Write-Up: Mulitfunction Switch / Stalk

yeah i thought that was my problem, cause my headlights would not come. a trip to the local junkyard and i found a headlight control module and the connectors casue mine were burnt up. lets see trip to my favorite junkyard $5 in gas. to enter the junkyard $1. to search for a '96 riv only 2 hours. time it took to get all the parts off 5 min. price for the parts 5 finger discount. the happiness on my face when i headlights came on PRICELESS!!!!!!

but seriously though check the wiper motor, cause if everything else works on the switch then it shouldn't be bad....

by the way you guess need the switch shoot me an email. i'll run to my favorite junkyard and snatch the part for a fee of course. they have a 95, 96, and 97 riv. the 97 riv was untouched when i went there 2 weeks. i seen then bagging it off the tow truck.

'96reese wrote:

but seriously though check the wiper motor, cause if everything else works on the switch then it shouldn't be bad....

Everything else worked on mine except the wipers. When I had the switch replaced it all works perfect now.

No wonder they call it the MF switch...

Mine works fine, but I wonder if it was replaced before I got the car. I test drive a '97, back in 2000, that had a MF switch same coor as the interior - and it was already crappy. The 98 I bought had a black switch.

Hey, by the way, has GM ever made an MF switch with the lettering illuminated? If so which car - maybe a Caddy?

Albertj

I wonder if the switch is why my cruise control doesn't work. Luckily the riv holds speed pretty easily , unfortunately with my foot on the pedal constantly , its hard not to gain speed quickly , so gas mileage goes down.

A technician (definitely a dealer or sometimes major service chain like Firestone or Goodyear ) with a Tech II scan tool can run diagnostics on the cruise control and tell you pretty quick if the switch or something else is most likely the problem. Reason is the Riv does not have a mechanical cruise control per se. It is controlled in one of the car's computers, I think the ECU but I am not sure.

Albertj

i'm going to my favorite junkyard this sat to see if i can find a window regulator for my uncle's caddi. i'll snatch a couple of them multifunction switches. it's not that hard to take off. once you get the steering wheel cover off i believe there sre 2 small torex bit screws and 2 connectors and thats it. last time i was there i seen a 97, 96, and 95 riv....pm me and i'll snatch them for you. of course you guys pay for shipping and a small fee for me.

What multifunction turn singal swtich are compatable with are cars? Dealer price way to much. my wiper and cruise control don't work. Is it easy to change? 1996 riv

don't go cheap on that piece. It's no fun to do again. Don't know if napa lists it but I'd go there before AZ.

I don't know that you can get it besides the dealer, or get lucky on Ebay, or try gmpartsdirect.com or RockAuto.com They are very expensive, and a PITA from what I've read. I got lucky and got a new one on Ebay for $49. GM list is out of sight.

1998 Riv wrote:

I don't know that you can get it besides the dealer, or get lucky on Ebay, or try gmpartsdirect.com or RockAuto.com They are very expensive, and a PITA from what I've read. I got lucky and got a new one on Ebay for $49. GM list is out of sight.

there are some on ebay for $75 plus S/H from Morad. I might grab one. Tired of my wipers not turning off after I turn them on!

try your local junkyard. i picked up 2, one for me and one for a buddy. the switch will work from 95-99 riv only i believe.

to take it all you have to remove the dash to get to the bolts that attach the piece that sits by your knees at the driver side. there is a write up on here about removing the dash. it's very very easy. if you have an aftermarket radio that you want to install you might want to put that in while you have the dash off. remove the black panel above the pedals and the panel at your knees. i believe the bolts for the one at your knees is a 10 mm(4 bolts in the 4 corners), and it's an 8mm for the panel above the(4 bolts in a str8 line). dont over tighten the 10mm bolts, you will crack the plastic. unscrew the floor light attached to the black panel. follow the wires from the multiswitch down to the firewall. there will be a 48 pin connector plug that is attach to those wires. you have to unbolt the connector the bolt size is a 6, 7, or 8mm bolt. there will be 2 white wires at he base of that connector, prolly about 2 inches goin back towards the multiswitch the wires will be cover by a black thin layer of hose. cut those 2 wires about 6 inch from the base of the connector. those wires are the ignition, by cutting them you can resoilder them to your ignition wires. now you have to remove the steering wheel cover, i dont remember the number of bolts but i do know you will need a deep 5, 5.5, or 6mm socket. to remove those bolts. if you push on the bottom cover while pulling up on the top cover it should pop right off. remember this old dry brittle plastic so be gentle. now you can see the actual switch itself, it is held to the steering wheel by 2 bolts. i kno you will need a short socket for this. the size i believe is 5mm. there is one bolt on top of the switch and the other bolt is on the front side of the switch. i used a swivel socket and extension to take the side bolt off. by the way its a good idea to use 6 point sockets and not 12 point sockets to do this, because 6 pt grab a lot better and will not round out the bolt like 12 pt. it will prolly take you a good hour to take off and the same to put on.

good luck lemme know if you need any help.

The mest up thing is my wipers still work when I hit the wash button, from that point back nothing else works to a point. I got by last winter by pressing that button alot. If I push the swtich hard it will turn on but only the slow mode works then it hard to turn off. I f### up when i got in my car and my shorts got caught on the end of the cruise control swtich and bent it just enough to were it won't work. .Can I get the swtich off a diffrent Buick all those GM swtiches look the same.We got lots GM in the junkyard but no Rivi.

