Hello all, I'm just poking around to get a replacement clockspring for my 00 v6 being that the cruise control does not engage (no light nor engagement. Unsure if volume controls work since the car came with an aftermarket head unit) But on to the main question, What typically causes this clock spring to fail?
Not your average clockspring question
- Thread starter fudge12
- Start date
chris2523
93 Mark VIII
turning the wheel.
its a ribbon of wire wound in a loop.
move it enough, the metal fatigues, and then breaks.
its a ribbon of wire wound in a loop.
move it enough, the metal fatigues, and then breaks.
purevilpleasure
Dedicated LVC Member
What I've read on this site is the gold pins start to wear out.....basically the contact area. I wish I has one laying around.....I work for a wire manf company and I have have the pins/be able to repair the ribbons......I do it at work all the time.
chris2523
93 Mark VIII
the gold pins? if you wouldn't mind elaborating pure evil..
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Not that I'm aware of. There are no sliding contacts. It's just a coil of wire (actually, flat-flex cable) wound around the steering column. It is long enough that you can rotate a few turns in either direction. If you disconnect the steering at the rack, you can turn the wheel a few times and feel when the wire gets tight and then breaks.
It's metal fatigue like was mentioned.
purevilpleasure
Dedicated LVC Member
I can only repeat what I've read....I can't guarantee anything. I know it's on this site some where that someone replaced theirs and kept the old one to see if they could repair it. They said the gold pins...which I would assume are the contact areas...gold is one of the best material for contact.....can with stand more abuse.....they noticed they were worn out/damaged.
I didn't see pics so that's the best I could do.
I would like to get a damaged one in my hands some time so I could take a real close look at it to see what really is up with them....I've repaired ribbon before with good success.
Wish I know more.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Sure, you can do almost anything. It's very unlikely that your solution will last anywhere near as long as the factory design.
purevilpleasure
Dedicated LVC Member
Boy I've been searching and I can't find it....I think they were also asking questions on how to make sure the wheel doesn't get turned while tearing into it and using a weight hung from it....
Hell if Joegr says it can't be...then it can't be...easy as that.
Hell if Joegr says it can't be...then it can't be...easy as that.
scjmc
Dedicated LVC Member
When I changed mine I took the old one apart. I can't remember exactily what I found, but I remember thinking that replacing it was the right move. I tend to want to mess with/fix things like that myself.
With the steering wheel off it's going to be really hard to turn. You would really have to go out of your way to do it.
.....Once you have the new clock spring in it doesn't matter so much. But it should come with a lock on it so it can't be turned until it's installed either.
scjmc
Dedicated LVC Member
My 71 mustang has metal tabs that swipe copper rings for the horn contacts. You have to pop the steering wheel off every 10 years or so and clean the contact points. That is a lot easier to do with only 2 pins though...
oddball
Dedicated LVC Member
FWIW, gold can't stand much abuse. It's used for contacts because it has quite good conductivity and doesn't tarnish. It's really soft, so the connectors can mold into each other (a tiny tiny bit, right?) for a better contact.
The gold can get scraped off, which is why old electronics will have worn contacts with the tin, copper, or other metal underneath coming through.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
With the steering wheel off it's going to be really hard to turn. You would really have to go out of your way to do it.
.....Once you have the new clock spring in it doesn't matter so much. But it should come with a lock on it so it can't be turned until it's installed either.
The issue is not when you remove the steering wheel. After all, how could you hang a weight from the steering wheel if it wasn't attached to the steering column. The issue is when you disconnect the column from the rack (like when you are replacing the rack or the intermediate shaft). When you do that, if you don't secure the steering wheel somehow, it will just spin when you accidentally bump it. It turns way to easily in that case. Hanging a weight on it is the easy way to keep it from spinning around.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
I wonder if they changed from contacts and slip rings due to the strict requirements of airbags, or if it was because it was cheaper to use a flat-flex cable? Maybe it was both reasons.
I imagine a stray "spark" could set off the airbag......
tireman
Dedicated LVC Member
tested clockspring
on my third one now~! so I checked to see what could be the problem and found that the cable has different widths of material and different resistances thru the lines, so you must get the correct type of ribbon connector, generic will not do and then the contact areas need special equipment to reset the cable, no this cannot be repaired, just get a new one and move on.
the problem seems to come from the ribbon itself, i could not find any breaks in the cable, but found all different resistance readings. could be some type of material breakdown related to movement and time
on my third one now~! so I checked to see what could be the problem and found that the cable has different widths of material and different resistances thru the lines, so you must get the correct type of ribbon connector, generic will not do and then the contact areas need special equipment to reset the cable, no this cannot be repaired, just get a new one and move on.
the problem seems to come from the ribbon itself, i could not find any breaks in the cable, but found all different resistance readings. could be some type of material breakdown related to movement and time
Telco
Dedicated LVC Member
No, a stray spark will certainly set off an airbag. Just unplugging an airbag connector with the battery connected can set off an airbag. That's why they wrap all airbag wiring with yellow tape and have all the warning stickers about making sure the battery is disconnected AND that you wait 10-15 minutes before doing anything with an airbag. The system also comes with a backup battery, probably a capacitor, that will still set the system off even if the accident cuts electrical power before the airbag goes off. Working around those things is pretty dangerous as if it goes off it can kill you if you don't know exactly what you are doing.
I must have missed something, because I was only talking about when replacing the clock spring.....and I don't remember disconnecting the column from the rack when I did it.
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Yes, you missed that we were talking about disconnecting the rack from the steering when we talked about having to hook a weight on the wheel. When you said that didn't make sense, you were talking about apples when we talked oranges.
It's just a coil of wire (actually, flat-flex cable) wound around the steering column. It is long enough that you can rotate a few turns in either direction. If you disconnect the steering at the rack, you can turn the wheel a few times and feel when the wire gets tight and then breaks.
With the steering wheel off it's going to be really hard to turn. You would really have to go out of your way to do it.