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MG MG Y Type - Servicing Y Horn Push

Does anyone please know, how to service the clock work of the centre-boss of a Y or YB steering wheel (combined horn push/trafficators)? A guideline would be very welcome.
Thank you
Anton
Anton Piller

These are very complex items Anton. If you pack it up and send it to me I have a very good clock maker here who will see if it is able to be salvaged. Do not try to take it apart. Someone did that recently and we are not able to service it as it is missing some parts that may or may not have been there prior to it being taken apart. Please ship it intact. We have done several of these over the years very successfully over the years.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Anton, do you want to know how to take the horn push/trafficator apart, or the timer itself ?. As Paul says, the timer itself is for experts only to service !.
A L SLATTERY

Hi All,
I have stripped and rebuilt a few of these mechs and i would agree the job is not for the faint harted and you need a jewellers eye piece to examine the teeth on the gearwheels they ARE tiny. I spent a long time puzzeling over one that kept stopping every so often the cause, one minute tooth missing off a gearwheel that i had missed.Anton mind you don't lose the spring that the wires go through at the top of the steering column. when you remove the single chrome screw in the steering boss to release the traff/switch, you will find you can only lift the switch a few inches and it's quite fiddly disconneting the three leads, make shure you mark the leads for easy replacement, it's a fiddly job but not impossible, sing out for any more info if you need it, i have photo's of stripdown some where,
John UMG624
JC Jebb

Gentlemen
Thank you for your feedbacks and the warning about the complexity of the clockwork-like setup.
As a last resort, I might consider to ship the item to the US - which might come across as a sin to all the proud Swiss watchmakers. Also, initially trained as a precision mechanic, I am tempted to carefully have a go at it.
But first I have to sort out and fit the beautifully made, new harness AutoSparks had made to special order....

John, if in the meantime, you could please look for and let me have some pictures, I might even be more tempted to try my luck.

Cheers to all of you
Anton, Y/T 4220
Anton Piller

Hi Anton

I understand your national pride in watchmaking and wanting to have a go. By all means do that, however, my watchmaker will no longer accept ones that have been tampered with or taken apart. He recently spent a great deal of time before stating that there were too many missing parts for him to be able to do anything with it and declaring the unit beyond repair ... which then leaves him out of pocket, the sender for sending it and me for sending it back if desired.

Not wanting to appear threatening, but be very sure you want to attempt this before you do so as it is very much a one way street I am afraid.

Paul
Paul Barrow

hi,
I don't know that i go along with your thoughts Paul,compared with a watch this is a Barney Rubble device a very crude timer. there are only six gearshafts in the mech all of them and a lot of the gears steel!!steel and rust go together and all of th mechs are between 63-70 years old and have wear as well.yes a skilled watchmaker could easily make the six shafts and eleven gears but i think the cost would not be viable.So i think provided you are not quick tempered, have loads of patience have dextrous fingers have ago, make a diagram before you strip of the positions of the gears etc etc one word of warning handle the two bladed clutch with great care.Good luck with the cleaning, cos thats all your do'ing really (with no new parts available)last thing get friendly with a Endocrinocogists you might need him or her!!!
John UMG624
JC Jebb

picture of mech
John UMG624

JC Jebb

Paul

I fully understand that your watchmaker does not want to have a go at any devices that have been tempered with.

I still have some time to decide what to do, but as they say: No Risk, No Fun. John's replies give me hope that a service can be done by a patient, mechanically minded guy and also Walter Prechsl from Germany sent me an article, about repairing a trafficator switch, he wrote for the OCC bulletin some time ago (he will also send some photos).

If worst comes to worst and I fail to do a good job, I'll have to return the trafficator switch back to the neutral position by hand, after turning a corner - something I had to do with my TDs for years.

Anton
Anton Piller

Anton

So the electric side all works at least then!

When you turn it, do you hear any ticking at all?

Paul
Paul Barrow

Paul
The electrics don't work yet, since I am busy sorting and fitting the wiring harness. Yes, since I had sprayed a little WD40 into the mechanics for the last couple of days, I hear ticking in both directions - a bit tired, but it's a start.
I will get some Clockwork Cleaning Compound and some watchmaker's Oil and with luck and after soaking the works in the cleaner for a couple of days, I might not even have to strip the device.

Anton
Anton Piller

That is good news then Anton.

If you can hear ticking it usually means one of two problems exist - either the control return spring is broken/missing and/or the control return cam is missing.

The good news is the spring is available from fellow International MG Type Register member and Representative Tony Slattery - see http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/stores/classicwshop.shtml.

If it is the Cam Arm, I still have some of these available. There are two different kinds so I will need the unit to make sure I get the right one.

Keep me posted as to how you get on.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Thank you Paul

I will, once I have a look inside this marvellous concoction :o)

Anton
Anton Piller

John Hall,
Another thread on push horn, not sure if it helps you? my suggestion is go on the Y BBS Archive and have a search of some key words you will find a wealth of information going back over the years from Y owners and advice from the IMGYTR over repairs of such units, and that it's not for the faint hearted!!

Best of luck

Richard
Richard Knight

Thank you Richard - as you will see from the current thread, I have a good specimen to refer to, and am having a go at strip/clean/reassemble. Early days, but so far so good. I'll keep photos to add to the very good archives.
John.
J P Hall

Hi Anton,
Not too difficult to take apart and clean if it is in basically good condition in my view - much easier than a watch.
Pete
P Willows

Hi Pete

You hit the nail there in your caveat "if it is in basically good condition". However, last time someone decided they could take theirs apart and do it themselves they lost a bunch of parts that I had to have hand remade for them after they sent it to me to fix the mess they had made of it.

John

To be honest it is not recommended to take apart yourself - my guy is much cheaper (and faster) if he gets them unboggered up!!

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 18/11/2016 and 10/03/2019

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