Turn Signal Failure

That' been the case with my speedster since 2007 when I bought it.  It never really bothered me much , prolly because I had more pressing things to address.  I just got used to turning them off.  I'm  happy they work when I need 'em.

I wish you luck in chasing your current gremlin.  I'll bet it won't be the last.

@Marshall

OK, looking at the photo of your canceling ring, it attaches to the steering wheel hub and there is a BIG nylon/plastic/metal tooth that sticks down into the wheel hub and rotates around with the turning of the wheel.  When you turn on the directional with the lever, a small operating peg pops out of the steering wheel hub (you can't see it when the steering wheel is installed).   When you complete your turn and the steering wheel is returning to center, that big tooth contacts that little peg, moving it back to it's resting place and turning off the directional.

Your steering wheel (and @Al Gallo's, too) is working only on one side because the big tooth on the underside of the steering wheel is not where it's supposed to be.  It can be in 3 or 4 different places and only one of those is "right".   In other words, the tooth is supposed to be "centered" versus the actuator peg when the steering wheel is centered but on yours it is off to one side so it cancels one side but not the other.  The cure is to remove the steering wheel, figure out which way the canceling ring needs to move, then remove it and re-install in the right place.

It ain't hard, but it makes you scratch your head until you figure out what's going on.  It could be that the ring actually IS in the right place but your whole steering wheel is off after an alignment or some work.  Drive straight into your garage to insure it's going straight and THEN mess with either the steering wheel en toto or just the canceling ring.   You'se guys are Smot - you'll figure it all out.  

Besides, it'll give Gallo something to do when the "Storm of the Decade" hits the outer Cape Cod next week.  All of 6" - 7"

I had an issue with neither side canceling. In this case, the problem was the gap between the steering wheel and the turn signal was too great and the tooth didn't extend far enough into the switch.

Our cars have turn signals?  Must be all those years owning BMW's that I just gotten accustomed to not using them.   ;-)

  If it's a VS, I wouldn't bother. My car came with only the right turn signal self canceling - had a new replacement installed - same thing. Some things are just meant to be - like newer VW's always having a check engine light on. If it goes out on my bug, I begin to worry something's wrong. (and if it bothers me too much, I've found a piece of black electrical tape works wonders for my psyche).

Bill

My mechanism was without grease in some areas and it was gunky in others.

In retrospect, I would have left it alone rather than dealing with it. The tiny little bits in it are not fun to put back together.

Who ever installed the replacement cancel ring probably put it in the same position as the one they took off assuming it was correct . This happens a lot , I have a F150 that had a rear trans seal leak and replaced it ........3 times  in a month before the NAPA guy hands me two seals and they are , lightly different w/ different part numbers too for that same year trans ...Ah Hah ! All I was doing was replacing it with the same - wrong part .

I had issues in VWs with the W shaped spring

Looks like an IUD    

They don't know how those work, either.....

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Just to round out the discussion, I've had the opposite problem since day one.

Both sides cancel if the wheel is moved a quarter inch in either direction. So, basically, I hold the lever down until I want to stop signaling, and then just let go.

Early on, I started poking into the cause and discovered a rats nest of very delicate looking springs and fussy bits that I knew were never going back together if released from their cage. I gingerly threaded things back in place, and became philosophical about the problem.

At the time, more important things were acting up - the engine, transaxle, and brakes.

Eventually, I installed a double-throw switch in parallel with the turn signal switch on the column and hid it under the dash, but still in reach. It doesn't cancel at all. I turn it on if I'm approaching a turn from, say, an eighth of a mile away and want the signal to keep working as I approach the turn.

I think I figured this is easier than tracking down the humongous socket you need to remove the steering wheel, which is what you really need to do if you're approaching this in the cowboy way.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, Marshall, but I would take this as a sign that on these cars, some things were never really intended to work the way you might expect.

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@Chris MacDonald posted:

My mechanism was without grease in some areas and it was gunky in others.

In retrospect, I would have left it alone rather than dealing with it. The tiny little bits in it are not fun to put back together.

Mine was so gunked up on one side I thought it was broken. Took it all apart, cleaned and relubed, as it works as new. Which is old. Mine never had cancelling, I do it with my pinky as I'm finishing the turn, out of habit. Easier than a Bug Eye Sprite that has a toggle switch on the dash. (Or is that an MGA?)

A 2-way toggle switch is cheating.  Germans engineers put a lot of biertrinken into that switch's design.  For $35 you can buy a new OEM-like switch.

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@WOLFGANG posted:

A 2-way toggle switch is cheating.  Germans engineers put a lot of biertrinken into that switch's design.  For $35 you can buy a new OEM-like switch.

Yes, a hidden toggle switch is cheating.

It's not something I'm proud of.

But, I couldn't figure out if I needed a 27mm socket or 1 and 1/8" to get the wheel off and I wasn't going to spring for both.

But there was a larger existential issue.

Removing the wheel means fiddling with the wiring for the horn. And, as it stands, both my horn and my turn signals are currently working. If I somehow managed to remove the wheel, remove the turn signal switch, find the right turn signal switch to replace it with, and get that all back together so that the turn signals worked and canceled as they should - in both directions - it was almost a lead pipe cinch that the horn would no longer work.

I thought about this through most of a long winter and into spring driving season.

Eventually, I took the cowardly way out, but sometimes you just need to do what you need to do.

It's a decision I have to live with every day.

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Wowza!  What an answer.

