Steering Column Repair: 1978 chevy ignition linkage issues, lock cylinder, tilt column

Question
I have a 1978 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup with a tilt column. I was having an intermittent drain on my battery that seemed associated with the ignition. I replaced the ignition switch(and the neutral/rev switch, blinker switch and cylinder lock while i was at it). to my disgust the condition continued.
Well today i caught it with the drain active and proceeded to do some testing. I setup a meter to read the current from the battery(just over 1A) and started moving things. As I rotated the cylinder lock, with no key, toward the lock as in trying to start it with no key, the short went away(dropped to .014A).
So if i turn off the truck, remove the key and turn the cylinder back to the lock it's fine.
My questions are;
Is there any adjustment in the linkage that I'm missing? I tried adjusting the position of the switch but that seems ineffective. any other suggestions?
Is my linkage just warn out?
Is the linkage itself replaceable or available?

Answer
Hi Dale:

That's an odd one.  If I am understanding you correctly, it appears the ignition is not completely disconnecting when you turn the truck off and remove the key.  But if you manually rotate the lock cylinder (with the key removed) further back, everything shuts off.

It sure sounds like an ignition switch adjustment.  Do you have accessory position?  If not, then you may have a problem inside the gear set for the lock actuator to hit all the positions correctly.  Also, you still may not have the switch adjusted properly.  With a new lock cylinder, I would adjust it like this.
Loosen the bolts on the ignition switch on the tube.
Put the lock cylinder in the ACC position (all the way back-- 1 notch more than locked)
Then manually, hold the rod so you don;t move the lock cyl and push the ignition switch until you get the accessories to come on.
The tighten the bolts and you should have all the other positions.

Lastly, FYI, we have recently uploaded some videos on our company website to give you first hand viewing of how to remove, disassemble, and reassemble the tilt column you are talking about. They are broken down into step by step 2-3 minute detailed videos with instructions. Although the videos are for a Chevrolet truck, the column is very similar to yours.

http://www.stolenandrecovered.com/video/index.php

I hope these videos help you.  If not, please contact me again for more information.
Lastly, if you need parts to repair this column simply email us on our "Contact Us / Order Parts" page and we will get back in touch with you personally.  We stock just about everything you would need to repair your car properly.

Good luck

Doug

http://www.stolenandrecovered.com