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General Category => Maintenance => Topic started by: chiz on August 23, 2016, 10:04:48 AM

Title: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: chiz on August 23, 2016, 10:04:48 AM
Hey all hope everyone has enjoyed the evil blistering summer. My left indicator does not trigger effortlessly like the right one, I have to make a few attempts and really force the switch over hard to the left, common sense dictates that the problem is with the switch. But I am wondering if something else is producing this problem down the line.... Any ideas anyone.
Thanks Lez
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: jscgdunn on August 23, 2016, 10:09:32 AM
Quote from: chiz on August 23, 2016, 10:04:48 AM
Hey all hope everyone has enjoyed the evil blistering summer. My left indicator does not trigger effortlessly like the right one, I have to make a few attempts and really force the switch over hard to the left, common sense dictates that the problem is with the switch. But I am wondering if something else is producing this problem down the line.... Any ideas anyone.
Thanks Lez

Mark,

I have noticed the same wear on the inside.....would it be worth checking them and rotating them?
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: FJmonkey on August 23, 2016, 10:12:43 AM
If extra effort is required to get the switch to work then you really need to start with the switch. A faulty bulb will not care what the switch is doing. But since that is easy to check then you can get that off the list of possible issues. Many here have opened the switch up, cleaned it and reported it trouble free after.
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: Charlie-brm on August 23, 2016, 05:51:48 PM
We have an inexpensive source of replacement switches right here in Ontario - both the signals on the left and the brake on the right. Geez, I could have picked one up at the counter this afternoon.
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: Flynt on August 23, 2016, 07:14:56 PM
Quote from: chiz on August 23, 2016, 10:04:48 AM
ideas anyone.

OK...  don't all crap on this at once.

I had this happen when I first got the '84.  In a hurry to get to the Renegade rally that year, I ran out of time and sprayed a squirt of the chain lube Tri-Flow into the switch housing and moved the switch vigorously for a few seconds...  works perfect to this day.

Frank
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: balky1 on August 24, 2016, 02:02:14 AM
Quote from: Flynt on August 23, 2016, 07:14:56 PM
Quote from: chiz on August 23, 2016, 10:04:48 AM
ideas anyone.

OK...  don't all crap on this at once.

I had this happen when I first got the '84.  In a hurry to get to the Renegade rally that year, I ran out of time and sprayed a squirt of the chain lube Tri-Flow into the switch housing and moved the switch vigorously for a few seconds...  works perfect to this day.

Frank

That crossed my mind also, but I would use WD40 instead since it removes rust and metal oxides from contacts.
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: Charlie-brm on August 24, 2016, 03:39:02 AM
No problem with trying a cleaner/lubricant. Better living through chemistry.

I actually tore down my brake switch twice into all its little bits. If I was more thorough on the first go I would have pulled up the contact leaf and polished off the bottom of it where the problem lay. The first attempt I only got the easy to reach top surface that was just as black but as I discovered not the surface used for contact. That was 2014. So that's a 30 year old switch still going strong.
The rear foot pedal brake switch I replaced soon after with a new unit. It's built like a cheap ball point pen and had too many components showing wear to make it feasible to get away with only cleaning.
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: chiz on August 25, 2016, 09:12:44 AM
Squirted the heck out of the switch after removing the screws with cleaner.... No improvement what so ever  guess next step take the thing apart and find the offender. Uggg
Title: Re: Left indicator is a pain
Post by: jscgdunn on August 25, 2016, 09:18:19 AM
Quote from: chiz on August 25, 2016, 09:12:44 AM
Squirted the heck out of the switch after removing the screws with cleaner.... No improvement what so ever  guess next step take the thing apart and find the offender. Uggg

It may be the flasher.  On an 84 we had one where the signal light function was intermittent....cleaned switch, replaced switch.....finally replaced flasher.