turn signal switch quick fix pictures

[kfosburg]

Wondering if this thread will help me?

My situation is this: only my right headlight works for either hi or low beam. My left nothing. I pulled both headlights and find that there is voltage on the same blades on both head light plugs when there is no left headlight present. I switched headlamps and no change (only right). When the headlight is plugged in the left, there is no voltage present. I have checked the grounds and they are thoroughly clean. It's like as soon as current is called for it fails.

All the other lights work. I can pull the steering wheel tonight and check the switch unless someone has another good idea to check.

UPDATE: Nevermind... turns out that the fuses were really crusty... cleaning them fixed the problem! (Didn't even know I had headlight fuses... who ever heard of fuses on headlights?)

Thanks,

Karl
71 911E

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by kfosburg

Wondering if this thread will help me?

My situation is this: only my right headlight works for either hi or low beam. My left nothing. I pulled both headlights and find that there is voltage on the same blades on both head light plugs when there is no left headlight present. I switched headlamps and no change (only right). When the headlight is plugged in the left, there is no voltage present. I have checked the grounds and they are thoroughly clean. It's like as soon as current is called for it fails.

All the other lights work. I can pull the steering wheel tonight and check the switch unless someone has another good idea to check.

UPDATE: Nevermind... turns out that the fuses were really crusty... cleaning them fixed the problem! (Didn't even know I had headlight fuses... who ever heard of fuses on headlights?)

Thanks,

Karl
71 911E

Karl,

Glad to hear you solved the problem. Have you installed relays to protect your flasher switch?

[kfosburg]

No, I haven't yet. I'll add it to the list... I am driving my 911 to work tomorrow for the first time in about 10 years! 70 degrees in Maryland in January and the Orange 911 is finally back together again (kinda sorta)!

On to the interior next... Maybe I'll even take a picture tomorrow and post it.

Karl

[acapella8]

This needs to be added to Pelican Wiki.

[rnln]

I tried to remove the column covers but couldn't. After removing the 2 little bolts on the side, the covers are still stuck on top and bottom. I think I will have to remove the steering wheel. but even I do, I don't think I can see anything back there with my steering wheel removed. Can anyone give me any hint?
Thanks.

[pope]

Don't know about your year but for the early cars you need to remove the steering wheel, then the side bolts, then the 4 (I think) bolts that hold the cover assembly on to the steering column. Be careful not to put too much force on it, mine was in pretty bad shape from the PO.

[rnln]

I guess the 4 bolts you mentioned below are the one holding me today. They must be invisible from the outside, am I right? With the steering wheel still on the car, I checked the bottom of the cover multiple times but found nothing. Will undo the SW tomorrow.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by pope

Don't know about your year but for the early cars you need to remove the steering wheel, then the side bolts, then the 4 (I think) bolts that hold the cover assembly on to the steering column. Be careful not to put too much force on it, mine was in pretty bad shape from the PO.

[pope]

Yar, they're right behind the steering wheel.

First you take off this ring where the horn contact switch makes contact:




Then the backside with some more bolts is revealed:

[kfosburg]

After removing the 4 screws the covers just come off, but be careful of the brittleness of the 35 year old plastic... Also, there are two screws that hold the switch to the column and then the switch slides back and can be freed (except the wires).

Warning: The wires and terminals are HOT if you haven't disconnected the battery and are easy to touch on the the column!

Another question - is it possible to disassemble the switch assembly on this model? My left turn signal is shorting out (smoke from the column!) and won't return to center (hasn't in a long time). I've asked before, but does anyone know the specs of the center spring (shown in the picture above vertically behind the two little tabs).

Karl
71 911E

[rnln]

umm... these 2 pics don't look alike. On the first pic, is it looking from left to right. Of course the second pic is looking toward the front.

[pope]

If you take out the two bolts on the side you pull out the the stalk assembly. In the picture you don't understand, you are looking at the switch from the side. You can see the two holes where the bolts go.

