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MG MG Y Type - Slip ring assembly

On my 1952 YB the trafficators no longer work with the switch in the steering wheel hub, but at some point in the car's life a toggle switch in the dashboard center has taken over. The reason for this was failure of the slip ring assembly on the steering column. The bakelite housing is broken and held together with tape, contacts disconnected. Parts suppliers either do not stock this part or never have heard of it! Is this an item specific to Y-types, or has it been used in other cars? Can anyone indicate a source, so I can go back to the original setup?
Remo Peter

After 50+ years things wear out. The same has happened to me and I have had to bypass the slip ring for the horn and turn signals. There do not seem to be any NOS or replacement parts available, certainly NTG doesn't have them. The slip ring seems to be unique to Y types. Must be quite a number of us with the same problem and perhaps the Y register could look into having the slip ring remade. Terry
Terry O'Brien

Sorry to ask a basic question , but can someone describe which part is the slip ring please?
I am also having trouble with my semaphores, they work but don't cancel due to a broken spring inside the clock mechanism. See my specific question.
Ted Gardner
Ted Gardner

The slip ring is at the bottom of the steering column. The wires from the horn and trafficators run down the centre of the column( the part that moves with the steering wheel) and are attached to brass spring contacts which rotate against brass rings attached to the immoveable bakelite cover which has the terminals. There is a good description of the slip ring and trafficator switch in the Y Maintenance Manual , available from the Octagon Car Club and obligatory for anyone trying to maintain one of these cars especialy at this distance.

The problem is that the bakelite is often damaged( mine isn't) and the brass to brass contact wears out,with the result in my case that the horn and turn signals would only work with the steering wheel in certain positions and not the same position for each function. I would not think it would be that difficult to have new rings, spring contacts and covers made. If I could find a used slip ring I would be willing to give it a go but the chances of finding one in this part of the world are less than zero.

A chap from Seattle told me a few years ago that he was going to experiment with replacing the spring contacts with spring loaded graphite brushes. Never heard the result if any.

The Alternate Parts listing (from the Y Register and OCC) has no reference to another car using a slip ring but says that the Austin- Healey 100-six and 3000 used a similar Steering wheel horn and indicator system. How did they get the wires out of the column without a slip ring which is a common electrical device for transmiting electrical current through moving parts. Terry
Terry O'Brien

On our 47 the brass contact strips worn out. I drilled out the center of each contact for the wires and added a carbon brush and small coil spring with a screw to hold both the spring and the wire in place...this has work without error for about 6 years now...

Rob

The UK MGCC 'Y' Register has a leaflet on the slip ring, complete with diagrams, and somewhere I have an explosed veiw of the clockwork switch. I can email you a copy of my diagram, and a sales leaflet for the 'Y' Register with the bits they have.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

And...
I think I have mentioned this before. The slip rings are just like those in an alternator. But those on the 'Y' steering column iside the bakelite cover, have metal brushes, not carbon. There are four of them and they rub against the same bit of ring all the time.

If you look carefully, you will see the top end of the cover has three tiny counter-sunk screws securing it to the column outer tube. If you remove these screws, then rotate the cover one-third of 360 degrees, you present a much better, almost unworn area, of the rings to the brushes. A bit of electrical cleaning fluid squirted up the column to clean the area, then a bit of WD40 for lubrication, and many intermittent faults disappear. Also, you find the horn is suddenly better!

Remember which way you twisted it, as in 50 years time you will need to repeat the operation. After 150 though, you might need new rings and brushed.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

I've been chasing around on this slippery circle of a ring a ring of roses. I found a short between two of the rings due I suspect to dirt and subsequenty burned Bakelite(assuming that's possible?). Access was a bother but I have filled the cavity with Araldite and now things are OK. Terrible job separating ring from column. I made a bad job of it. By the way I have an early Y, the design changed a bit after my car was made. Really, once in place, I fancy that the ring is not strained much in use so glue could be structurally useful perhaps.On mine there was no alternative but to take the thing off. I do not see any way of repairing a Brass ring but it would of course be easy to say use the horn button by connecting to two good rings out of the four moulded in.
Slater Reynolds

This thread was discussed between 26/10/2001 and 27/10/2001

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