Help: Changing signal lt switch interruptor

[dogbone]

I am about to try to change my signal light switch interrupter on my 94 Firebird, it requires removal of the steering wheel and air bag, anybody done this, any help and instructions would be much appreciated.

When I signal to the right the signal light does not come on except when I wiggle the signal light arm.

[BrdWAtti2d]

Yea I've done it a couple times and it's a real pita. First you have to disable the air bags. The proceedure from the haynes manual says to disconnect the battery, pull the airbag fuse and then disconnect the airbags under the dash. There are two bolts on the back of the steering wheel that hold the airbag in place. Once that's off you remove the center nut holding the steering wheel in place. You'll need a steering wheel puller to get the wheel off. Once that's off there is a "c" clip that holds the airbag coil in place. Remove that and pull the coil off. If I remember there is a waffle type washer under that then another clip that holds the turn signal actuator in place. That clip is a huge pita to get off and a bigger pita to get back on. You have to compress the turn signal actuator to remover and replace the clip. I made my own special tool for this. Once you've got that off you'll be down to the guts of the turn signal. I've never replaced the switch itself, you're on your own from there.

Click here for a drawing from shoebox's site (thanks again Rob for the great site)

[dogbone]

Wow what a pita. I think I can live with my problem.

[Injuneer]

Wait 20 minutes after disconnecting the battery, before touching anything related to the air bags. There is a storage capacitor in the DERM unit that deploys the bags, and it takes 20 minutes for the charge to bleed off.

[dogbone]

Thanks BrdWAtti2d for that blowup drawing, what site did it come from? thanks

[BrdWAtti2d]

It's Rob's (Shoebox) site. He's a member here and his site has saved my and many others here butts more than a time of two.

Click here

[sneitzel]

Check with AutoZone. You can "borrow" both the steering wheel puller and the lock plate compressor from them which make the job much easier. I have never done it on an airbag equipped car but had to do it many times on my old '79 Formula. Back then, nobody loaned tools so I bought the lock plate compressor tool and built my own steering wheel puller. The exploded view looks almost identical (minus the airbag components) to the old design. Strange how that has not changed in 20+ years...

[dogbone]

Awesome site.