I need to stop touching my car. Many of you read how I screwed up my paint when I tried to wash it. Well this time I screwed my my interior. I went to clean the inside, and I used some spray cleaner that dripped onto my turn signal lever. No big deal right? Well guess what, it turned it grey! I just bought a new one from the dealer for 80 something bucks! #$%#$ Not to mention that there are little spots of it over other plastic components of the interior. You wouldn't really notice it unless I pointed it out to you. But the fact that it's there ANNOYS ME TO NO END! Does anyone have a clue as to how to install the turn signal lever? Also... I tried using some household cleaner on the steering wheel... and it totally stripped the shiny stuff off the top part of my wheel. So my whole wheel is shiny except the top... it looks like A$$. urg. A couple guys said that the gloss will come back as the oils from my hands get in the steering wheel. But... the rag I used to clean it off with was black after I wiped it. That makes me think I stripped a shine off the material and not just some oil. What do you guys think? Everything I try to do just makes my car worse. -Bill

only use car cleaning products, and stay away from direct sun light.

That lever is kind of a PITA

You will have to find where it is plugged into under the dash first, then you will have to give the old one a good yank to get it to release from the mount, and then snake the wire out the hole.
you might have to move the tilt up or down to find the least resistance.

And then just reverse to install, making sure the wire doesn't get fowled-up around the tilt, as this may pinch the wire.

I've done this a couple of times this way, and it has worked, after figuring out where the problem areas were.

Good luck with your install!

Leon.

The product that bleached my interior was a car cleaner!!!! ARRR (the steering wheel is another issue)

Regarding fixing the lever.... I just yank it out? I dont need to take anything apart ?!?!?!

Well, you do need to take it easy, as to not ruin anything else.

I say to yank the lever out, as it is just pressed in, no tools needed. BUT FIRST!! You need to unplug the wire from under the dash/kick panel, then snake the wire out, EASILY.

Leon.

I personally like to use a little luke warm water on a towel and wipe everything down a bit Just my

Which cleaner was it? Just so that the rest of us know not to use it...

The only things that go in my interior are car carpet cleaner, car leather cleaner, and car dashboard shiner.

Right now I'm using black magic for the leather and dasboard cleaner. I'm having a few problems with the dashboard stuff though. Nothing major.

What did you use that bleached your interior?

Always apply products to the rag and not the surface.
Try using Armor All or Black Again on any discolored plastic trim.
Simple green works very well and is far less caustic than most other products.

The bottle is at another house right now... next time I look at I'll tell ya. I was using Vinylex vinyl/rubber cleaner (but I dont think that's what bleached it) and something else... that's what I THINK the culprit is!

When I used some of the products on my steering wheel / shift knob (automatic) I noticed that black/grey was coming off. Was this me taking the color out of the material? I was also using vinyl/rubber cleaner. (Is the steering wheel/knob leather?)

I also used Armor All window wipes. Every time they even touched the rubber weatherstripping, they turned black. Was this stripping out the color again, or just cleaning?

And finally... One of the guys at the shop reccomdended using windex for everything in my car. I think i might just stick with water from now on. Is there anything as a rag thats too stiff for washing my interior down? I noticed all these black spots that looked like bits of material on my dash pad after I scurbbed it down with a rough old towel, but the surface didn't look damaged (Thankfully).

Thanks!
Bill

P.S. The PO left this terrible GOO in the pocket under the armrest of the center console. What should I use to get that *#$% out?

If your interior is really dirty, wipe it down with some dishwhashing liquid in a bucket of warm water and soft rag. Then rinse it with a clean water and a soft rag. Dry it then apply what ever armor all type product you like. I use Zaino. Use windex type cleaners only on glass.

Try some simple green on the goo. Lighter fluid might disolve it if that doesn't work. Won't hurt the plastic but don't go scrubbing too hard.

The turn signal lever just pulls out. No wires to deal with unless you have cruse control.

I have cruise control =/

Tape the connector at the bottom of the column to a piece of wire before you remove it from the column. Then use the same piece of wire to pull the new one back down thru. Tape it good and tight so it doesn't come apart in the middle of the column.

What panel do I need to remove to get to where the lever plugs in?

If your car is equipped with the kick pannel under the dash, that one. Not all are.

I've done that wire before but it's so long ago I don't remember exactly what I did. I remember fishing the wire down thru but thats it.

just an fyi if your car does not have cruise you do not have the wire plugged in, if you do have cruise it has the wire.

I removed the kick panel from under the dash, but its not there. I looked at the wire on the replacement lever, and its WAY too short to reach all the way down the steering column. Therefore, the plug must be somewhere in the steering column. How do I get the trim off it to get inside? any ideas?

Bill

if the cable is too short you have one out of a fourth gen f-body they made them disconnect right next to the stalk.

I ordered the part from GM, are you saying they sent me the wrong one?

The wire already in my car does not run all the down the steering column, because I do not see a plug in for it under the pad I removed.

-Bill

pull your signal stalk out and see if the plug is there they may have changed it earlier than 93. All it is are the wires for the cruise functions. if the connector is not by the stalk then you have the wrong stalk.

Do I just yank it out, or is it a twist and pull? or a push, twist, then pull?

If you look at the turn signal lever where it meets the mount at the column you will see a small wire connector. Grab a pair of small needle nose pliers and gently unplug the wire.

To remove the lever itself just pull it straight out. It will come out fairly easily.

Then do the reverse to reinstall it. Shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes start to finish.

Well, I finally figured it out ... and it's something nobody thought of, especially myself. There is a little pod that snaps off. It's right behind the lever on the steering column. I was putzing around... one good tug and it comes off.

Mission accomplished!

Unfortnately, all that playing around made the lever a little loose. GRR No problem with it, but it bothers me, cuz I knew it wasn't that way when I started. Everything I do gets messed up somehow

whenever i begin a simple project like you it turnes into a mess change the oil this breaks do this that brakes a 5 min job turnes into hours of work

Fast RS,

I still need to put the kick panel back in that I DIDN'T even need to remove!

I put it in twice already, but it still isn't going in right

ARRR

-Bill

I still need to put mine back in how ever the ghosts stole the bag were i put my bolts to hold it in place.

You can buy a back of 10 from GM @ 90 a screw.

The big torx ones? i was just going to go to the bone yard and grab theb because i also had all the ones for my dashpad in the same bag. I think my g/f's bro thre it away by mistake i keep my tools at there house since i am allowed to work on my car there because i live in an apt.

I bought a bag of the torx screws to replace my driver's side pocket from the dealer. While the ones for the under dash pad thing are different, I'm sure you can get them. The bummer is, they sell them in sets of 10. So you'll be spending like 9 bucks.

Bill

When ever I tour the junk yard there are usually perfectly good screws on the floor of the cars ect from other folks taking apart things. I pick those up and put em in my pocket. I have a very extensive f-body bolt nut/clip ect collection. Comes in handy quite often.

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