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MG MGB Technical - horn&turn signal

Just a little mishap. My grandaughter pulled out the horn/ turn signal stem.
The wire with broken copper strip just dangling.
Is this repairable? Or do I need to replace the works?
Thanks for any help.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Dan H.
D.E. Hanson

As in all rtepairs, a certian patirnce and constitution is needed. Repairing your precocious grand-daughter will, like our cars, take a bit of love.

Wild guess, without seeing damage done, chances are good on repair, if you can muster the imagination.

What year? Vic Brit offers a turn signal repair kit for '62-'67, at $60. A new switch for those years is $90. so it is a how much fix-it power you have vs money.

If you would post more details of the now broken unit, more help will follow.

Is this something you have to be Thankful for today! There truly is a long list of generally forgotten things, things we take for granted, where thanks is called for.
glg

It's a 77. The stem can be put back in, The problem is the wire for the horn. The end has a flat copper strip. Seems to be broken off short. When I threaded the wire back and install the stem the horn will not stop.
D.E. Hanson

Dan,
You will probably need to remove the decorative steering column cover. It is in two parts and held in place with 4 medium phillips head screws. Once the two halves are loose you will have to ease them around the steering wheel and the brackets on the dash, they are a tight fit.

The horn wire attaches with a spade terminal and may only be pulled out. If you need to re-solder anything it will be easier with the multi-switch off the column. To get it off you will need to remove the steering wheel, which may be very, very hard to do. See the archives for the best method.

Doug
D. Cook

"decorative steering column cover"

Never heard it called that before :o)
Paul Hunt

Doug, I think you're talking about the wrong end. The horn wire is in tact thru the steering column. The turn signal / horn push stem was pulled out leaving the horn wire exposed. The wire with thin copper strip (not a spade connector)inserts thru the hollow stem and attaches (somehow?)inside the stem. When I thread the wire thru the stem the horn grounds out and blows continuously. There must be a way the wire with thin copper strip needs to be inserted thru the stem such that the horn is only activated when you push the handle of the stem inward.
A little clearer I hope.
Dan H.
D.E. Hanson

I know the problem you are having. old girlfriend of mine did that... she liked playing with the switches whilst i drove... esp. the one taht the DPO had hooked up to the coil so the car wouldn't start by itself!! (long story)

anyway, If i am understanding you correctly, it is a bare wire for about 1/4 inch and black insulation? If so, splay out the wire a bit so it's straight and flat and insert it in the hole the stem goes into... then insert the stem... it's basically a ground wire with a friction connection...

hope that helps

John
John S.

John,
It's the other end of the wire. The horn push end. Replacing the stem is like threading a string thru a pipe. The wire is purple/pink.
Dan H.
D.E. Hanson

Dan,
are you saying that the horn push is on the end of the light switch stalk? I was under the impression that having the horn push on the stalk was pretty much limited to 1968-69 or 70 cars, and all later cars had the horn electrics as part of the center piece of the steering wheel. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

If I am right, then I wonder how your 77 got one of these earlier switches. Your grand daughter may have done you a favor if it is indeed the wrong column switch for your year car. Some DPOs try to make do with anything, especially when selling a car. FWIW.
Bob Muenchausen

Bob. Do not know what year the horn was moved back onto the stalk, but both our 77 and 79s have that system. The 79 I purchased new had the same feature, so it is definitely factory. Les
Les Bengtson

Just for clarification, not that it helps my situation,.
The turn signal stalk on a 77 has the horn and the high/low beam switch all in one assembly.The stalk is hollow with the horn wire thru it to the horn switch. You simply push on the end of the stalk which is spring loaded. In the depressed position it completes the circuit to blow the horn. The horn wire comes thru the steering housing and into the stem. My problem is inside the stem at the horn push end.
Just Can't figure out how it gets reconnected in there.
Dan H.
Dan Hanson

Thanks, Les.
I tend to be myopic about these cars and pay attention only to the years I have actually had or worked on.

Dan,
does the horn push knob on the end of the stalk disassemble by backing out a threaded metal button on the end of the plastic "knob" (or stem, as I think you are calling it) on the end of the stalk? If so, then it is probably similar to the unit in my 68. If so, then you should have a small nylon block thingy on the end of your stalk's tubing with two brass contacts embedded in the nylon block. One of these contacts the tubing and uses it as a return and the other has the wire attached to it that passes thru the tube and down into the bowels of the horn/flasher/beam switch.

When you disassemble the horn push knob, you should see the following things laying in order on your bench. The small threaded button, a short spring from inside of the knob/stem, the nylon block with contacts attached to the stalk tube, and the black plastic knob itself slid down the stalk to reveal all of the above.

My guess is that the nylon block has broken off of the end of the stem, severing the internal wire from the INSULATED contact embedded in the block. At the worst, there is no wire left at the block to resolder. At best, there might be abit of that wire to the insulated contact left to solder to or you might be able to splice in a short piece of fine insulated wire to lengthen the remainder so that you might be able to sneak the wire to the exposed contact and solder it there. If the nylon insulating block is broken off and there is no pigtail left, you are probably looking at a new switch unless you can fanagle a new connection to the contact and are able to glue (say, with JB Weld) the nylon block in place.
Bob Muenchausen

Thanks Bob. I have exactly as you describe. I will take a look at it and may be able to figure out a remedy. A new assembly is around 75 bucks but may be worth it.
Thanks again,
Dan H.
Dan Hanson

I forgot to mention that you would have to reestablish the return connection also (the "other" contact in the nylon block which was connected to the stalk tube). Trying to do all of the above plus this might be good reason to not waste your time and buy a new unit. I am not sure I would trust one for very long afterwards that I had had to repair in this manner.
Bob Muenchausen

FYI, I have taken a photo (which I forwarded to Dan) of the disassembled horn push switch. If anyone needs to see this too, just drop a line to me.
Bob Muenchausen

This thread was discussed between 28/11/2003 and 06/12/2003

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