How to rebuild 71-82 aussie ignition switch
Posted: Mon Mar 25, 19 5:51 pm
well this might be useful to a couple of you
Aussie Cars from pre valiant era and then from 61- 70 used US style ignition switches and locks
after 71 they used 3 switches which are mostly all the same but are a, unique to Chrysler Australia, switch. made by a long-bankrupt company in sydney
as such when they break you have 2 choices, find another or set your car up with switches like a race car.
finding another usually involves spending upwards of $200 on a lock/switch that may well fail in exactly the same ways as your current one, and introduces a mis matched key, that doesn't fit your door locks.
Or
$250-300 for a reconditioned switch only,
Or more money for a NOS one, that i have found can fail just as quickly....
2 switches
3 styles of application in respect to wires
2 different housing/locks 1 for each type of switch
early VH 71 until mid 72
flat face ignition lock with switch held into housing using only a grub screw d shaped 4 pin bullet connector, 1 brown, 3 white with coloured trace wires.
both lock housing and connector are date stamped
late 72
same switch same lock housing different wire colors and modular spade connector
VJ on wards
3 wing mounts on switch
the steering lock has lumps either side of key and 3 screw holes in the base for the wing mount switch
different small bore to top of switch case due to no collar around the lock output cam in the housing,
modular spade connector red blue yellow and black wires.
i have converted my car to this connector, it is still available from UK suppliers as a 4 pin spade connector male female pair exact copy
Failures
1) bottom of switch falls out and you lose all the parts. It is lightly crimped into a pot metal housing
2) Bottom of switch partially falls out and all of the metal parts short to the case starting a fire
3) connector gets corroded, gets hot and starts a fire
4) springs collapse and short out and burn out
5) Bottom of switch starts to fall out allowing internals to move about and the main plastic carrier then gets smashed up, the spring mount cracks off or the main cam onto the bottom of the steering lock cracks in half.
Solution is to rebuild the switch.
switch parts
case includes 2 ball bearings and 2 springs, neither should come out easily leave them alone, one of mine was missing hence first picture shows ebay purchases to put it right.
Plastic cam/contact carrier,
plastic cam/contact carrier return spring
3 contact "float" springs
contact (copper)
base with wires.
The aim is to put it back together
tools
1) 0.5- 0.8mm drill
2) hot plastic glue gun
3) paper clip
4) small ball pein hammer
Method
clean case
use ball pein to gently hammer out the crimp sections
make sure 2 springs and 2 balls do not fall out...
check base fits easily. it has a key the means it only fits 1 way
1) put case open side up
2) put in plastic cam/contact support so that it rests on the balls with them in the middle flute
3) put in the 3 "float" Springs
4) put the contact on and hold it down flat
5) carefully establish a position in the wall of the case to drill a hole that will allow you to pin the contact in this position with your drill bit.
6) Dismantle and drill the hole.
Ready to start
1) Put steering lock on edge of bench with key removed but lock in the the Lock position, steering lock plunger out.... it will balance
2) put case into steering lock
3) check balls and springs
4) put reaction spring into spring holder on cam/contact support (see pics)
5) Put cam/contact support into case and mount onto the end of the steering lock poking up through case (see direction in pics, it can go 2 ways and 1 way is wrong)
6) hold it in place, pick up lock put in key and very carefully check that there is no "SPRING" action until you are moving from IGN to START, any spring action before and you have the cam on the wrong way and you will Bananarama! by going further
7) turn key back to LOCK and remove, place lock back on edge of bench (see pics)
8) pull out cam again
9) check balls and springs in case and put the cam back in, the same way.
10 put in the 3 "float" springs
11) put on the contact, it only goes on 1 way, its obvious which way as its too narrow ot be supported by 2 springs at one end
12) press it down onto the drive cam and pin it in place with your drill bit
13 check orientation of base in respect to its key and the gap in the case
14) place it on to the case making sure the n1pp1e on the bottom of the cam/support goes into the hole in the base
15) press it down quite hard and pull out your drill bit
16) keep it compressed and use the ball pein to pein over the thin bits to hold the case together.
Options
use hot glue gun to really seal it up so it won't fall apart
OR
if there is nothing left to bash over with the ball pein hammer go back to your drill..
check positions of wires on the switch base
choose the 3 areas furthest away from the wires and drill through the case into the base 2-3mm. you do not want to do this near the wire entry points as you will drill into a contact and short it out to the case. Do this with the base properly in
cut 3 small sections of paperclip and stick them into the holes. make them 4mm long and bend the ends over.
make sure they don't come out by using hot glue.
