Indicator return problem..........

[Warrior]

When indicating to leave a roundabout, the stalk does not always return to the off position. I've had cars before where a certain amount of lock is needed and perhaps this is a trait of Zeds but it's a potentially dangerous problem for me

Today, with hood down on a 60mph road I passed the entrance/exit from a local park but it wasn't until i'd slowed down that I realised the indicator was still blinking and indicating left, me having exited a roundabout a quarter mile before. Had somebody been leaving the park at that time they could have pulled out in front of me.

The situation is not helped by the fact that at 6'2" the steering wheel blocks my view of the flashing green indicator light on the dash.

So, can anything be done to adjust the deactivation of the stalk, can an additional indicator light be added in a more prominent position without invasive work on the dash?

[Warrior]

I put this up a few months ago and had no response so am bumping.....just in case....

Earlier tonight I had cars flashing me left right and centre. Roof down, music on so I could neither hear, nor see that the left indicator that was activated when joining a major dual carriageway had not returned to 'neutral'. So for a mile and a half I was still indicating...

Potentially dangerous again so I have to sort this asap.

I'm thinking of wiring up a light on the centre of the speedo console that is connected to the indicator wiring. It doesn't need to show left and right, just a reminder......

Any idiot guides on the best way/place to make the connections?

[Brian H]

Any idiot guides on the best way/place to make the connections?

As a thought you could use one of these relays Click Me, it is a towing relay but will allow the connection of independant indicator lights plus give the benefit of a sounder (if the music is not too loud ). The relay would be mounted in the boot area (Instructions included in the relay) and a cable (3 core) would need to be run to the dash area for the indicator lights (Example Indicator Lamps). Hope this Helps

[Mike Fishwick]

The problem is that today most drivers are used to truting gremlins to cancel their indicators. I hate self-canceling, as it either cancels too early, or resists being turned on, so agers ago I removed the self-cancelling from my Z3.

The result is a pleasure to use - you can turn it on, it stays on, and can be turned off just as easily - but of course you have to pay attention to what is going on! Having been driving cars since before self-canceling became the norm, and a motorcyclist for more years than I admit, one gets used to monitorig the indicators and turning them off yourself.

[simonbud100]

I have a similar problem, insomuch as the left hand lock cancels too early and the right hand lock stays on too long.

This happened after I had the tracking done and the wheel was centred, so the (aftermarket) wheel must have been put on off centre to start with.

It's not a huge problem to me, but I will have to get around to having the steering centred and tracking done again soon.

[Jonttt]

Warrior, from memory the self cancelling action is made up of a couple of plastic tabs on the slip ring (the slip ring is the device that allows the electrical airbag and horn connections to be made to the steering wheel and still allows the wheel to turn).

If your self cancelling is not working properly then it may be one of these tabs has broken.

If its simply the self cancelling action works but just not when you woul want it to then I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to "move" the plastic tabs so it cancels earlier or later ?

If you search for my article in the knowledgebase about fitting a Raid steering wheel there are loads of pics of the slip ring and you may be able to see the plastic tabs for the self cancelling. I've also seen pics somewhere of the tabs being removed so there is no self cancelling action (may have been one of Mike's threads on here).

[Jonttt]

I have a similar problem, insomuch as the left hand lock cancels too early and the right hand lock stays on too long.

This happened after I had the tracking done and the wheel was centred, so the (aftermarket) wheel must have been put on off centre to start with.

It's not a huge problem to me, but I will have to get around to having the steering centred and tracking done again soon.

Why not just remove and refit the sterring wheel and slip ring ?

If the wheels are lined up correctly now and its the steering wheel / slip ring thats off centre then there is no point getting your wheel alignment checked again. Its a quick job to remove and recentre the steering wheel and its so easy to do fine adjustments

[Warrior]

It's not so much the auto cancellation of the indicators as that I can't see the lights on the dash. Being 6'2" the steering wheel covers them.

Roof up it's fine, roof down I can't see or hear them.

[simonbud100]

I have a similar problem, insomuch as the left hand lock cancels too early and the right hand lock stays on too long.

This happened after I had the tracking done and the wheel was centred, so the (aftermarket) wheel must have been put on off centre to start with.

It's not a huge problem to me, but I will have to get around to having the steering centred and tracking done again soon.

Why not just remove and refit the sterring wheel and slip ring ?

If the wheels are lined up correctly now and its the steering wheel / slip ring thats off centre then there is no point getting your wheel alignment checked again. Its a quick job to remove and recentre the steering wheel and its so easy to do fine adjustments

The steering wheel is centred now, but must have been out before, so when the tracking was done the wheel was set to a false position. Hence I really need to get the wheel position set properly, then get the tracking done again with it in the true centre position.

I realise that sounds as clear as mud, but I can't think of a better way of describing it

[DC]

It's not so much the auto cancellation of the indicators as that I can't see the lights on the dash. Being 6'2" the steering wheel covers them.

Roof up it's fine, roof down I can't see or hear them.

I had the same problem with my Morgan and never really solved it to my satisfaction.
I tried adding extra warning lights which where fine on sunny days but far too bright at night.
I also tried a buzzer obtained from Maplins and with similar results, if it was loud enough to be heard at speed it was far to loud when going slow.
I'm old enough to appreciate Mikes view of self canceling and quite often do it though the auto cancelling works quite well on the cars I have at the moment. If you've never had to do it then it's a habit that would be hard to aquire.

How about a small convex mirror positioned on the flat part of the cowl or somewhere it would pick up the reflections of the indicator warning lights.
I'm thinking of the the sort you can get for blind spots on door mirrors.
It may not work, just a thought.
Dave.

[Warrior]

How about a small convex mirror positioned on the flat part of the cowl or somewhere it would pick up the reflections of the indicator warning lights

That's a great idea. I actually have some mirror chrome vinyl that may just work.