[rnln]

thank you

[ApacheOEM]

Neophyte first poster here!

Like HarryD, one of my tiny fragile pieces broke in my light switch assembly (1985 911 Coupe). I have swapped in a new one, but cannot seem to get it attached to the leads on the back of the headlamp switch. It is guarded by that plate that supports the trunk release and all of the connectors are on the top where my fat fingers cannot reach.

How does one loosen or remove the headlamp (headlight) switch?

By the way, my absolute deepest appreciation to our host and to all of those that work so diligently to make this such an AWESOME board for lurkers like myself!

[ApacheOEM]

Sorry to be a pest, but, I'd like to bump my question from above.

Any advice on loosening that headlamp switch so that I can rotate it around and make the light switch assembly connectors visible/reachable is MUCH appreciated here!

I suspect that the way you loosen the headlamp (headlight) switch is by peeling or prying the emblem off and accessing some sort of a nut under there that will allow me to remove or loosen it.

I know that it is strange that I did all of the other complicated tasks in this project, yet, I feel apprehensive about this part. It's like I am back in high school and going to try to unhook a bra using a comb . . . I want to make sure that it goes well and I don't end up botching it and looking like a chump!

Finally found it using multiple search attempts - hopefully it will help another:
Replacing turn signal switch and removing headlight switch

Somebody else is going to take their horn pad off for the first time in 24 years and the little plastic pieces that the three brass bolts pass through might snap. They are black and seat into the springs on the horn pad. This should help if you need to replace: Our host has these, part number 321-419-779-OEM. I just bought all three.

[t951]

I just used this thread with success..... excellent!

[dshepp806]

good stuff,..the Pelican University at it's best: easy fixes.

Best,

Doyle

[piscator]

Epoxy works! Here's what I did to my 1979 911 SC -- it's a variation of the 'Lego fix'

In my case, the plastic 'plunger' at the end of the heavy 'silver bar' cracked. In that condition it was too short to push the contacts closed. Rather than 'JB weld' a chunk of 'Lego' to the end, I filed 'square' what remained of the old plastic.

Next, I mixed some 15 minute epoxy filler (available in tubes or just use epoxy mixed with talcum powder) and dabbed an 1/8" dollup on top of what remained of the original plastic. I was surprised, but the epoxy adhered perfectly to the old plastic.

Once the epoxy set 'rock hard' (a heat gun speeds the curing process) -- I used a needle file to shape the contour of the epoxy with the original part -- a jeweler's magnifier was a big help.

After shaping the epoxy added to the original part, I coated it with 'white grease' and re-installed it in the switch assembly. It works 'as good as new'!!

piscator

[theiceman]

a little more detail . excellent thread by the way .

I came to this thread because I had a total melt down of the switch. i have it all figured out and hope to add a little more clarity for those in the same situation as me.
The idea is that the low beam contact does not move at all , and the curent carrying contact ( the midle one ) stays in contact with the high beam contact until it engages the low beam contact and vice versa .
For those of you bending down the current carying contact to keep it out of the way be carfull. If the current carrying contact disengages from the low beam contact before hitting the high beam contact .. well .. no lights . Albeit or a fraction of a second , but take it for what it is .

The plastic plunger atached to the metal bar pushes through a small square hole in the high beam contact to push the current carrying contact to the low beam contact. That took me a while to figure out since all I had was a molten plastic mess.
Now that I have it all cleaned up I can epoxy my piece of lego ( 2.5mm by 2.5 mm ) on to the metal bar, trim it out as desired and put it all back together.
Should be a good little project and will add some pics as I go to help out future generations.

I am thinking of just using a sanding disk on the dremel for the fine detailed work required.

120.00 for a switch ? bah humbug .... i can fix this for .50c worth of jb weld .. maybe .

[theiceman]

For those of you atempting this repair here is my contribution. This switch can be repaired with some patience and a few basic tools.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...ir-thread.html

[pope]

Iceman,

there seems to be something wrong with the url you posted. You sure it's ok?