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MG MGB Technical - Indicator/Dip/Horn switch

I was reassembling the interior after a complete respray and some work on the dashboard when I bumped the indicator lever and broke the switch. The indicators still work, but the high beam dip is now all floppy so it doesn't stay off unless I hold it forward.
The horn has been broken for a long time (I rewired it to a button under the steering column) so I decided to pull the whole thing apart to see what I broke and if it was fixable.

It seems there is a tiny white plastic piece which has broken. I can see how it flicks against another piece to provide a sort of position lock for the switch. I'm going to attempt glueing it and see if it holds when I reassemble it.

Now things are worse because as careful as I was when I pulled the assembly apart, I had it sitting on the bench facing upwards so all the parts sat in place. Then I forgot what I was doing and I picked it up to check something and tipped all the parts on the floor.

I took a photo beforehand so I can work out where most the parts go. I just can't work out where this silver ball bearing goes. It must have been underneath everything when I took the photo. I think it goes under the spring indicated by the red arrow in the photo.

Am I better off just buying a new switch assembly? I checked a few parts catalogues but it seems confusing what is available. The Moss catalog shows the entire assembly with both wiper and indicator switches. According to their catalog you can buy part 58 or part 59, the indicator switch or wiper switch. They seem to share a middle piece so which parts would I be getting if I got the indicator switch?


D O'Brien

I bought an indicator switch a few months ago . Whatever that plate is in the Moss catalogue, I didn't get one.

I bought from here http://www.mgpartsuk.co.uk/prods/pc173.html - part 71

You will see it has the same part number as the Moss catalogue AAU4991
Geoff Everitt

I got a reply from Moss and they sent a picture of the part. It was exactly what I needed and in fact it was almost the entire assembly minus the wiper control switch.
Then I called my local supplier, Heritage MG at Smithfield. They had the Moss part in stock (they buy in bulk from Moss). Picked it up today and it's already installed. I even rewired everything with the right colours and got my horn back again.
I was tempted to pull it apart just for curiosity to see where that ball bearing went. Then I thought better of it.

Much appreciate the link though. I'll bookmark that for future reference.
D O'Brien

I'm ordering one for my 80LE soon. Several items like the courtesy lights and such are downstream of it and mine are intermittent along with the horn and the momentary high beam dip. They're quite delicate, made of plastic that tends to be old and easily cracked so you likely did the correct thing. I'm convinced they're difficult to repair permanently. To the best of my knowledge, after taking mine apart, the steel ball goes in the round opening at the bottom of your photo with a plastic tip above thought and a spring above that. The ball is what governs the turn signal indicator movement allowing it to lock into left or right mode and then return to neutral. Beneath the spring marked with the red arrow should be a copper metal round rod. Note the slotted nature or "wing" style of the opening indicated by the red arrow. That allows insertion of the copper rod. As the turn indicator is moved, the rod makes the electrical contact between the 12 volt current source and the correct left or right parking lamp circuit.
Rick Penland

Courtesy light is nothing to do with the indicator/dip/horn switch. Courtesy lights do share a common fused supply (purple) with the headlamp flasher and horns, so maybe it is that affecting all three.
PaulH Solihull

This thread was discussed between 04/10/2010 and 05/10/2010

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