TR 2/3 turn signal problem

[JohnB]

The control head on my TR2 wants to spin around with my steering wheel. I assume this is rather bad for the wires exiting the bottom of the column!!

My question is just how is the innermost stator tube, holding those wires, held rigid to the backing plate and therefore to the control head?

I have Clive Eldson's description of how to dissassemble the unit, but this point isn't mentioned. He fails to explain how the tube and backing plate come apart, and therefor how they're held together.

Any ideas?

 

[TR3driver]

There should be a tube fixed to the backing plate of the control head, which hopefully you can see here:

That tube has a row of dimples (which don't show in my photo), that engage with the slot in the stator tube.

Worth noting perhaps, that for an "adjustable" steering wheel, the control head tube is quite a bit longer than the one in the photo (which is correct for a "fixed" steering wheel). Sometimes they get mixed up.

 

[Moseso]

The tube should be held stationary at the front end of the steering box, by a compression fitting. The control head has "tabs on it that fit in a slot in the stationary tube.

1) Check the compression joint at the front end of the steering box (where the wires come out) for tightness. BTW, if this is loose, the steering box may also be out of oil -- you should look.

If that's good (tube is solidly held) -- then --

2) The stator tube is broken -- or -- the joint where the control head fits onto the tube has worn to the point where the head can rotate.

 

[JohnB]

Went out to the barn and checked, the nut is tight and the tube does not appear to be moving.

So now what. Can that joint be repaired? Can those "dimples" be recreated on that short tube? What's on the long stator tube that those "dimples" go into?

 

[Don Elliott]

There is a long slot down the top 2" or so of the stator tube just behind the control head and these dimples are like keys which slide into that long slot. This keeps it from rotating. About 5 years ago, mine was rotating so I removed the control head and found that the 2" length where the slot is located had twisted off - corroded off or got worn off and I MIG welded it back on and ground off the excess weld on the outside diameter. I put it back and it's been fine since.

If yours has broken off, and you don't have a MIG welder or a place where they can re-weld it on, I suggest you need to buy a new stator tube.

 

[Geo Hahn]

For years new stator tubes were NLA -- you were stuck with trying to find a decent used one or getting crafty with some hardware store tubing.

Now it's all good -- in stainless even:

https://www.macysgarage.com/myweb6/Parts/other_tr2_3_parts.htm#TR2/3 Stator Tube

 

[JohnB]

Don,
Is that 2" piece with the slot in it a separate piece from the long stator tube, or a part of it?

If separate, how is it held to the long tube?

 

[Moseso]

The slot is in the top of the stator tube. The control head tube, with the dimples, slides over & onto that. The control head is held in place by three "grub screws" in the steering wheel hub. Loosen those, and you can then pull the control head up from the steering wheel and see what's going on underneath.

 

[Don Elliott]

On the rear of the control head, you will find that 2" long piece attached to the rear face of the control head. The "dimples (keys align with the 2" long slot in the long stator tube - right up at the top. If nothing is broken, the dimples will slide down the slot and this effextively makes it all like one piece.

In the photo you can see the 2" long piece out the rear which slots up between the dimple keys and the long slot in the mating piece.

 

[JohnB]

Thanks.
I'll pull out the head out this afternoon, check the connection of the tubes and see why it's turning free.

 

[ekamm]

John I have the same issue with my 3. Please post some pictures and let us see what you see.

 

[TR3driver]

I don't have any pictures to share, as I've been lucky so far. But by far the most common problem is that the stator tube (the long one through the column) breaks, right at the bottom of the slot.

I suspect, but cannot prove, that this happens because the turn signal cancelling mechanism gets stiff and takes too much force to turn. The bottom of the slot is the weakest point, so that is where it cracks and then breaks.

But whatever the cause of the break, you probably won't see much unless the broken stub from the stator tube happens to fall out. The break is several inches into the column, and it's hard to see in there.

 

[JohnB]

I pulled the control head out of the steering wheel this afternoon. Does the short tube attatched to the head, fit inside or around the outside of the long stator tube that should have the slot in it?

Really can't see much of that long tube from up above. How does one get that tube out? Nothing to grab from up top. Does/can it slide out from below?

Was going to take some pics but the camara battery was too low.

 

[TR3driver]

The short tube from the control head fits around the outside of the long stator tube.

To get the stator tube out, you'll have to undo the compression nut on the front of the steering box (which will start the lube running out if there is any in there). Normally the tube won't come out that way, but you'll probably have to pull it out some to fight with the compression sleeve. Preserve the sleeve if you can, they were unobtanium last time I checked. Undo the 4 bullet terminals from their sleeves (up behind the horn) and pull the sub-harness out from any clips. Then usually the stator tube will come out as you pull the wires through the column from the steering wheel end.

 

[Keoke]

Go to the Healey Forum select "Convert to adjustable" there are all the pictures you will need.Fwiw--Keoke

 

[JohnB]

Randall, Guess it's been way too long a day .....never occured to me that the drag from the wires would help pull the tube out.

Thanks for the help. I'll give it a try in the morning.

 

[MDCanaday]

In cases of extreme wear of a good head/tube dont forget the metal bonding epoxy, there is no reason not to bond this joint in a semi-permanent manor.(IMHO)Then if the gland nut is tight all is well again.(at least until the head fails)
MD(mad dog)

 

[JohnB]

Good tip MD, thanks.............