You might luck out with a Park Ave but I'm not sure. Try car-part.com

Geez...

[small flame on]

if you look up the part on RockAuto.com or GMPartsDirect.com, and use the features on those web sites, you should be able to find the cross references to different cars. Also, many used parts dealers will use the Hollander interchange for this... but won't necessarily tell you. So please try to find the cross-references - I will leave that as an excercise for you, Riv Cali - because if it turns out to be too much to figure that out, it really might be you want to take the car to the dealer instead of asking the same question (what does the MF switch cross to) over and over - not a great use of time, and I suspect you noticed the answers are not getting any better each time you repeat asking.
[flame off]

I saw one '97 riv, some years back, that had a Pontiac 6000 MF switch installed. I feel for you - the original switches that were color-keyed to the Riv interiors were flimsy I am told.

I'd probably just buy the switch from Morad rather than burning the time up.

Albertj

Thanks

call the dealer and ask them if it's riv specific. they prolly wont come right out and tell you but if you ask them if they have one and how much it is and flip out at the $300+ price tag and ask them if it's riv specific. thats what i do all the time. we all know there is nothing cheap on our cars.

Do we have an actual write-up for replacing the MF switch on our cars on this site? I couldnt find it.

Also, what is the difference between the 95-96 switch and the 97-99 switch? From the looks of it, the earlier models are much more difficult to swap. And why wouldnt they be? Everything else is harder to fix on these older models!

I got my part in from morad, but replacement labor looks like a motherfu&*$r!

I haven't seen an actual write-up, but just in the past day or 2 someone here posted the steps for this job. Don't recall who... or what year Riv they meant.

I changed mine on my '95 several years ago, once again I'll see if I can get something posted.

what is it?

mf switch????????? please explain

ooooooooooooooooooooo multi function switch............ yah i posted that about a week back i think. here it goes again.

tools needed:
-a set of deep and short 5mm-10mm sockets(the smaller sizes will have to be 1/4 in sockets) and extensions
-wire cutters and strippers
-soldering iron and solder
-electric tape and/or heat shrink
-zip ties(small ones)

1.unplug the air bag fuse and wait an hour before doing anything else. if you dont then you have to replace the air bag!
2.remove the dash
3.remove both panels that sit under the steering column
4. follow the wires coming from the mf switch down to the connecter by the fire wall.
5. you will have to unbolt that connector from the plug(i think its an 8mm)
6. cut the zip ties that hold the wires to the steering column
7. you will have to remove the steering wheel cover( i think these are 5 mm)
8. remove the cover by pushing in on the bottom half while pulling up on the top half. be carefull its old plastic
9. there are 2 bolts that hold the mf switch on the steering wheel. one top of the mf and one on the front of the mf ( i think these are 5mm also. i used a swivel and a 9in extension to get it off. this when the sort sockets in the 1/4in size come in handy)
10. now there are 2 white wires at the base of the wire connector. mark those wires in relation to where they go into the ignition tumbler. cut these 2 wires about 6 in from the connector. these wires go into the ignition tumbler and are for the chip on our keys.
11. i soldered my wires together, because if they ever came apart i would never be able to start my car.
12. reverse this to install it
13. DON'T FORGET TO PLUG YOUR ABS FUSE BACK IN ONCE YOU ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!


good luck

'96reese wrote:

ooooooooooooooooooooo multi function switch............ yah i posted that about a week back i think. here it goes again.

tools needed:
-a set of deep and short 5mm-10mm sockets(the smaller sizes will have to be 1/4 in sockets) and extensions
-wire cutters and strippers
-soldering iron and solder
-electric tape and/or heat shrink
-zip ties(small ones)

1.unplug the air bag fuse and wait an hour before doing anything else. if you dont then you have to replace the air bag!
2.remove the dash
3.remove both panels that sit under the steering column
4. follow the wires coming from the mf switch down to the connecter by the fire wall.
5. you will have to unbolt that connector from the plug(i think its an 8mm)
6. cut the zip ties that hold the wires to the steering column
7. you will have to remove the steering wheel cover( i think these are 5 mm)
8. remove the cover by pushing in on the bottom half while pulling up on the top half. be carefull its old plastic
9. there are 2 bolts that hold the mf switch on the steering wheel. one top of the mf and one on the front of the mf ( i think these are 5mm also. i used a swivel and a 9in extension to get it off. this when the sort sockets in the 1/4in size come in handy)
10. now there are 2 white wires at the base of the wire connector. mark those wires in relation to where they go into the ignition tumbler. cut these 2 wires about 6 in from the connector. these wires go into the ignition tumbler and are for the chip on our keys.
11. i soldered my wires together, because if they ever came apart i would never be able to start my car.
12. reverse this to install it
13. DON'T FORGET TO PLUG YOUR ABS FUSE BACK IN ONCE YOU ARE DONE!!!!!!!!!


good luck

thanks reese. hopefully I can try to get around to this within the next few weeks.

Anyone have one of these for sale? Mine went out on me and I can't afford to pay $400 for one.