Options 2
Make a late 3 wing switch fit an early housing
dismantle switch
cut off wings
linish to make smooth
bore top of case to make it fit over the collar in the flat ignition lock housing or you could just smash off the collar if you don't want to dismantle the switch...
rebuild switch
it has the dent in it for the grub screw mount. it may need attention from drill.
the switch i rebuilt was scrap retrieved from my bin, it was rebuilt to prove the new cam/contact carriers i have made work. I have 4 to sell and can get more made.
pic show general technique and positioning of parts
couple show switch used in running car
Dave
Aussie Cars from pre valiant era and then from 61- 70 used US style ignition switches and locks
after 71 they used 3 switches which are mostly all the same but are a, unique to Chrysler Australia, switch. made by a long-bankrupt company in sydney
as such when they break you have 2 choices, find another or set your car up with switches like a race car.
finding another usually involves spending upwards of $200 on a lock/switch that may well fail in exactly the same ways as your current one, and introduces a mis matched key, that doesn't fit your door locks.
Or
$250-300 for a reconditioned switch only,
Or more money for a NOS one, that i have found can fail just as quickly....
2 switches
3 styles of application in respect to wires
2 different housing/locks 1 for each type of switch
early VH 71 until mid 72
flat face ignition lock with switch held into housing using only a grub screw d shaped 4 pin bullet connector, 1 brown, 3 white with coloured trace wires.
both lock housing and connector are date stamped
late 72
same switch same lock housing different wire colors and modular spade connector
VJ on wards
3 wing mounts on switch
the steering lock has lumps either side of key and 3 screw holes in the base for the wing mount switch
different small bore to top of switch case due to no collar around the lock output cam in the housing,
modular spade connector red blue yellow and black wires.
i have converted my car to this connector, it is still available from UK suppliers as a 4 pin spade connector male female pair exact copy
Failures
1) bottom of switch falls out and you lose all the parts. It is lightly crimped into a pot metal housing
2) Bottom of switch partially falls out and all of the metal parts short to the case starting a fire
3) connector gets corroded, gets hot and starts a fire
4) springs collapse and short out and burn out
5) Bottom of switch starts to fall out allowing internals to move about and the main plastic carrier then gets smashed up, the spring mount cracks off or the main cam onto the bottom of the steering lock cracks in half.
Solution is to rebuild the switch.
switch parts
case includes 2 ball bearings and 2 springs, neither should come out easily leave them alone, one of mine was missing hence first picture shows ebay purchases to put it right.
Plastic cam/contact carrier,
plastic cam/contact carrier return spring
3 contact "float" springs
contact (copper)
base with wires.
The aim is to put it back together
tools
1) 0.5- 0.8mm drill
2) hot plastic glue gun
3) paper clip
4) small ball pein hammer
Method
clean case
use ball pein to gently hammer out the crimp sections
make sure 2 springs and 2 balls do not fall out...
check base fits easily. it has a key the means it only fits 1 way
1) put case open side up
2) put in plastic cam/contact support so that it rests on the balls with them in the middle flute
3) put in the 3 "float" Springs
4) put the contact on and hold it down flat
5) carefully establish a position in the wall of the case to drill a hole that will allow you to pin the contact in this position with your drill bit.
6) Dismantle and drill the hole.
Ready to start
1) Put steering lock on edge of bench with key removed but lock in the the Lock position, steering lock plunger out.... it will balance
2) put case into steering lock
3) check balls and springs
4) put reaction spring into spring holder on cam/contact support (see pics)
5) Put cam/contact support into case and mount onto the end of the steering lock poking up through case (see direction in pics, it can go 2 ways and 1 way is wrong)
6) hold it in place, pick up lock put in key and very carefully check that there is no "SPRING" action until you are moving from IGN to START, any spring action before and you have the cam on the wrong way and you will Bananarama! by going further
7) turn key back to LOCK and remove, place lock back on edge of bench (see pics)
8) pull out cam again
9) check balls and springs in case and put the cam back in, the same way.
10 put in the 3 "float" springs
11) put on the contact, it only goes on 1 way, its obvious which way as its too narrow ot be supported by 2 springs at one end
12) press it down onto the drive cam and pin it in place with your drill bit
13 check orientation of base in respect to its key and the gap in the case
14) place it on to the case making sure the n1pp1e on the bottom of the cam/support goes into the hole in the base
15) press it down quite hard and pull out your drill bit
16) keep it compressed and use the ball pein to pein over the thin bits to hold the case together.
Options
use hot glue gun to really seal it up so it won't fall apart
OR
if there is nothing left to bash over with the ball pein hammer go back to your drill..
check positions of wires on the switch base
choose the 3 areas furthest away from the wires and drill through the case into the base 2-3mm. you do not want to do this near the wire entry points as you will drill into a contact and short it out to the case. Do this with the base properly in
cut 3 small sections of paperclip and stick them into the holes. make them 4mm long and bend the ends over.
make sure they don't come out by using hot glue.
Options 2
Make a late 3 wing switch fit an early housing
dismantle switch
cut off wings
linish to make smooth
bore top of case to make it fit over the collar in the flat ignition lock housing or you could just smash off the collar if you don't want to dismantle the switch...
rebuild switch
it has the dent in it for the grub screw mount. it may need attention from drill.
the switch i rebuilt was scrap retrieved from my bin, it was rebuilt to prove the new cam/contact carriers i have made work. I have 4 to sell and can get more made.
pic show general technique and positioning of parts
couple show switch used in running car
Dave