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MJ auto column shift, which steering columns work?

cheapcherokee93

cheapcherokee93

<----boat-manche
Location
Guadalahabra, CA
well i just bought an MJ, its got the aw4 with a column shifter. the PO somehow managed to break it, so it wobbles around, but is still functional. so i need one to replace it, which brings me to my questions. will ONLY a comanche column shift steering column work? is there some way to adapt the shifting part onto a non-column shift steering column? would there happen to be any other vehicles this kind of column came on? finally, could i swap in my key assembly (?) to retain the key i use now? reason i ask all this is because its rather hard to find column shift MJs in the junkyards
 
What part of the column is broken? Is it the knuckle for the tilt mechanism? I'm pretty sure those parts will trad with most any early '80s-early '90s GM column. The whole column probably won't swap, but you can replace the broken joint.

The lock cylinder will trade between columns.
 
I agree, most early GM steering column parts should interchange. I would rebuild it. Hopefully all of your covers are in good shape, that would be the hardest thing to find.
 
welll ummmm, yeah.


IMG_2687.jpg


IMG_2688.jpg




i dont know what exactly is broken. according to the PO, he said something along the lines of "the key wouldnt come out so i had to shake and move the steering wheel and then this happened" :dunno: so he saved the piece that he somehow managed to break off. i can put it back on and it doesnt affect it at all. its fully functional, but just wobbles and has lots of play in it. i drove it home on the freeway for an hour and the it still steered straight so its not that bad i guess. i'd still like to replace it and get it back to normal
 
I'd look at the early Chevy S10 trucks for a replacement or parts to fix it. Lots of those trucks had column shift autos.
 
I had an '80 Chevy Monza(OK, are you done laughing yet?)that broke the same piece. Mine cracked across the bottom. I ended up using just that section out of a Buick in the Monza column.
 
:roflmao:

Nope, still not done...... :D
 
It could be as easy as tightening up the 3 or 4 screws in the tilt mechanism. When they get loose, the upper part of the column wobbles badly. At the same time, it's hard to get the ksy to come out without wiggling the steering wheel around. Search "tilt loose".
 
In the mean time, you could put that broken piece back in place with a little JB-weld an a couple long stainless hose clamps. It would look hacked, but would give the column a little more support until you have the time/parts to fix it properly.
 
Is finding a XJ column and floor shifter out of the question? The hole is there jeep just puts patch panels over the holes when it's a column shift or 4wd or whatever option. So feasibly you could put in a xj column, and floor shifter if you didn't want to fight with trying to find something in the JY that's very rare.
 
dave92cherokee said:
Is finding a XJ column and floor shifter out of the question? The hole is there jeep just puts patch panels over the holes when it's a column shift or 4wd or whatever option. So feasibly you could put in a xj column, and floor shifter if you didn't want to fight with trying to find something in the JY that's very rare.
Click to expand...

yeah, i have thought of that but i kinda like the uniqueness of the column shift and since it looks fixable rather than replaceable i figure why not just fix whats already there?
 
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