Indicator Switch Will Not Self Cancel

[Paulfc]

Hi,

My indicators work fine, except the indicator switch will not self cancel when set to the left; the right setting works fine.

The column is set correctly with the cancellation cam set at 3pm position.

Can someone please advise me of how the switch functions? I can see no obvious difference when I operate it with it “rocking”, apparently, in an identical manner on both sides. Is there any chance of repairing the switch or do I need to replace it?

Many thanks,

Paul

[johny]

This is probably what awaits you inside the indicator mechanism and most likely one of those pivoting reset arms isnt working. Might just be stuck so worth a look but anymore than that pretty difficult to repair as the intention was the whole unit just be replaced...

[Colin Lindsay]

Make sure those springs in the photo are present, the two bent metal ones at each side, they can drop out. 

Also: make sure you have the correct indicator stalk for the self-centre mechanism, there are two types: one with the two prongs as shown, and one with a single centre prong, and the clip on the column is different depending on which setup you're meant to have. 

[johny]

Which type would it be Colin, I think its a mk3 GT6? Also if it was one of those side strip springs surely the stalk wouldnt lock both ways the same and Paul says theres nothing wrong with the operation only the self reset.... 

[Paulfc]

Thanks both for your advice. In the last few minutes and after probably forty minutes over several sessions of watching it work on the right but not on the left I realised what was happening!

The two canceling “blades” shown above with the pivot pins and joined by the small central spring are obviously worn by years of operation and the upper one, associated with the LH cancellation, particularly so. As a consequence it is “floppy” so doesn’t pivot cleanly but moves out of true by just a tiny amount. As a result it doesn’t engage with the edge of the “bent metal one” and so the cancellation doesn’t happen. To prove it I applied a tiny piece of blue tack to the blade/pivot pin to stop it wobbling and it now works perfectly.

Now I’m just left with finding a permanent solution. Any ideas?
 

Again, thanks for your help and for taking the time to respond.

 

[johny]

I take it the blade pivots on the pin so has worn its hole larger and is now loose? Will the pin come out?

[Paulfc]

That’s correct. I’m pretty sure the pin won’t come out.  I’m thinking I’ll look to see if I can find a blue tack type solution that’ll be less prone to come adrift.

 

[johny]

I would have thought the pin is only tapped into the plastic base so a thin bladed screwdriver could be used to pry it out by levering under the pin head. Otherwise if the hole in the blade is too big and the base is strong enough you might be able to use a centre punch to put punch marks in the blade around the pin so the metal is squeezed in to give a tighter fit...

[johny]

An alternative bodge Ive used in similar situations is to wrap a fine wire several times as tightly as possible between the blade and pin head so it effectively acts as a washer and might stabilise the blade. Keep it in place by twisting the ends of the wire... 

[Mjit]

Having had my original indicator switch die and replaced by one of the new "Lucas" ones I can say:

1. If at all possible don't replace it with one of the new "Lucas" ones as they are shite and fall apart...
2. ..which means I know the white plastic base has 2 little 'hollow towers'.  The blades have holes in them that should fit snuggly outside the tower with the rivet going inside the tower and stopping the blade coming up off the tower.

By the sounds of it years of use have warn the towers so the blades no longer fit snuggly.

I can't see Bluetak staying where you want it very long but not sure what to suggest, well other than just manually cancel!

 

And if you do end up buying a new "Lucas" switch give it a strip down and some 'preventitive maintainence' before fitting it.  On the new ones the plastic's much softer/the rivets just crap so quickly fall out, crippling everything, and losing one of the spring when you take it apart to see what's going on (OK, maybe that was just me ).  With my second new "Lucas" switch I checked it over before fitting and found I could pull out the rivets with my fingers, so was reassembled with some superglue and help together OK so far.  You might want to swap the blades over from old->new switches while you're at it as they seem to be shorter and only cancel on the inner column cam if really pushed inwards as far as possible while tightening the 2 switch->outer column bracket screws.

 

Actually re-reading your post does the blade wobble side-to-side or up-and-down?  If the above was true then I'd expect most of the wobble to be side-to-side, in the same plane as the flat surface of the blade/moving left and righ, up and down when the switch is fitted to the car.  If it's more up-and-down, so like a see-saw it's possible the rivet's just worked up a little bit over time and giving it a good press/hammer tap home might give you many more miles of self cancelling.

Edited October 25 by Mjit

[WWT338J]

Check also that the turn signal cancelling clip on the steering column inner is in the correct orientation to align with the cancelling tabs on the switch. If the steering column has been removed at any stage it's very easy to forget this.

David

[Paulfc]

Thanks all for your responses.

Johny: I’ll almost certainly go for that type of repair, just thinking through options etc.

Mjit: Thanks for the heads up, I think I can repair what I have but should it be necessary to buy new I’ll certainly keep in mind your comments. BTW it “wobbles” forward/backwards not up/down.

David: I was aware of the ring position and had checked that. I guess from your pic you have a non UK car as the ring is on the left whereas on the domestic spec it’s on the right. 
 

Again, thanks all for taking the time to post, it’s appreciated.

aPaul

Edited October 27 by Paulfc
Additional comment.

[johny]

Good luck Paul. If as Mjit says the arm pivots on plastic and not the rivet itself the 'repair' gets more complicated😨