Turn Indicator Cancelling?

[jjbunn]

Driving around in Harold today: I keep finding that my flashers are on from the last turn I made! The noise of the clicker is drowned out by the engine. Should the indicators cancel when the steering wheel returns to horizontal, or was that a later development?

 

[Nunyas]

I think it should work on '73s..... but I'm far from being an expert on that... anyone else?

 

[tony barnhill]

Yes, it should work on your car...ake the steering wheel off (hehehehe) to see if the little tab is broken.

 

[ronzi]

The turn signals on my '64 cancel, at least they do now after I replaced the broken plastic piece that does the cancelling. Could be yours has the same problem.

This is what mine looked like. Never mind the piece of wire. That was a PO's attempt at keeping the lever from flopping around.
The white plastic thingy should have a couple of ears that bear against the nut on the steeting column to provide the cancelling capability. Those ears get broken off and no more cancelling.
Yours is probably similar.
No steering wheel removal needed on my car to fix, but a '73 must be different.

 

[Camshaft]

Mine broke off the first time I used them (Charlotte), now I have to hold it in place to turn right, and every pothole unavoided makes a left look imminent as far as followers are concerned! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[jjbunn]

Thanks guys ... taking the wheel off is NO PROBLEM /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif

(In fact I need to take it off to align it having found that it is not level when I'm on the straight.)

But I don't see from the photo where the tabs are supposed to be. If they have broken off, wouldn't they be rattling around in the cowling?

Will I need to remove the cowling anyway, to get access to the business part of the switch?

 

[ronzi]

Assuming yours is the same as the one in the pic, the tabs are an inch or so long and are all one piece with the white plastic dingus. They run from the white plastic piece toward the steering column where the nut is. You can see a kind of rough place on the plastic next to that wire where the tab broke off.
If the arm(s) are broken off, they will probably just lie doggo in the bottom of the cowling, not rattle around.
You do need to remove the cowling, and on my '64, that's all you have to remove to get at the switch.
Moss sells both a complete swith ($75) or a repair kit ($25)for the switches on early cars. I assume you will probably have to get the complete switch, as the ones on later cars are not repairable.
Sorry I didn't take a pic of the repaired unit, as looking at another broken one doesn't tell you much about what it should look like.

 

[WA1KWA]

You don't have to take the steering wheel off on a 1973, either if you choose not to, just, as the previous poster stated, the cowling; the black plastic trim around the column. I think I'm on my third switch on my '74.

Colin

1974 MGB tourer

 

[Scott_Hower]

Does it cancel eventually, or not at all?

If eventually, on a 73 there is a steel clip on the left side of the column shaft that needs repositioning. Wiggle it around so the flats are parallel to the floor.

If never, the whisker springs are likely broken off. :-(

 

[jjbunn]

The clip appears to be in the correct position: flats horizontal with the wheel dead ahead.

There is an upper ratchet/pawl in black plastic that is moved by the clip ... its partner underneath is missing. However, the turn cancel doesn't work either way.

Looks like I have some more investigating to do.

BTW the small steering wheel I got from BoxORocks is great! I can now sit comfortably, and I feel like I'm steering a go-cart!