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Ignition actuator rod

9.5K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Phil_g  
#1 ·
After doing a search , I still have not found what I am looking for. The upper end of my actuator rod has broken and I am looking for a replacement rod. It is a 78 cj7 with column shift and tilt. My local parts house has been zero help. Are these still available or do I need to find a used column to get one? Thanks in advance
 
#4 ·
The so-called "Remote rod" or "push rod" is the ~1/8" diameter metal rod that connects the mechanism in the steering column to the actual ignition switch further down on top of the column. This rod is steel and is unlikely to break (although I suppose it's possible). The more more likely part to break is the "rack" piece which is crappy cast 'pot metal' type of deal. That's what broke in my '85 GM tilt steering column. The rack piece is turned by a half gear (ie: gear teeth move the teeth on the rack), and that pushes or pulls the remote rod. As stated above, these GM-made steering columns are plentiful and used on many different vehicles. Some parts are commonly available (like the rack and other pieces in that area), but to get a remote rod you might have to use a specialty supplier that handles parts for GM steering columns (i think one was mentioned above). There are a few write-ups around that assist with rebuilding these GM steering columns.

But first be sure you know exactly what part you need. Have you disassembled the steering column to identify the broken part? Do you have any photos of the broken part?
 
#5 ·
I have torn the column down and replaced the bearings, ignition switch,rack,sector and turn signal cam. I was hoping that would fix several issues . One being a "sticky" key. I would sometimes have to move it back to "run" position manually. The rod was in a bind. So after closer inspection , I noticed that the cast piece on the end of the rod had worn to a point that some of it had broken off. I think this is what is causing my binding issue...