<VV> Almost Home-Blinkers Busted

[Harry Yarnell]

'64 switch is on the side of the steering column. Completely different from 
a '65.

Harry Yarnell
Perryman Garage and Orphanage
hyarnell1 at earthlink.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <norman.witte at comcast.net>
To: "Tim Verthein" <minoxphotographer at yahoo.com>
Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2006 8:36 AM
Subject: Re: <VV> Almost Home-Blinkers Busted


> Tim, before you order parts, disassemble the switch.  If the switch is 
> similar to the 65 (and I don't know that it is), there are a group of leaf 
> switches inside that may simply need adjustment.  Mine was repairable 
> without buying any parts.
>
> See my previous post pasted below or read in Bob Helt's book for more 
> information.
>
> Norm
>
>
> -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- 
> From: norman.witte at comcast.net
> To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Subject: 1965 Turn Signal Switch
> Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 13:47:35 +0000
>
> I've been messing with the turn signal switches on my two '65 Corsas, both 
> of
> which have the standard, non-telescoping steering columns. The shop manual 
> has
> precious little information in it regarding the turn signal switch and I 
> just
> had a few "Hoover" moments, so I thought I would share what I learned with 
> the
> list.
>
> First, a tip about removing steering wheels. Just before I start cranking 
> on
> the steering wheel puller to pop the steering wheel off, I put a piece of 
> tape
> over the gap between the wheel and the mast jacket and cut it with a 
> knife.
> It's not fool-proof, but I have found that by doing this I am far more 
> likely to
> get the steering wheel on strai ght to start with.
>
> Now, for the switch. The problem I had with my convertible is that the 
> left
> front turn signal and the dash blinker light would not come on unless I 
> put a
> little extra pressure on the turn signal lever. The turn signal lever is
> attached to a "C" shaped arm. The arm has a blade the protrudes downward 
> into
> the switch and moves a set of contacts. I figured that there was a problem 
> with
> the contacts, but because I didn't understand how the contacts worked, I 
> messed
> them up on my first attempt, with the result that the front blinkers 
> blinked
> like 4-ways regardless of the position of the turn signal lever. After a 
> little
> more study, I came to understand how the contacts worked and I want to 
> pass on
> what I learned.
>
> The illustration at this link
>
> http://www.motortopia.com/album/ssp/p/cars/a/990/i/turn_signal_diagram
>
> will be helpful in understanding my explanation.
>
> As the illustration shows, there a re three contacts and six posts. One 
> contact
> is tied to the left taillight, one to right taillight, and one to the 
> front turn
> signals. Separate contacts for the front and back are required because the
> brake lights only illuminate in back. In my illustration, you can see that
> contact A is normally in contact with contact C, as is contact B. This 
> closes
> the circuit for the brake lights, so that when the brake light switch 
> closes,
> both brake lights come on. As for the front turn signals, it is important 
> to
> note that their contact comes close to posts D and E, but DOES NOT TOUCH 
> THEM
> unless the turn signal lever is moved. When the lever is moved to indicate 
> a
> left turn by pulling it down, the blade on the lever pushes both the left
> taillight contact and the turn signal contact so that they both touch post 
> D.
> At that point, the circuit for the blinker is closed through the lights on 
> the
> left side of the car. Of course, just the opposite oc curs w
> hen the turn signal left is moved to the right turn position.
>
> The concacts bend easily, so it's easy to screw them up if you don't 
> understand
> how this little box works. Knowing this, you can make sure that there is 
> the
> proper amount of clearance from all of the posts when the switch is in the
> neutral position and that there is full contact when it is in the right or 
> left
> position.
>
> Norm Witte
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