Steering Column Brass Ring

I took the car to my local repair guy and he estimated me $400 to get it fixed. He says it looks like the horn contact ring or something of that nature but couldn't quote me definitely.

I'm handy with cars but I've never taken a steering wheel off or dug into the top of a steering column so I'm really looking for any direction here. I'm not opposed to trying this myself. I did this remote start install to save money to buy her other Christmas gifts and to ensure it was done right and safely and this has become a financial stress! Any help at all would be appreciated.

EDIT: I went to the Chevy dealership in order to get some help as to what this particular part is. He pulled up all the diagrams he had of that area and we couldn't locate this ring. I don't know if it comes with something larger or not. I also don't know if it's part of the clockspring yet because I can't find one in stock locally so I can look at the back of it. I'm really at a loss outside of paying my mechanic. Local salvage is coming up negative as well.

Starship said:

Welcome to the forum. The lack of response you're getting is probably because we don't really know what you're describing. If the parts guy couldn't identify it, there's slim chance any of us can.

If I had to take a shot, the bent ring sounds like it's supposed to engage the MFS for turn signal cancelling. The horn switch is actually part of the turn signal MFS. If you had removed/installed the MFS without removing horn button/cover, you may have damaged the connecting pin/rod or the MFS itself.

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Starship, thank you for taking the time to respond. I had found more information today. The part I ordered was the CAM Signal (or the turn signal cancel) as you wrote above. I had a friend with me when I was wiring in that area of the car and we were attempting to probe and test for the parking light (+) wire. In order to get access to it he unbolted the MFS and removed it and did so without removing the horn button/cover. To his credit I would have never known that doing so would have caused any damage upon re-installation.

Knowing this, is there a way to tell if the MFS is damaged or not?

I opted to pick my car back up from the mechanic as he wasn't willing to come down from his price point. I'm going to rent a 2-jaw puller from my local auto store tomorrow and get down to the part to get ready for when it comes in on Wednesday.

I apologize for my desperation and lack of correct description and I understand how someone could fail to understand what I was talking about.

Again thank you for your response and when I do end up getting all of this squared away I'll be sure to post specifics.

EDIT: I just checked my Haynes manual for proper remove/installation of the MFS and the manual states no specific method different from what we did.

Starship said:

I think the horn circuit is through the MFS. Maybe it'll become clearer once you get the horn button/cover off. If that's actually the airbag module cover, you'll need to disable the SIR system first (disconnect the battery, wait a few minutes), though. And, I think you'll want a steering wheel puller (not the same as a 2-jaw). Hopefully you won't actually need to pull it to figure out what's wrong.

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I'll unplug and remove the MFS in the morning and get a good look at it. The brass looking ring I was talking about originally is all bent up and has to be replaced which is going to cause me to remove the steering assembly and all of that regardless. I was reading through the procedure, again in my Haynes manual, and it says on her year car that a typical steering wheel puller won't work and it recommends a 2-jaw puller which is why I mentioned that. I guess I will find out right or wrong by Wednesday.

Again I appreciate your help, thank you

EDIT: I figured out how it happened. On the MFS there is a spring loaded metal piece that protrudes from the steering wheel side of the switch that makes contact with that brass ring that got mangled up in the car. This piece was bent on the inside of the switch which did not allow the spring action to work which did not allow the MFS to seat correctly. It must have been when I set the MFS in place I didn't realize it wasn't seating correctly and when I began to tighten it down it did the damage to the ring and turning the wheel after only made it worse. I've now taken apart the switch and bent the piece to straighten it, however I snapped it in the process. Nothing a little JB Weld can't fix I imagine. Reglardless, once that piece is straight it should slide correctly in the MFS again and once I replace that ring everything should be good as new.

syrus said:

naw my car is at home. im in afghanistan for a couple more months. would it be easier to just get another MFS and brass ring and just replace them both? or is the canceling-cam a seperate part? do u have any pictures or diagrams that would help? once i get home ill break it all down, was about to just order another steering column or airbag off of ebay good thing i found this post.

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Hey Syrus, I'm surprised to see this old threat dug up! I'm sure I can help you with any info. I have some pictures on my phone of the steering column from the top before I disassembled it. It only really shows the cam signal cancel well and not all the fun and important parts of the column itself.

The brass horn contact ring is attached to the cam signal cancel and is all ordered from the cam signal cancel. Before you go and replace your MFS, what is the problem with it? If it's just that your turn signal isn't turning off then the problem may lie entirely in the cancel itself. It's also possible the canceling mechanism inside the MFS is gunked up and not working correctly. I took apart my gf's MFS in order to clean what I could and used a little grease to ensure it all worked smoothly. It's not difficult to tear down if you don't mind, but if you don't want to worry about it you could always just replace it.

The hardest part of the steering column tear down was the steering wheel. I rented a puller from Autozone (a small one IIRC) and the holes provided to remove it are terribly small and didn't line up with the puller I got. After examining the wheel better my friend and I detached the rear cover portion of the wheel and used points on the outside to remove it easier. This may be confusing because I'm doing this from memory but if you got pictures and had trouble we could assist.

I don't remember if it's mentioned earlier but I also had to rent a steering wheel lock plate tool to remove the plate just in front of the cam signal cancel. If you had the correct GM tool it would work tons easier, but the rented tools metal U bracket was too wide and I had to work with it by placing one side of the U on the plate and use a flat head screwdriver on the other side in order to compress the spring far enough to take another screwdriver and remove the retaining ring.

Those were the only two difficult parts really and it isn't as bad as it sounds. Patience and planning are key. If you need any help when the time comes to do this just post again. Good luck!