Reply To: A turn signal problem

[BernieParticipant]

Larry,

I presume by “egg timmer” you mean the wonderful clockwork switch.  As this is purely mechanical the only things that usually go wrong are wear, corrosion on the contacts or damage to a gear tooth.

Of course they can be taken apart.  Some units have a clear plastic back so you can sometimes see if there is an obvious fault before opening up the unit.  Depending on the type you may only need to undo 3 or 4 small nuts but others are riveted and they will need drilling out and then reassembly can be more difficult.

If the clockwork part is working correctly, i.e. winding up, ticking down and then cancelling – in both directions – check the nylon “selector” (in the centre of the contact switching arrangement) for correct operation and/or damage. If that is fine the fault is almost certainly in the switching system.  Are the contacts making and breaking correctly?  If in doubt as to how they should operate, you can compare the action of the duff side with the other, correctly operating, half.  If all seems to be working the points may simply need cleaning or closing slightly to ensure good contact.

However, if the clockwork timing mechanism is not operating properly then, as you suspect, it is a clock/watchmakers problem and probably best not tackled by the faint hearted.

The great thing about theses switches is that, unlike the electronic alternatives,  they are not Voltage specific and they therfore perform happily in either 6 or 12V systems. I have seen new ones advertised but, unfortunately, they rarely incorporate an integral warning lamp.  Second hand items do come up from time to time but I fear you may be forced, temporarily at least, to revert to an electronic replacement if yours transpires to be beyond repair.

B…..