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.