Turn Signal Fix

This is a writeup on a problem I was having with my turn signals.  

I noticed that when I moved the turn signal to the right it would work intermittently.  So starting with the removal of the horn cap and loosening of the turn signal housing I was then able to borrow a steering wheel puller and remove the wheel.  I pulled off the housing from the steering column and then began to inspect the turn signal mechanism.


The assembly is actually fairly simple but does require some thought when you first inspect its workings.  Looking at the photo to the left you can see the mechanism.   At the top is a pin that holds together two arms which are in turn kept under pressure with a wire spring hooked on the pin.  These arms "rock" back and forth and make contact with the "L" shaped contacts on the right and left side.  The actual signal is from the pin underneath that sits in the electric switch.  This mechanism is simply to activate the direction and cancel it when you turn the wheel back. In other words those "L" shaped contacts are not electric contacts.  At the bottom is a large screw that holds the mechanism inside the housing and the part at the bottom of the photo is where the turn signal shaft screws into.  

Now that we have a basic idea we can fix it.  I noticed that when this mechanism is in the housing, the left arm was not held in place like the right arm.  
 
If you notice in the picture to the right, there is a stud with a washer on top.  That washer is held in place because the stud is mushroomed.  Below that washer is a small collar so that the arm on the mechanism can glide back and forth without resistance as well as "lock" it into position on the arm.  The mushroom on the left side was gone and the washer was laying inside the housing.  This caused the left arm to "pop" up and not lock into place when I turned the turn signal.  Notice the deep gouge to the left of the modified stud where the arm was hitting.  I tried to unscrew or pull out the stud but instead managed to break it.  


I then drilled out the stud and found a screw that fit the small collar and a washer perfectly.  Simply screwing in the new homemade part solved the problem, or so I thought.

Turns out that the arms have a small semicircle notch on each side which help "lock" the turn signal into its position.  When you turn the steering wheel back to the center position it releases this arm.  Over the years the left arm was rounded and would not "lock" into position.  Thanks to my dad's collection of flat and rounded metal files I was able to create a new semicircle notch that would catch the stud with the collar.

It now works like a charm.   Again I am reminded that today's vehicles do not have such mechanical charms but rely on electrical components.  You can argue that they last longer and are trouble free, but in 50 years if you are trying to fix your "2013 classic truck" turn signal, the reproduction suppliers will be your answer not a drill and an old screw and some metal files.