Turn signal switch/button failure

RVtraveler48

RVtraveler48

Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
26
Location
Jacksonville, FL
I noticed the left turn signal on my 2009 ST1300A was intermittent - I've revived some of the switches with silicone spray in the past, but shooting it in there caused the right turn signal to fail to. They come on if I hold the button to either side, but won't latch. It is 15 years old and pushing 90,000 miles but my problem is I cannot locate the part. All the ones on line don't have the button to raise and lower the windshield - mine has that, the turn signals, 4-way flashers horn and high/low beams. Can anyone suggest a source of this part? Perhaps a spring has broken - I'm uncomfortable taking it off without a new part in hand. Does anyone watch for hand turn signals anymore??????? Thanks in advance. Peter
 
RVtraveler48 said:
I noticed the left turn signal on my 2009 ST1300A was intermittent - I've revived some of the switches with silicone spray in the past, but shooting it in there caused the right turn signal to fail to. They come on if I hold the button to either side, but won't latch. It is 15 years old and pushing 90,000 miles but my problem is I cannot locate the part. All the ones on line don't have the button to raise and lower the windshield - mine has that, the turn signals, 4-way flashers horn and high/low beams. Can anyone suggest a source of this part? Perhaps a spring has broken - I'm uncomfortable taking it off without a new part in hand. Does anyone watch for hand turn signals anymore??????? Thanks in advance. Peter
Click to expand...
Honda sells the correct switch pod as part number 35020-MCS-L03 but you probably could just clean and lubricate the moving parts and contacts of the switch to restore it to service. I did this several times over the life of my ST1300. There are two screws on the underside to remove the top half and IIRC one more screw into the bar end fixing a bracket that retains the bottom half. No tiny springs or small parts are free to fall out upon initial disassembly. Use contact cleaner and relube with a small amount of dielectric or silicone grease. This should be a very easy fix.
 
Squirting contact cleaner or silicone spray into a switch is hit or miss. Eventually you will have to do what @dduelin suggested (meaning now).
 
RVtraveler48 said:
I noticed the left turn signal on my 2009 ST1300A was intermittent - I've revived some of the switches with silicone spray in the past, but shooting it in there caused the right turn signal to fail to. They come on if I hold the button to either side, but won't latch. It is 15 years old and pushing 90,000 miles but my problem is I cannot locate the part. All the ones on line don't have the button to raise and lower the windshield - mine has that, the turn signals, 4-way flashers horn and high/low beams. Can anyone suggest a source of this part? Perhaps a spring has broken - I'm uncomfortable taking it off without a new part in hand. Does anyone watch for hand turn signals anymore??????? Thanks in advance. Peter
Click to expand...

No one watches for hand signals,,, or even recognizes them anymore. But that doesn't mean that you should not use them,,, as every little bit helps. There is a good youtube video on doing a proper full rebuild of the honda turn signal switch. It's quite doable, if you are comfortable doing fine work. Several of us had to do rebuilds when installing the sts/st2 turn signal cancellation module. The oem honda switch is robust,,, and works fine a long time,, until it gets full of dirt, bugs and dried grease. Watch the video,,, and get to know the procedure,,, cheers,,, CAt'
 
Yup - I had to do this on my 2007 ST1300 - and it is an easy job.

I'd suggest spreading a sheet or something on the floor - just in case you drop a little part - and don't use silicon spray. Electrical contact cleaner is the right stuff to clean the contacts once you have the switch apart.

You will be surprised at how much nicer the bike is to ride with a smoothly functioning electrical switch there.

Pete
 
dduelin said:
Honda sells the correct switch pod as part number 35020-MCS-L03 but you probably could just clean and lubricate the moving parts and contacts of the switch to restore it to service. I did this several times over the life of my ST1300. There are two screws on the underside to remove the top half and IIRC one more screw into the bar end fixing a bracket that retains the bottom half. No tiny springs or small parts are free to fall out upon initial disassembly. Use contact cleaner and relube with a small amount of dielectric or silicone grease. This should be a very easy fix.
Click to expand...

I have successfully revived the 4 way flashers and hi//low beam switches with silicone - ... I will try contact cleaner next. If I did have to replace the assembly, any idea where I could find the part? I had one on order that matched my VIN but didn't have the electric windshield toggle. Thanks again.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2424.jpeg
    IMG_2424.jpeg
    128 KB · Views: 17
  • IMG_2425.jpeg
    IMG_2425.jpeg
    97.4 KB · Views: 17
  • IMG_2426.jpeg
    IMG_2426.jpeg
    106 KB · Views: 17
The only year that did not have the windshield lift switch is a 2003 non-ABS model. I believe I included the correct part number in post #2.
 
dduelin said:
The only year that did not have the windshield lift switch is a 2003 non-ABS model. I believe I included the correct part number in post #2.
Click to expand...
Should be P/N 35020MCS770

switchturn-signal_medium35020MCS770-01_530f.jpg


35020MCS770: SWITCH, TURN SIGNAL Honda - buy the 35020-MCS-770 at CMSNL

✓ In stock now SWITCH, TURN SIGNAL ✓ Manufacturercode: 35020-MCS-770 ✓ Quality part
www.cmsnl.com www.cmsnl.com
 
RVtraveler48 said:
Perhaps a spring has broken - I'm uncomfortable taking it off without a new part in hand.
Click to expand...

