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MG MGB Technical - Turn signal disengament

The turn signals on my 75B roadster work just as they are supposed to work.....which leaves something to be desired. The degree of wheel turn required to trip the disabling tabs on the stalk switch is in my opinion way too much as a gentle turn in either direction will not disengage the signal.

I can assure you that the shaft mounted clip ring is centered and it takes the same amount of steering wheel rotation to activate the disengagement in both directions.

I was thinking of trying to modify the clip ring to stretch it out a bit in one or both directions (thinking one direction might be enough if I then rotate the clip ring off center).

Any thoughts or experience on thie issue?

Thanks,
BH Davis
BH Davis

Well, here's the modification to the turn signal C-clip. I'm calling it the "Star Wars 30th Anniversary Princes Leah MGB Turn Signal C-Clip Modification"!

I haven't taken the car out yet but it seems to trip the turn signal back to neutral with very minor rotation of the steering wheel in both directions. It does not appear to have any negative effect on the plastic strke tabs on the stalk........but we'll see over time.

Instead of waiting for the far side of the C-clip to clear the stalk tab now the bottom head of the screw will catch it on the return rotation. Hopefully this will solve the problem of my wife constantly telling me the turn signal is still on!!!

BH Davis


BH Davis

I'm not sure of the extent to which design changes may negate my comments.

However, when I had the steering disassembled on my 69 I noticed the clip ring was capable of some degree of slippage. The solution in my case was to thoroughly clean the inside of the ring and the steering shaft with metholated spirits. That seemed to provide a better degree of 'grip' between the two.

Gentle turns in mine (ie, little wheel movement) can leave the indicators operating. I've noticed that is most common if I have the wheel even slightly turned prior to operating the indicators. I've assumed this is a feature of cars of that period.

My modern Mazda has done this on a couple of occasions too.

Regards
Roger
Roger T

We have cross posted. That must mean it is time for me to go to bed! Well done on developing a solution.

Regards
Roger
Roger T

Of course, a good driver always cancels their indicators manually ...

My Toyota Celica is a pain, it's cancelling mechanism is such that if the wheel is slightly turned it won't latch, and I have to hold the stalk down manually while waiting to turn! That's far more inconvenient.
Paul Hunt 2

I have noticed this problem on my 71, but just on the left side. I need to look at mine I guess
J Delk

My wife needs something to tell me to do - I'd rather it be turn signal cancellation than some of the other stuff she comes up with.
...

J Delk,

If the turn signal releases quickly going to the right, but very late going to the left then your C-clip has slipped off center.

It should disengage at the same point in rotation both directions if the clip is centered. Make sure you know where "straight ahead" is with the wheels when you adjust this or your going to be taking the steering wheel of and adjusting it a second time. Also look at the long pointed end plastic tabs on the turn signal stalk to make sure they aren't worn away or broken.

BH Davis
BH Davis

You don't need to take the steering wheel off to adjust the position of the clip, just the cowling. Then line up the steering and tap the clip round with a drift so the bump directly faces the middle of the switch i.e. is equidistant from the ends of the cancelling 'fingers'.
Paul Hunt 2

My 70B had the problem of not cancelling after going around corners. I solved the problem by placing an elastic band around the plastic strike tags, this has the effect of pulling them back into contact with the striker. A later improvement after the elastic band broke was to replace it with an "o" ring.
David Levy

I did much the same by building up the bump on the clip with solder - I didn't want to risk breaking the (very expensive) switch by fiddling with the fingers.
Paul Hunt 2

Thanks for the info BH and others - I'll take a look at this over the weekend and report back on findings.
J Delk

My two cents worth. I was having the same problem with my right turn indicator not shutting off. When I took the covering off of the steering column I could see what was happening. I realized that my clip was in the correct position. What was happening is that the polymer plastic used for the turn indicator is worn and has lost some of it elasticity - or flexibility. When I would turn the steering wheel to the right and then the clip came back in contact with the indicator mechanism, the plastic arm was just riding up and over the clip. The tension was gone that caused the indicator to jump back to the off position. Now as mentioned, the rubber band idea is good, but is only a temporary fix and is not solving the problem. After analyzing the situation, I realized that the radius on the clip was so large that it allowed the indicator arm to just slide over it - therefore it needed more resistance or tension. So I removed the metal clip and using my bench grinder, I removed most of the radius from the top of the clip. Then I used a small hand file and cleaned everything up, leaving a much smaller radius on the clip. Now my indicators work great and shut off just like are suppose to do. The interesting thing is that I did this just last weekend.
Robert Browning

This thread reminded me of another project. A few years ago I replaced the turn signal switch on my '64 B. The old one was very worn. I found that the turn signals were not self-canceling because the nub was not on the column because the column was 180 degrees out of phase (Moss included a replacement one -- it screws into the column).

At the time, I tried to separate the steering column at the u-joint, but decided it was too much work for the benefit I would receive.

My question: Will this C-clip fit an early steering column? If so, is it available from Moss or VB?

Thanks.
Bill Barge

Bill - there were at least three types of 'striker' (as they are called in the Parts Catalogue) probably to go with the different steering columns. They are shown with the turn switches in the catalogue, but not with either switches or columns in a couple of on-line catalogues I have looked at. Because you have the screw it shouldn't be difficult to fabricate a suitable striker, I would have thought, or even attach a 'wrong-sized' striker you find in a scrapyard, perhaps. But just by undoing the rack to cross-member bolts (watching out for shims and being careful to replace them in the same places) and remove the bolt from the column half of the UJ you should be able to pull the rack shaft forward far enough (wheels off ground so they can turn in) to be able to separate the shafts and turn the column to the correct position.

Start with the wheels straight ahead of course, and you will have to remove and refit the wheel afterwards, I presume.

I say remove the bolt from the column half of the UJ as on both my cars that has a groove for the bolt all the way round the circumference so the column can be fitted to the UJ in any position, whwereas the rack shafts only have a notch and so can only be installed in one position. This might sound a nuisance but actually aids reassembly in the correct position if you have to part the shafts!
Paul Hunt 2

This thread was discussed between 27/05/2007 and 07/06/2007

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