I’m getting the distinct feeling that perhaps this topic should have been included in the 10 Commandments – somewhere between the third and fourth? Thou shall not remove thysem’s steering wheel from its shaft.

It's not that bad, Marshall. Those early answers about the pin thingie and where the canceller is clocked will probably get you two signals that properly stop after you go around the bend.

Yeah.  The rest of it is just us entertaining ourselves.  We do that a lot around here.

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Sorry, Marshall. Ed (and Lane) are both right.

A turn signal is a simple, mechanical device that should be easily set right.

I just can't explain my unnatural fear of them.

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@Sacto Mitch posted:

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Sorry, Marshall. Ed (and Lane) are both right.

A turn signal is a simple, mechanical device that should be easily set right.

I just can't explain my unnatural fear of them.

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It isn't British. There isn't any smoke to let out LOL!

Doing my best Bill Clinton impersonation, ‘Mitch, I feel your pain’. In my first car, a ‘67 1500 Beetle, the main/dip headlights switch on the indicator stalk went kaput so, rather than take apart the offending piece, my dad suggested and helped me install a foot dip switch that he found in his garage. So in addition to the clutch, my left foot also controlled the very dim 6v lights. A difference between ‘can barely see’ and ‘can only just see’.

One of my turn signals self-cancels and the other one doesn't. I don't even remember which one works and which one doesn't. My "fix" was to signal the turn in advance and as I'm bringing the wheel back to center after completing the turn I flip the lever to off. I do this while turning in either direction which is why I forgot which side doesn't self-cancel.

I use these:

...and before you ask: I open and close my hand ✋🏼 ✊🏼 ✋🏼  ✊🏼when I want to use my flasher.

@Robert M posted:

One of my turn signals self-cancels and the other one doesn't. I don't even remember which one works and which one doesn't. My "fix" was to signal the turn in advance and as I'm bringing the wheel back to center after completing the turn I flip the lever to off. I do this while turning in either direction which is why I forgot which side doesn't self-cancel.

I do exactly the same thing Robert - it feels so intuitive doing this, that I never worried about getting it fixed after a mechanics attempted repair. I find after I drive the Speedster, I'm trying to do the same thing when I first get behind the wheel of one of our other cars too.

Bill

You could add a flash to pass module that gives you 6 flashes when you give it 12 v plus for a fraction of a second.  
I did that on my IM because IDIDIT uses an antiquated 1988 GM signal light arm that is so resistant to movement and also I kept forgetting the thing on.

@Marshall posted:

I’m getting the distinct feeling that perhaps this topic should have been included in the 10 Commandments – somewhere between the third and fourth? Thou shall not remove thysem’s steering wheel from its shaft.

So let it be written so let it be done

After getting used to it for 13 years, this is WAAAY down on my list of stuff that needs to be addressed.  In fact, if it was on a back burner issue, it would be someone else's stove .

The rat's nest under the dash is my target this year. (when it gets just a little warmer).

Words out of my  mouth "(when it gets just a little warmer)"  which in NW FL also requires "when it cools off a bit".

Al. I have a rats nest too. From the fuse box to toggles that control the fuel pump and ignition, an aauuga horn and an emergency flasher.
What can/ are you able going to do about yours?

marshall

First I'll replace the fuse box, which shows some corrosion.  The problem, other than cramming my body under the dash, is that it appears as though the wires are just about reaching the box and I'll have to find some slack somewhere.

I know !  I'll skip the fuse box and wire everything straight through !  Yeah, that's what I'll do !!   That'll fix her !

I had a Toyota cigarette lighter power line that had an inline fuse that blew (ok I over loaded it) and it was near impossible to find.  Not sure where the smoke escaped to?

@Al Gallo posted:

First I'll replace the fuse box, which shows some corrosion.  The problem, other than cramming my body under the dash, is that it appears as though the wires are just about reaching the box and I'll have to find some slack somewhere.

I know !  I'll skip the fuse box and wire everything straight through !  Yeah, that's what I'll do !!   That'll fix her !

Do yourself a favor, Al, just order a new Vintage harness(with fusebox) from Greg and replace the whole thing. I bet it could be done in a day.

Mr. Gallo, remove the speedster seat , fold up a blanket to the shape of the floor, good LED lighting and use an old pillow.. Once I am under the dash I have Connie hand me what I need it goes a lot easier than rolling all over looking for terminals and tools  ..that's how I do it.  I just rewired  a speedster using Greg's harness . Including replacing the steering column I had 28 hours into it and I'm very familiar with the harness.

Yes and everyone else ... two weeks,  except Danny .  Maybe not but just getting your head around might take more time

I meant under the dash would take a day. Michelle handed me stuff while I was under the dash on my new Spyder as well. Seats out of course.

The rest of the car would take a little bit of time, front lights a day, rear lights another day, engine a day, horn-brake switch-fuel pump another.

OK, so a week...

Shoot.......

Merklin would knock that out in an afternoon and be done conveniently before dinner......

Well this guy says this saves his car from mice...

@IaM-Ray posted:

Well this guy says this saves his car from mice...

I used a car capsule when we lived in Michigan - never had a mouse issue (though we did with our Bug stored on the other side of the garage - it had a cloth car cover), no mold or mildew, and when we brought the car out in spring, it was as clean as when we put it in the "bubble". Highly recommended.

Bill

Bill, thanks for your comment on the CarCapsule.  

I posted the picture because, well, I was just worried about all those rats being killed you know...