Turn signal switch repair

[strattonjr]

I used dielectric grease and it worked great. Also, the contact points for turning right were worn down and the lever wouldn't stay engaged. I used my Dremmel to grind them down to a sharper edge and that did the trick.

I greased up the springs, the lip where the two casings rotate on each other, and packed the major spring with grease, then put a small coating between the electrical contact panels. I also packed a bunch in the cavity where the canceling tabs fit.

It's installed and working great.

[glutamodo]

[toys4tj]

Hi,
We have a 63 with a broken lever & just got a used turn switch from a 61.
Can I just swap them or are they not interchangeable?
We do have the wheel & horn ring from the 61 as well.
Thank you for any advice.

[grandpa pete]

There is a lot of info here BUT I need to know how the switch fits on the colum . I am replacing one that I did NOT remove....I have a spring on the colum and a steering wheel......Anybody have a HOW TO on installation on a 66

HELP !!!
_________________
63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[glutamodo]

A spring? There's a spring on the column itself that the steering wheel bears down against. But the turn signal switch clamps against the column TUBE and there should be no spring there. In other words, the spring you see here doesn't have anything to do with attaching the turn signal switch:

The turn switch attaches to the column tube: via a small screw that pushes a contact plate which bears against the tube. Here's a photo of a 66-67 turn switch were you can see the screw and contact plate:

And some other examples from the early to mid 60s:

[grandpa pete]

So the trick is ...there is no trick ?????
Just put the switch over the colum and tighten the setscrew
then put steering wheel on........
Thanks again ; glutamodo
_________________
63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[glutamodo]

Do you have the little contact plate at the end of your setscrew, on your switch? They can fall off and using the set screw without it can really bugger up the column tube...

-Andy

[grandpa pete]

Thankyou ; yes I have the little bent plate...I'll let you know if I get stuck
_________________
63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[Bulliwinkle]

I took my turn signal switch off this past weekend to match paint it to the NOS 1961 (one year only on pearl white cars L468 Sand Stone) steering wheel I picked up off the Samba (thanks branston!).
I thought I would show how I was able to get it re-installed for those needing to tackle the task.
I purchased 4 hemostats from Harbor Freight for $2.99 each, and used them to hold the assembly together while I installed it on the column.
The picture should clearly show how to do this.
And a big thank you to glutamodo for his insightful knowledge and pictures on this subject. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them!

_________________
Darel

'66 Velvet Green Riviera Camper
'72 Sierra Yellow Westy
'71 Chianti Red Westy ~Sold
'71 Pastel White Westy ~Sold
'61 Pearl White Sedan ~Sold

johnnypan wrote:
"John Muir was a hack mechanic who convinced thousands of people to attempt repairs they had no business attempting".

[glutamodo]

Looks purdy!

That photo of the mini-hemostats on the switch is amusing. All the hemostat style clamps I have are huge compared to that, I don't know if I'd have thought of that one. (I've thought about alligator clips though but those usually don't grip right for that sort of use)

-Andy

[MrGoodtunes]

My buggy has a '67 turn signal switch that began to have the same problem as in this thread's original post, i.e. I had to keep holding the lever to keep the signal flashing because as soon as I released it would cancel. I used a small metal file to square up worn parts inside, and got it working okay. That was about 25 years ago. Then, maybe 5 years ago, it began to have the same problem. This time, I removed the big return spring. Of course, this means I have to return the lever to the middle cancel'd position, but that quickly became an automatic habbit. While it's a definite improvement, I've been looking for an alternative (weaker than stock) spring. Well, just today I discovered such a spring. It's the trigger return spring from a squirt bottle like one of these:

It seems to be working, tho not road tested yet. (Will report back in few days.)
________________

Well, it's been more than a few days, but there's not much to report, other than it's different from having no spring at all. Better in some ways, worse in others, overall I'm leaving the weaker spring in, but... I can't seem to break the habbit of cancelling the signal myself, and sometimes the cancel mechanism cancels too soon (like after only changing to the turn lane - yeah, my steering is sloppy, need a new gear box). So I've decided to remove this part:

[AfroThunder]

I have to give another kudos to this thread. The 'tip' was a life saver and the photos were exactly what I needed in getting this thing put back together. Thanks again Samba!

[glutamodo]

FYI: Here's a thread with a lot of detail photos of a 60(-61) Leopold Kostal brand turn switch:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=652163&
_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[herbie1200]

I'm not sure that lubricating the mechanism is a good idea.

It has to rest in position, so a normal friction helps in this function.

The previous switch did not mantain well the position; I lubed it and now it is very bad, a little movement of the wheel is enough to disengage the turn signal.

Now I purchased a new one (~45 euros) it works very well, the turn position is hold very well and I'm not going to lubricate it.

[jtmbee51]

[Wiskow]

I have a 66 bug. The turn signal self cancel is not working. I think it is because the steering wheel doesn't engage the switch. Seems the wheel is fully seated against the black ring next to the spring, and the switch housing is as forward as i can get it with the clamping screw on the housing.
What is the spring for?

[glutamodo]

I hate to ask, but since your image of the steering wheel does not show it, does it have the cancel ring installed?

_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.

[Wiskow]

[soupcups]

Yes it is slightly different. Correct me if I’m wrong Andy but is the one you pictured for an earlier ‘60? You can tell because of the little nubs on the face of the ring. And if they’re brass it’s for a ‘60 or ‘61.

[glutamodo]

Yeah, and while that is an image of a 60-61 cancel ring with the bakelite washers under the screws and plastic isolator underneath it, that's what came up in a quick search of my own images ( I thought I had a photo of a later one but it didn't come up, plus I don't think the spare 66 steering wheel I have in the basement has a cancel ring on it) but otherwise it still is very similar for 62-70 - same bolt pattern and same location of the cancel tab. And the image that Wiskow posted looks good to me. I mostly had to ask, since the angle of his previous image wasn't low enough to show if it was there or not.
_________________
Andy T.


IMAGE NOTE: It has been noted that Chrome based browsers may have issues in displaying my vast image library, which use non-secure links and are on an FTP server. Images should still be viewable if the link is clicked though.
I do not know how to fix this. All I can say is it all works fine for me with what I use, Firefox.