Removing Turn Signal Switch
By Steve Byers
Before you disassemble your turn signal switch, I would suggest you =
check the wiring to the turn signal lights at the front and rear. With =
the ignition switch on and the turn signal switch to the right signal, =
make sure you have 12 volts at the terminal of the green/white wire at =
the right front bulb and a good ground at the other terminal. At the =
rear, check for 12 volts at the green wire and a good ground at the =
other. Check that the light sockets and bulb bases are not corroded. =
I like to polish all electrical terminals, contacts, and bulb bases with =
a small stainless steel (or brass) wire brush). If everything checks =
out and you still have intermittent lights......
You should next check the turn signal switch contacts inside the turn =
signal unit. You gotta be careful here, because there are some springs =
and balls you don't want to pop loose and go who knows where. It's =
possible to do this if you are careful. Turn off the battery cutoff =
switch. Remove the horn button by carefully prying up the silver ring =
around it. I use the thin blade of a knife to do this, carefully, so as =
not to scratch the bakelite. Once the horn button is out, you will see =
a spring underneath and the laminated blades of the horn switch, =
secured by two screws. Remove the two screws and the horn switch should =
lift out. At this point, I think you can remove the bakelite together =
with the turn signal switch from the rest of the assembly. The turn =
signal lever is attached with one screw to the back of the bakelite, but =
underneath it is a curved wire with a spring on each side of the lever. =
There is another little spring and ball at the bottom of the turn signal =
lever. If you remove the single screw and carefully separate the lever =
from the assembly, all these springs and balls should stay where they =
are. You can note how they go together and then remove them for =
cleaning and re-greasing. Removing the lever, springs and balls should =
expose the turn signal switch terminals. The terminals probably just =
need polishing up a bit. I use a white grease to re-lubricate the =
springs/balls on reassembly. Getting the springs and balls back in is a =
little fiddly, and gets easier with practice. Just make sure the =
springs don't launch some parts where you don't want them to go to get =
lost.
If the turn signals are still intermittent, then you can go for the =
wiring on the back of the unit. The only thing you are going to find =
back there when you do the disassembly is the ring terminals of 4 wires =
attached to terminal studs with small nuts (a green wire for power to =
the turn signal switch, a green/yellow one that goes to the right turn =
signals, a green/blue one for the left turn signals, and a brown/black =
one for power to the horn switch). You have to disconnect the wiring =
that comes out of the steering column/steering box behind the grille. =
Before you pull the wires through the steering column, tape a strong =
string or wire to the ends of them. You will need this string to be in =
the steering column to pull the wires back through when you have done =
your repair. Some people remove the nut and "olive" from the end of the =
tube coming out of the steering box, but I have never done it that way. =
If you do, you will release the long stator tube that is inside the =
steering column and also all the oil out of the steering box.
On the steering wheel, you will see three setscrews on the steering =
wheel hub, forward of the spokes. Remove these. With the wiring loose =
at the front, and the setscrews out, you should be able to pull the turn =
signal/horn switch assembly out of the steering wheel. It will come =
out with a short tube attached. This short tube fits down into the =
longer stator tube in only one orientation due to a dimple on it that =
fits into the stator tube. Pull the turn signal/horn assembly straight =
out and don't twist it or you could damage the dimple. On the back =
side of the assembly, you will see a thin flat metal disk that has a tab =
on its outer edge that fits down into a slot on another part. Lift up =
this tab and you can rotate the disk to line up the three holes in it =
with the heads of three screws. [See caution note below] Remove these =
screws and the unit will come apart, exposing the wire terminals. =
Before you remove a nut from the terminal stud, turn the turn signal =
switch to that side to put pressure on the terminal. When you =
reassemble the unit by installing the three screws again, rotate the =
flat metal disk so that its tab drops back into its slot.
CAUTION NOTE: Before you remove the 3 screws, make a note or reference =
mark of how the two halves secured by the screws go together. The =
correct orientation of the turn signal lever is straight up, but if you =
get the two halves oriented incorrectly when you put the screws back in, =
your turn signal lever will either be pointed down, or will be 120 =
degrees off either side of straight up. =20
Tape the ends of the steering column wires together with the string and =
use the string to pull the wires back through the column. The fit of =
the harness in the stator tube is rather close, so tape them up tight. =
Note that the wire terminals are staggered so that they make a smaller =
bundle and fit through the tube easier.
That's probably more than you want to know. It gets easier after you've =
done this a few times. :-)
Good luck!
Steve Byers
