Sticky turn signal switch

The PO of my '95 kept it outside, though he did keep it covered all the time. As a result, certain things gummed up a bit, especially a lot of the switch gear.

The turn signal switch is fairly stiff to move and takes a second or to to pop back to center after activating it. When you press it in to cancel, sometimes it sticks.

Is there something I can lubricate the plastic with or am I going to need to disassemble the left switch housing and clean everything? (sigh.)

I was thinking that maybe some silicone oil (I have a bottle that I use on my high-end airsoft guns) might help but I don't want want to screw up electrical contacts or anything.

The choke lever is quite stiff to move as well and makes me paranoid I'm going to break something every time I have to use it. Probably needs the cables lubed.

Interestingly, the majority of these problems are much worse when ambient temperatures are low which is why I'm noticing them more lately.

Thanks for any help.

The turn signal consists of a brass plate and 3 contacts and can be cleaned and lubed with conductive grease. The choke lever is plastic riding in a groove attached to a cable. The cable should be lubed periodically. The lever itself can be lubed in the housing. Hardest thing to do is getting the handrip apart, don't break anything.

Larry
VFRrider

The best thing you can do here is to take the switches off the bike and clean them. It's fairly simple to do. Each switch control pod consists of two halves held together with two philips screws each. Take those out and you'll be able to hold the open halves and rinse them with Quick Dry electrical contact cleaner(available at any auto parts store in aerosol). Take care to hold them in a rag so you don't get the spray on your bike. Once you have them flushed out, add a little dielectric grease(also at any auto parts store) to the contacts. Should be good as new when you're done. :fing02:

This will quickly turn into a " What kind of lube to use thread"?

belated update:

I got the switch housing apart and cleaned all the gunk out of the switch first with WD40 and then after I had drained/wiped up as much of the WD as I could get to, I blasted the whole pod out with contact cleaner several times until it was running out clear. Switch feels perfect now. :)

On that note, what a pain in the ass it was to get that damn thing apart!!!!!!!!!! I ended up having to remove the clutch master cylinder from the bar to give myself enough room to open the halves enough to get them off the choke lever and off the bar.

The choke is still quite stiff though better than it was. I was only able to dribble some lube down the top of the cable -- I know the whole cable has to be lubed but I can't figure out how to remove the choke cable at the control end! There was a nut which turned a few turns loose then stopped but there was no way to get the cable out. Made no sense. How the hell do you lube that choke cable properly?

I used to have a syringe type thing that allowed you to force lube down into a cable while only disconecting one end. :fing02: JC Whitney or something.

To remove the choke cable you'll have to separate it from the lower half of the plastic clamshell thingy.

Best way to do that is to take the handlebar off and slide it free of the control housing and choke lever, then when it is free of the bike and the wiring is disconnected, you can unhook the cable end off the choke lever and thread the control housing off the cable end.

Then use a cable luber like this:

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[image: View Post]Hobie1dog, on 25 November 2009 - 10:36 AM, said:

This will quickly turn into a " What kind of lube to use thread"?


(ducks and runs)

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How does that work?? Looks like a Chinese torture device (or a masochist's wetdream!!)