Lights Stalk Repair

[Palikary]

My stalk in my Right hand drive Beta Coupe started to play up. Indicators work, wipers work, driving lights and high beam work. My park lights don't work and also affects the dashboard light and rear driving lights coming on. I powered the unit externally while on the steering column to bypass the switch and all the lighting comes on so I've narrowed the issue down to the switch inside the light stalk - when you spin it to position 1.
Has anyone disassembled the light section of the stalk? I see it has 4 corner rivets - 3 that go straight thru and one that does not. If I drill these out I should be able to put a screw and nut to get get them back together.
If anyone has opened this up I just want to know what to expect inside. Is it filled with springs and will it be impossible to put back together. I'm assuming wear on the copper connection points for Light position 1 section and not making contact which I assume can be resolved by adding some solder to build it up to make contact or the wiring for that position 1 inside has a break.
Any assistance would be grateful before I start to take this apart. I'm not having luck locating a RHD replacement unit. LHD seems to be available but would need mods to make it fit and would prefer to keep the originality of the RHD part if I can.

[Ferrit]

Its easy to swap over the lhd stalks and then source a lhd cowl.  I have seen a rhd new stalks last summer, they are rare.  I have an old used one you could have but its been 'repaired' in a similar way to yours I think.

I would go for lhd and just get on with it :-)

[SanRemo78]

The advantage of going for a set of new LHD stalks is that you get a more normal layout that will most likely match other cars in the fleet....
Guy

[Palikary]

I'm In Australia so all our cars have RHS stalks for indicator and lights and wiper on the left so i prefer to keep it this way if possible and leave changing to a LHS as a last resort.
Since only position 1 on the stalk for park lights doesn't work and twist 2 for driving lights work and high beams on the pull also works i don't think the lights stalk rod is broken so I want to attempt to open and repair as my hunch says its not making metal contact in that position 1 from 40 year wear. My question was more has anyone done this before and can it be put back together again once opened or its not possible?
Does anyone have one apart to show me a photo of the guts inside so I know what it looks like?

[JASPER_40]

Hi, presume you have tried blasting contact cleaner in where the stalk enters the body ?

Otherwise if you go ahead and dismantle the unit you must appreciate that you are dealing with 40yo brittle plastic and probably a whole bunch of springs and ball bearings that may require some creative methods to hold everything in place when you put it back together.

Me personally, I would chance it providing you have maybe secured an option on a replacement trafficator…. Just in case.

I have repaired wipers and indicators before but never used the light stalk….. very entertaining


Cheers

Steve

[Palikary]

I had some time and opened the stalk up today. I drilled the 4 heads of the rivets and lifted it off. Surprising nothing fell out and came apart easily. The ball bearing is not actually a ball bearing in a rounded cap sleeve over a small spring and that stayed in place. I cleaned all the copper connections with ear buds and alcohol. Nothing was broken and no loose pieces inside.
The stalk part is where the issue is for mine. When you twist the stalk to position 1 and 2 - the metal rod turns and you can see the plastic arms move that push the copper strips to position and they work well. The top where the white plastic pin sits doesn’t move out and stays stationary. Does anyone know how that is meant to move? Should there be a ball bearing in the rod area so when you twist it, it pushes the white pin outwards? Or should the rod have a bend in it and when you turn it pushes outwards to push the white pin
Anyone who’s opened one can they let me know what makes that plastic pin move please? Or a photo of that area would help to how it works.

[JASPER_40]

Going on the pics you sent, I would suggest that when the unit was assembled and the switch was off that the white pin would have been held in a "pushed out" position by the stalk such that the contact spring strip on the back of the switch casing is held open.

When the stalk is then twisted, there must be some sort of cam in the body behind the white pin that moves inwards and so taking the pressure off the contact spring strip allowing the contact to be made. This will sent power or and earth to those 3 long spring strips inside the switch body.

So, this being the case then the white pin should be allowed to move inwards when the stalk is twisted to the on position.

Have you cleaned the connection for the spring strip on the outside of the switch body ? Maybe even test to make sure a conection is made in its current disassembled state.

Cheers,

Steve

[Palikary]

Thanks very much Steve. Yes I cleaned the external copper strip that's the one that provides the 12v power. I tested by forcing that connection to make contact with the screwdriver and the lights come on so in the off position the white pin is meant to be in the pushed in position and when you twist it on it should be pushing out to make the copper strip connection to the 12v.
I cant see a cam or how that white pin can move with the twist that is why Im asking if anyone has put one together they would know what triggers the pin to move. I have noticed a hole in the stalk plastic that goes right thru the metal stalk and all the way to the spring below. That hole has a metal sleeve in it but nothing inside (see attached) Am I missing something?

[JASPER_40]

Hi,

Yeah sorry, I know you were reaching out to find someone who had also taken their light body apart......I couldnt resist trying to analize the pics to see if I could offer something.

I think we are at odds as to how the white pin opeates in the off and on states but this is irrelevant as there is seemingly no actuation happening.

One picture that still has my attention is the first one posted on 8th march showing the body end on. it looks as though the white pin enters the body and is touching a metal cylinder as viewed through an elongated hole. I have a number of guesses as to how this could eventualte into an actuation but there is only one way to go here and that is to remove the split pin in your last photo and remove the stalk shaft.....hopefully you will then find the broken bit of plastic....maybe a sheared off eccentricly mounted peg on the end of the stalk shaft ??

You are the poineer here and I am guessing that no one else has broken into this unit before to be able to tell you how it is supposed to work.

Cheers,

Steve

[Palikary]

Problem solved!
The white pin actuation plays no role in the lights coming on or off. Not sure what it is used for or maybe another feature or option for another vehicle.
The fix was that copper connection inside with the yellow wire was raised just enough so when you twist the stalk it wasn’t making contact so the lights were not coming on. When you push it lower the lights come on but if you pushed it too far the lights won’t turn off as it’s making continuous contact. You need to trial and error to get it right. Happy, all fixed now and can start enjoying the rides in day and nights…Thanks for your help!

[HFStuart]

Always good to see a solution - it helps the next poor bastard that has an inexplicable fault!

[JASPER_40]

Yeah, Nice one.......Brave enough to crack open the body and solve the problem. Ultimately you have saved yourself some money that you can put towards the cost of some petrol !!