Need Turn Signal Help!

[Big Jimbo]

I drove my car today for the first time in over a year after a frame-off restoration and now the turn signal switch does not work properly. It worked fine before I took everything apart. When I move the lever for a right or left turn it engages solidly like it always did, and the lights flash properly. However, when I start to turn the steering wheel it immediately cancels the signal. I pulled the steering wheel and took everything apart but it looks like it only goes together one way. The cam on the steering wheel sits between the two spring loaded levers that look like they should move and let the cam pass by and then pop down so that when the turn is completed and the steering wheel reversed direction to straighten out the car the cam should then hit the lever and cancel the signal. Since it worked before I took it apart I hate to start modifying things to make it work. I did clean and grease everything...maybe that made it move too easy!
I will post some picture and hopefully someone will spot what I have done wrong!
Thanks for your help!
Jim

[Dick Koch]

Hi Jim - Every thing looks OK to me. Make sure the actuator protrusion under the brass plate in picture #3 fits into the spring loaded cam in picture #4. That is what actuates the cutoff after you make a turn. Also make sure the steering wheel goes onto the splines correctly, there is an index groove to line up then the wheel goes on the splined shaft. Jim it's a good idea to grease the contact roller and the brass plate librally with diaelectric grease. I had a roller wear flat one time. Another thing is to make sure the outer shaft cover is seated properly at the steering box. Loosen the clamp down at the bottom of the outer cover and the strap at the dash then with a piece of 2 x 4 give the 2 x 4 a couple of whacks with a hammer to make sure it seats properly because that affects how far down the bearing is on the shaft and for the turn signal mechanism to work properly. All I can say is if that doesn't work, do like me, try something else.
Good luck,
Dick.

[Big Jimbo]

Thanks Dick, those are some good ideas.
I had the steering column out and am wondering if I got the jacket seated properly on the steering box. I will try all of those ideas and see what happens...will let you know.

[big m]

Dick may have hit the nail on the head- I had the same thing happen in my '57, and found the mast jacket was not seated all the way down. Everything you have pictured appears to be correct.

---John

[Big Jimbo]

Over the weekend I examined the column jacket and it was seated at the bottom by the steering box. I then re-examined everything and noticed the steering shaft seemed to be a little off-center to the left. by pulling hard on it I could wiggle it back an forth about 1/8 of an inch. So I pulled the column jacket off the shaft and found that I had place the bearing/shaft shim on the bottom of the bearing next to the C-clip on the shaft instead of on the top of the bearing where it is pushed in by the spring under the steering wheel! I put the shim back on top and now everything works! I am surprised I didn't notice that the steering wheel felt loose when I drove the car. I guess I am lucky that this is one of the few silly mistakes I have found so far with sorting out the car.
Thanks for your help and suggestions!
Jim
PS..I had to replace two fuel injectors that stuck from the long lay-up, but now it is running sweet and in two days I am taking it over to the upholstry guy to get the interior done....will post some pictures when I get it back. This is the last big part of my several year project.

[big m]

Glad you got the troubles sorted, Jim!

---John

[Dick Koch]

Jim - You figured your problem out, maybe you can help me. After I installed the Power Steering Gear Box out of my 59 Desoto parts car I reassembled the steering shaft and shaft jacket, turn signal and horn mechanisms I noticed that standing outside the car I could see the horn brass plate that rides on the little roller. The horn ring would not go down far enouth to cover it. SO, I took everthing apart and noticed on the steering shaft there are two grooves that a small ring snaps into, mine didn't have a ring in either one. Tell me if I'm wrong but as I see it there is a cone shaped spacer that centers the shaft in the bearing, then a flat washer on top of that, then the tension spring, then another flat washer on top of the spring, then the steering wheel. When and at what point do you insert the rings in the groves I have one of them and is it both groves or only one, top or bottom and what purpose are they. In trying to fiqure this out I found out I have two steering shafts 28-3/4" long and one jacket 28-3/4" long. The steering shaft that came out of the 59 Desoto was 29-3/8" long and the Jacket 30-3/8" long, the difference probably having to do with the steering wheel, the shaft are all the same at the steering wheel end. I'm hoping you or somebody can shed some light on this so I don't have to take Charleens steering wheel off.
Thanks,
Dick.

[Dick Koch]

Jim - Never mind, like you I found the problem, ME. Like John Fowlie says, when something is taking forever, not going right and you are getting frustrated the best thing to do is walk away. I gave up and went inside, SSSS, and then went to bed. This morning I looked over everything again and realized the nut I had was cross threaded and would only go on the sahft halfway. I had the tapered spacer and a washer on the shaft but could not see any of the grooves in the shaft. After wiggeling the shaft around a bit I pulled on it, it came up and the grooves appeared, I surmized after putting the tapered centering spacer and the washer back on the shaft that one of the plain rings should go in the top groove to prevent the shaft from sliding down so far you can't get the nut started because of the spring tension when you put the steering wheel back on. Got a new nut started easily and it tightened nicely all the way. Problem solved.
Dick.

[Big Jimbo]

Dick
That is really great advice. I spent hours trying the same things over and over again, and then when I took a fresh look at it the next weekend, I saw right away that the shaft wasn't centered. It is hard to walk away from something that looks so simple, but hopefully next time I will remember this lesson!