The turn signal switch has a robust design and it's unlikely to break. I've cleaned several on my old bikes as it's an old design. I still have a tutorial from a previous cleaning. If you never cleaned/lubed the controls sounds like it's time. When you open up the left control case you'll see a tight packaging in there, so the turn signal may be right on top (of the lower half) or it may be buried under another switch - someone familiar may jump in and clarify.

The assembly will look something like below (the pic is for a 97 Nighthawk turn switch):

20220213_104015.jpg

Opposite to the turn signal button there's a plastic piece that has the ball and spring in there, that locates the turn signal arm when pushed either side.

After removing the arm screw and washer you'll see this:

20220213_104134.jpg

Now you can see the arm locating ball half way out of the black housing, the white contact slider and the contact plate at bottom.

Below is an exploded view of the switch, again... this is for a different bike but the design is similar - the very last part at bottom is the headlight switch (part of left side controls)

20220213_110645.jpg
 
Great photo - mine is an '09 so could be different. Since there are so many functions I would lose if I were to take this apart and not succeed, I would only replace the whole assembly IF I could find the part.
 
RVtraveler48 said:
I have successfully revived the 4 way flashers and hi//low beam switches with silicone - ... I will try contact cleaner next. If I did have to replace the assembly, any idea where I could find the part? I had one on order that matched my VIN but didn't have the electric windshield toggle. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
There is always a possibility that you need a new switch however, based on the overwhelming combined experience of everyone on this site, that possibility is so remote and not worth the time it takes to consider it or the time it is taking me to write this. Until such time that you have disassembled it and found something broken in there that mandates replacing the switch forget about replacing the switch.

As stated right from the beginning, taking it apart and cleaning it out is the first step that needs to happen in this process. Over time these switches fall victim to old dried lubricant mixed with, in your case 90,000 miles and 15 years, of dirt and grit which is now resisting the proper movement of the parts and and hindering the connection between the electrical contacts. Open it up. There no parts that are going to fly through the sky simply from separating the two halves. Take it apart and clean out all of the old lubricant. Inspect the parts. If you find nothing broken, lubricate all of the moving parts, and what they move against, with some dielectric grease and then reassemble and test it. The link that I provided earlier shows you exactly what you are dealing with. If it still doesn't work properly you have lost nothing but an hour of your time, two if you are being really cautious.
 
RVtraveler48 said:
Great photo - mine is an '09 so could be different. Since there are so many functions I would lose if I were to take this apart and not succeed, I would only replace the whole assembly IF I could find the part.
Click to expand...
It's not different. Honda lists the same part number for the left switchpod for every year since 2004. The initial part number was superseded by Honda in 2004 IIRC and has not changed since.

The year I spent ordering parts for service and counter sales in a Honda dealership does come in handy now and then.
 
RVtraveler48 said:
Since there are so many functions I would lose if I were to take this apart and not succeed, I would only replace the whole assembly IF I could find the part.
Click to expand...

Thinking about this for a moment... my ST has the flashers, windshield up/dn, turns and horn - if I were a betting man I'd say the turns and horn are in the lower half of the left controls enclosure (common on Honda bikes). The flashers are in the top shell, unsure about the windshield switch. Too bad you're that far away, we could've gotten together and take a look at it.
 
On a similar not I had my front brake light switch go bad, Never had that happen before, since the mid Seventies, no problem finding one.... just never expected to see it fail.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
There is always a possibility that you need a new switch however, based on the overwhelming combined experience of everyone on this site, that possibility is so remote and not worth the time it takes to consider it or the time it is taking me to write this. Until such time that you have disassembled it and found something broken in there that mandates replacing the switch forget about replacing the switch.

As stated right from the beginning, taking it apart and cleaning it out is the first step that needs to happen in this process. Over time these switches fall victim to old dried lubricant mixed with, in your case 90,000 miles and 15 years, of dirt and grit which is now resisting the proper movement of the parts and and hindering the connection between the electrical contacts. Open it up. There no parts that are going to fly through the sky simply from separating the two halves. Take it apart and clean out all of the old lubricant. Inspect the parts. If you find nothing broken, lubricate all of the moving parts, and what they move against, with some dielectric grease and then reassemble and test it. The link that I provided earlier shows you exactly what you are dealing with. If it still doesn't work properly you have lost nothing but an hour of your time, two if you are being really cautious.
Click to expand...
As my bike is 15 years old and when I'm in the RV has to live outdoors, and I've had to putter with the switches in this assembly before, I went ahead and ordered a new part. Fun thing - I try to use Paypal when I can and when I went to pay if proffered my rewards balance from my credit card to offset the charge - almost free! But my main concern is getting at the two wiring harness connectors that reside down where I could never get my two fat hands. Any thoughts about getting easier access to these two plugs?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom