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Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:34 pm

Thanks that is what I feel. It may very well but it may not BUT it is still a positive thing to do.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:25 pm

tclark wrote:
seem like simple drill a hole in the collar & then tap the switch to take another lock screw, then the job is 5 mins
I'll post a picture later but when I did the latest switch change today I made the above 15min fix while the collar was off & drilled a hole & put a set screw in the side of the metal housing , & this just goes into the base of the switch
now it just a 5 mins change ...
might be nice mod for anyone doing a switch change & want to keep the van for more than 3 years :)
( that is the MTBF of the china switches )

Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:54 pm

Got the dash back together and she fired up first crank :o

Thanks for the photo essay on taking the dash out and doing the starter (and the heater).

I think I will still replace the starter as the new one is just sitting around anyhow...

Sat Aug 21, 2010 6:29 am

Ben, thanks for the motivation and suggestion to do this. Did mine last night. Everything was pretty simple and straight forward. While I was in there I even fixed my intermittent horn, a ground at the base of the steering column, the mounting of my plastic steering column lower housing, and I found where the missing plastic thrust ring was causing play in my steering column. A new one is on the way. I probably wouldn't have discovered or fixed all of this without the suggestion to replace the $10 ignition switch. Thanks.

A little more piece of mind can go a long way.

Sat Aug 21, 2010 6:49 am

Ignition switches seem to be a hot topic now a days, either the original ones are crapping out or the quality control for the replacement ones isent up to par and they end up crapping out post haste.

What manufacture/company did you use for a replacement....

Sun Aug 22, 2010 8:17 am

I changed mine 1 year ago and then I had to change that one 2 days ago in the woods. They seem to all made in China now.

Sun Aug 22, 2010 8:28 am

The one I just put in was a $10 Mehle one from GoWesty.

Sun Aug 22, 2010 11:40 am

former dealer mechanics tell me they were always crap - they had to be replaced on new vans back in the 1980s; then re-replaced

makes you want to put in a red "Start" button...

Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:45 pm

Ben, you are the man. I love reading your posts. Please ignore the whiners. The Samba is less interesting when you are not on it. I have used your web postings on your site. Thanks for the instructions plus the great pictures. I appreciate your work and have made a donation to your web site. Thanks!

Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:55 pm

indytriple wrote: Ben, thanks for the motivation and suggestion to do this. Did mine last night. Everything was pretty simple and straight forward. While I was in there I even fixed my intermittent horn, a ground at the base of the steering column, the mounting of my plastic steering column lower housing, and I found where the missing plastic thrust ring was causing play in my steering column. A new one is on the way. I probably wouldn't have discovered or fixed all of this without the suggestion to replace the $10 ignition switch. Thanks.

A little more piece of mind can go a long way.

Thanks bro. Every single day i see new stuff, it amaze me how much I still learn about those aging van, this is why I still learn because not many people wok full time on aging vehicle! Aging mean new problem every single day. That is on top of the normal maintenance problem.

Those vans still fascinate me, each and every single day. The damage that "aging" is doing is impressive, not the common problem you would expect. it's always something new.

but overall I'm impress with the Vanagon! It's a strong van that will exceed it's life expectation by far, i would say another good 20 years.

Ben

Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:34 pm

This place:

[email protected]

has them for $9.89 on eBay; also says they take credit cards & say theirs are no cheap knockoffs....

Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:51 pm

Ok, since this thread is sitting on the top of the stack, I might as well bump it now.

I've got the parts ready to do this, but I'm curious about one thing - the safety/sheer bolts on the steering column. Ben's page says to just use Vice-Grips to remove them, but I'm wondering if people are replacing them with regular old bolts, or are they Vice-Gripping them back on?

-M

Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:02 pm

The shear bolts are for a theft deterrant. The shear section breakes off once it is torqued and the bolt isn't easily removed with standard tools. A standard bolt can be used in it's place if you want though.

Fri Aug 27, 2010 6:03 am

You won't need to touch the shear bolts to do an ignition switch. Ben's instructions have that because they are instructions for removing the entire dash.

Don't touch 'em if ya don't have to! Good luck. I found this job to be pretty easy.

Fri Aug 27, 2010 7:04 am

Mine's on order - Meyle, $6 from BusDepot, and practically free shipping because I needed a bunch of other stuff, too...

I'll keep it in the glove box & swap when the trouble arrives...

Fri Aug 27, 2010 7:50 am

mariusstrom wrote: I've got the parts ready to do this, but I'm curious about one thing - the safety/sheer bolts on the steering column. Ben's page says to just use Vice-Grips to remove them, but I'm wondering if people are replacing them with regular old bolts, or are they Vice-Gripping them back on?
When I removed the dash in my '85 I Vice Gripped the shear bolts off and back on again. As near as I could tell they're a standard bolt other than the head. They are a theft deterrent, as has been stated... I've seen some folks debate whether they are designed to "shear" in an accident but I didn't see any indication that they would break free if you hit the steering wheel.

I've got to pull the '88 dash before Winter and replace the heater blower. I also have headlight relays to install... that can be done with the dash on but it's sure easier to do with the dash off.

I could be wrong, but I think the biggest problem with the ignition switch is the fact that it carries the full load to the starter solenoid (I imagine someone said this 3 or 4 pages back). While doing the Subie conversion I ran wiring for a starter relay to sit under the bench by the ECU. That will virtually remove all the load from the ignition switch and shorten the path to the starter... if you want a long-term fix to ignition switch/starter problems I believe that's the ticket. If you've got stock wiring you can buy a relay/contactor that's designed to mount in the elements by the starter and pull the power from the battery cable to achieve the same result.

Paul

Fri Aug 27, 2010 8:02 am

They call them shear bolts because they are sheared off a bigger nut at a certain torque when originally installed. They are a theft deterrent, nothing more. I replaced mine with regular bolts.

I just got a switch from Van Cafe. The manufacturer logo was scratched off...which leads me to believe its meyle. I've been seeing that on a lot of meyle parts lately...probably because they say Germany...when in fact they are being sold out of other countries now.

Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:40 am

Thanks Ben for the great info, I will be ordering mine today.

Please keep all your tips coming, I don't care how you write them up they are very valuable to us limited mechanics and to hell with those pricks who just love to mouth off
keep smiling

Fri Aug 27, 2010 1:02 pm

schoonerman wrote: Thanks Ben for the great info...Please keep all your tips coming, I don't care how you write them up they are very valuable to us limited mechanics...keep smiling...

x2...<Amen>

Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:42 pm

schoonerman wrote: Thanks Ben for the great info, I will be ordering mine today.

Please keep all your tips coming, I don't care how you write them up they are very valuable to us limited mechanics and to hell with those pricks who just love to mouth off
keep smiling

I try my best.

For most of you, English is the only spoken language you will ever need, for us, up here... well, we are surrounded by 330 millions English speaking folks so no choice if you want to evolve. Some would say that western Europe fit nicely in the US (size) and there they have over 10 different language and they have no problem dealing with each other.

funny, language is a difficult thing to learn. I'm in admiration with those who manage more than 2.

Irrelevant to the thread it is.

What is not Is that I had to replace 3 more switch in the past month.

Regards, Ben