99 Intrigue steering wheel lock

[BobMoss]

My son's Intrigue had an issue with the steering rack, and it was replaced. I noticed that the steering wheel didn't lock when the problem occurred and even though the rack was replaced, it still isn't locking. If the ignition were in the column, then I would suspect that the cylinder needed to be replaced, but it's in the dash. Any suggestions?

[gmtech1]

It's been a little while since I've worked on a Intrigue, but I'm fairly sure that the steering columns on those did not have a lock system in them.

[BobMoss]

Thanks for the reply, I'll check the manual when I get the car back but I've never had a car that didn't lock the steering wheel when the key was out.

[BobMoss]

Now that I think of it, the repair manual talked about locking the steering wheel before you attempted to replace the steering rack. Not doing so would allow the steering wheel to spin and possibly damage the SIR coil in the steering column.

[Tech II]

If the ignition switch is in the dash, normally the steering wheel does not lock....

Yes, whenever, the steering wheel is disconnected, you have to manually lock the steering wheel to protect the SIR coil.....I usually tie the wheel so it doesn't move....

[BobMoss]

Ok, it seems likely that it doesn't lock and I just never noticed. Thanks for all the input.