2007 Denali XL Steering Wheel Lighting

[koolwhizzer]

Hi,
I owned since new a 2007 Yukon Denali XL. It is now out of warranty and i have a problem with my lights at night on my steering wheel blinking off and on. The lights are off when driving straight but when you start to turn the wheel they light up? There must be some kind of short or something loose. Can anybody who might have experienced the same problem please contact me and let me know whats the fix. Please ask me for any further info if need be.
Thanks for your time.
Al

[Scrapper]

since it's in steering wheel i would think it's key cyl or your turn signal lever.

[koolwhizzer]

My steering wheel has lights in the cruise control, heated steering wheel, radio controls etc switchs on both left and right hand side of the wheel and those "backlight switches" are blinking. In your opinion what one should i try and change out first the turn signal switch or the key cylinder switch?

[jyount]

Neither. Neither one of those will fix your problem. If I was guessing I would say it is in the "clock spring". It is the part that allows the steering wheel to be turned, but still makes electrical contact. There is only wires to it, wires then come from it to the steering wheel lights and such. As a preliminary though, just lay under the dash with a light and make sure there are no loose wires or plugs. The downside though is that I wouldn't recommend replacing it yourself unless you are mechanically inclined. You have to remove the steering wheel (special tool), and the trim from the steering column to access it. ALSO, that part is expensive, you don't want to through parts at it, get a schematic and diagnose it. There are free schematics on autozone.com

[koolwhizzer]

Hi and thanks for the info. I will look up prints for the wheel and see if this is something i can handle.

[jyount]

Originally Posted by koolwhizzer

Hi and thanks for the info. I will look up prints for the wheel and see if this is something i can handle.

Ok. There are two slots on either side of the steering wheel on the back side to pop the front cover off the wheel. FIRST unhook the negative battery cable. There is an off chance you could short it, an you don't want he airbag to blow up in your face, they are violent, I'm talking like send you to the hospital in the ambulance. Don't get me wrong, they save lives in a crash, but bad news when they go off. After that, Shine a flashlight back there so you can see how they work. They are spring loaded clips and you just have to unclip them with a small flat blade screwdriver. The cover just pops off. Then take the nut off the shaft and use a puller to remove the steering wheel. USE A PULLER. Don't do the old time hammer and pull trick. You WILL break the steering column parts that hold the shaft. They are not built to handle this. Take the trim covers off the steering column then and you can see it then.

[koolwhizzer]

Hi and thanks for the detailed info. Looks like i am getting closer to the problem. Just noticed last night that when the icon lights are out on the steering wheel the horn does not work? I am sure there is diffenitly something not making contact. I even tried the the heated steering wheel option and it heats up but the light does not work all the time as well. I will try and take a look during the week here and try and take the wheel apart next weekend when the weather is much warmer.

[jyount]

The horn is part of it also. I don't know about the steering wheel heater, I haven't had any experience with them. I wouldn't know why it would be any different though...