box at the middle of travel, the pitman arm should be pointed straight back when installed properly. Again, the tie rods may or may not be adjusted properly at this time, so the wheels may or may not be straight ahead.

With the box centered, remove the center cap from the steering wheel. There should be a scribe mark on the end of the threaded steering shaft. It should be pointed straight up. If not, the shaft is not clocked properly relative to the box, so correct this. With the scribe mark up, the steering wheel should fit on the splined shaft with the wheel in the straight ahead position. Once this is done, you can adjust the tie rods to get the wheels pointed straight ahead also. This should fix your cancel problem.

oldcutlass

You probably need an alignment. If your steering shaft was 180* out I believe the steering wheel would be upside down.