Phantom Short - steering column??

pebcak2000 · #1 12-23-2007, 07:01 PM

I have been slowly building up my infamous '91 Dakota I bought last summer for $800. It was not without issues but nothing serious.....but for $800 I think it was a bargain.

I now have the truck running smooth and has ample power. However, during the year's first snow, I discovered a phantom short. The ABS light on the dashboard would come on and the turn signals, radio, and windshield wipers would not work. Since it was snowing hard....I was desperate to unshort it. I grabe the tilt release and moved the steering wheel up and down in a repeated fashion....then the short went away. This would happen off and on since then.

When I brought the truck in to have the frost plug replaced and new exhaust installed, I asked the shop to look into this problem....they could not replicate the problem. I picked up my truck and it was fine. Today....another major snow event and it is doing it again.....off and on. any ideas on how I can fix this?

Crazy4x4RT · #2 12-23-2007, 11:08 PM

Take apart the stering wheel and look where the tilt is. Check the wires are repair. If you dont want to open it up go to junkyard and buy the hole collum. Taking it apart is not so bad. Just time concuming.

pebcak2000 · #3 12-23-2007, 11:43 PM

Thanks for the info...I will look into this. (time to read the Haynes manual some more

)I may roll the dice and see if I can wait until the spring / summer to fix this then. During the winter, this is to be my primary driver.

pebcak2000 · #4 12-27-2007, 02:24 AM

I found the source of the short....it is not in the steering column per say but is actually from the ignition switch. If I turn the swich back just a little, it stops the short. I guess the movement of the steering wheel is what worked before. Now that I know the cause, I can breathe easier. I probably wont fix this until spring.