Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:28:58 -0700
Reply-To: Neil Crawford <vidublu@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Neil Crawford <vidublu@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Steering Wheel Adust/Horn sounds
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Well I R&R'd the entire ignition switch housing and combo switch,
again, y'day and this is what I found:
* The contacts on the lower (right/wiper control) assembly of the combo
switch were gunked up. I cleaned them with Ralph Lauren's Polo!
* The two contacts on the lower assembly are not making (or breaking) and
it appears they haven't for years.
I just scavenged this ComboSwitch from an '85 recently and had previously
there was a fault in it, vice the steering wheel that was causing the horn
to sound.
* The ignition switch screw wasn't seated completely. I'm unsure if that
was my bad or it worked loose with all the adjustments I've made while
attempting to get the horn to stop sounding.
* The black nylon sleeve isn't the same on both ends and I reversed it. It
now has the solid end downward and the end with the notches upward.
* The wheel is still loose (while I grasp at 3 & 9 o'clock and tilt it
toward the windshield or down toward the deck), unless I tighten the large,
top nut down unreasonably tight.
* There are about five threads or 3/8" of thread btwn the top edge of the
steering wheel bolt and the surface of the steering wheel base (before
installing the large, top nut, for what that's worth.
* If I snug the top nut the horn doesn't sound when turning the swheel
about 180 degrees.
* If I tighten the top nut the horn sounds when turning the swheel about
180 degrees.
* If I tighten the top nut to the point that the wheel no longer tilts
significantly the horn sounds continuously.
Generally, the tighter the top nut, the louder the scraping sound becomes.
Questions:
I find it difficult to believe the lack of the two 3'o'clock contacts
making/breaking would cause the horn to sound. Does anyone else agree?
Does anyone know what these contacts are used for? I'm beginning to think
the horn cicuit is Normally Closed. Anyone know fer sure?
Do I now have the black, nylon sleeve correctly? Does it matter? I thought
the orientation might affect the tilting but it doesn't seem to relate.
How tight do ya'll tighten the large, top nut? Or, how many threads are
showing above yours?
Given the last three bullets above, what do ya'll deduce?
Penny for your thoughts?
On 3/26/08, Gary Stearns <gstearns@optonline.net> wrote:
>
> Mine scrapes sometimes too. I found was that it was being caused by the
> brass horn contact arm on the steering column and the brass ring on the
> bottom of the steering wheel that makes contact with. Whatever lubricant
> may
> have been there was now just a stiff blob. You'll have to remove the
> steering wheel to get to it (Make a mental note of it's position on the
> splines!). I cleaned both the contact arm and the ring, smoothed the
> surface of both with 400 grit sandpaper, bent the brass arm slightly so
> that
> it would contact the ring in a different place and lubed with Lubro-Moly
> copper anti-sieze. This stuff has a lot of ground up microscopic copper
> in
> it, which I thought would help the electrical connection. I have to do
> this
> every couple of years, but it is the source of the noise.
>
> Gary
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Neil Crawford" <vidublu@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:55 PM
> Subject: Re: Scraping steering wheel - not screws
>
>
> > Well, I'm on me third swheel and still the scraping, horn blaring and
> now
> > the wheel seems loose as well. I've adjusted the ignition switch
> housing
> > up
> > and down multiple times. Nothing doing. The latest swheel is from an
> > '86.
> > Since I'm supposed to be, officially, using '81 ~ '85 parts, could the
> > swheel itself be a problem?
> >
> > Me horn is now disconnected. Not a good thing.
> >
> >
> > On 3/19/08, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> Ben,
> >> You can adjust the ignition switch housing which will in turn give you
> >> more clearance between the steering wheel horn ring and the finger that
> >> pushes against it. Remove the lower steering column cover and you will
> >> see an allen head bolt that is clamping the ignition switch housing to
> >> the steering column. Loosen this allen bolt (if it isn't already
> loose)
> >> and then push the ignition switch housing down away from you. You will
> >> see that there is an adjustment that can be made here. Now take a look
> >> at the clearance between the steering wheel and the steering column
> >> cover. You should have more clearance. Adjust until you get enough
> >> clearance to stop the scraping noise. Now you should be good to go.
> >> Lock the allen bolt and put the lower cover back on and you should be
> >> golden.
> >>
> >> Hope this helps,
> >> Ken Wilford
> >> John 3:16
> >> www.vanagain.com
> >>
> >>
> >> Ben Cichowski wrote:
> >> > Hi all,
> >> >
> >> > (1988 Wolfsburg Vanagon 2WD, MT, ej22)
> >> >
> >> > I have a scraping sound in my steering wheel. I read archives a while
> >> ago and discovered that this is likely due to the 2 screws under there
> >> scraping along the brass ring. I checked mine and thought that could be
> >> it
> >> as the screws were a little loose, and there appeared to be some wear
> on
> >> the
> >> ring...but the scraping sound persists, even with tight screws.
> >> >
> >> > It seems like my wheel sits too close to the column - like right
> >> > against
> >> the plastic column covers. Is there supposed to be a nylon
> washer/spacer
> >> in
> >> there or something that I'm missing - or is there an adjustment that
> I'm
> >> not
> >> seeing in Bentley that brings the wheel out just a touch?
> >> >
> >> > Thanks - Ben
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _________________________________________________________________
> >> > Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your
> >> > Hotmail(R)-get
> >> your "fix".
> >> > http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Neil Crawford
> > '82 Diesel Westy
> > Me other car is Swedish
>
--
Neil Crawford
'82 Diesel Westy
Me other car is Swedish
| 
