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When our editors had an unfortunate incident with the indicator switch on their ’79 Bay, Bluebell, they had to nd out how to strip the top of the steering column down to change the switch. Once it was done, they put a guide together to help fellow members with this daunting but surprisingly simple task.
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Transporter Talk No 145
DON’T PANIC! ASK THE MECHANIC...
This feature answers technical questions from our club members. It doesn’t matter how silly or tricky the question seems, The Mechanic can come to your rescue and you may be helping out other members.
Indicator and Wiper Switch Assemblies Removal and Repair
The rst step is to remove the steering wheel from the steering column. Before you start, it’s worth straitening the steering wheel/front wheels so that when the steering wheel goes back on, you know where to line it up.
The steering wheel is tted to a splined shaft within the column and is xed with a single 24mm nut.
To access the nut, the horn push in the centre of the steering wheel has to be removed. The horn push is usually made of plastic and is often brittle, so prizing o with a screw driver or metal scraper is not the best idea. I found that using a nger nail was su cient, working my way round the horn push and lifting upwards (see pic 1).
With the horn push removed, the 24mm nut should be revealed and there will also me a lead and crimp connected to a spade terminal. Remove this crimp to disconnect the lead and move to one side to create some space for a spanner.
Using a 24mm ring spanner or socket and ratchet (an open ended spanner can slip easily), loosen the nut but do not remove at this point (see pic 2).
Mark the position of the wheel in relation to the shaft using chalk, pencil or paint pen to assist in lining the wheel back up on tment.
Now, with the nut still tted, give the steering wheel a tug upwards to free it from the splined shaft. It should become loose but the tted nut will prevent you from smashing your face with the steering wheel (believe me!).
With the wheel loose, remove the 24mm nut and lift the steering wheel o too. This will expose the indicator and wiper switch assemblies tted to the top of the column (see pic 3).
At this point, you want to remove the cap from your windscreen washer bottle to depressurise it (otherwise you will create a drinking fountain later on!) if you have pressure in your tank, you’re the exception!
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