Hi.. You may be able to download the bentley from the link scooper posted in the thread http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/a-few-reference-sites-to-help-people.19072/ Haven't tried the link.. but would certainly recommend getting hold of a Bentley if you're doing any significant jobs. HTH Will
Got the bus out the garage to have a go at doing this and didn't get very far.. Firstly, could not get the steering wheel off - tried to fabricate some pieces of steel to get some purchase on it, but could not get it off - is there any way you can get to the ignition switch without removing the steering wheel? And secondly, had a look at the wires and they plug straight into the top of the fuse board (except the red/black wire which goes via a block connector) - how do you get to the wires at the fuse board? Do you have to remove the whole of the fuseboard plastic cover? I assume you have to take the fuses off first? I hate messing around with old wiring as it always seems to lead to problems with other wiring. I could kick myself that all of this has been caused by my own stupidity in leaving a connection exposed when changing the carbs. Any inspiration would be gratefully received as I am feeling a bit fed up with this and it seems to be one issue after the next (self pity rant over!). thanks guys.
Not sure how to get photos on here as I do not have a flickr account, or whatever you need, but probably not much to see at this stage. I am in Solihull, nr Birmingham and the ignition housing is aluminium. Just had another go at getting the wheel off - got some steel bars behind the wheel centre hub and set up some clamps between these bars and some steel bars across the front of the wheels against the centre nut - gave it some right grief on the clamps - still didn't budge and managed to take a chunk out of the steering wheel centre in the process. Aarrgghh!!
There is no need to pull any of it apart, get your head underneath with you feet over the back of the drivers seat, remove the single tiny screw, pull the ignition out, but I'm still not convinced its the switch, follow the wires to the back of the fuse box and see if any off the connections have come loose due to the heat caused from the short, lots of people slate the Haynes manuals but the first thing it tells you to do when working on your car is to disconnect the battery
Sorry for being dunce mate, but how do you get to this tiny screw? If you get underneath the steering column, the ignition switch is completely housed in the ignition housing - there are 4 big screws, but if you undo them nothing comes apart, the column just slides forward. And how do you get to the wires at the fuse box, do you have to unscrew the fusebox as you can't see any of the spade connectors, they are hidden by the fusebox cover. Cheers
The screw is right in you view I think, it's only 2-3 mm diameter head and yes you would have to remove the fuse box to check the contacts , pictures really would be helpful, sign up photo bucket etc, its free and they only need your email address and a password nothing else. It much easier help if we know exactly what we are looking at
ok - feel like i'm getting somewhere now.. just whipped off the steering column support bracket and now I can get to the ignition switch from inside the housing. Wires going to the ignition switch look fine - no signs of melting, wires to the fuseboard look fine and appear to be on properly. No obvious signs of damage. Symptoms appear to be loss of power to the coil when you turn the key to crank the engine and also now the power to the coil is sometimes lost when you release the key from the cranking position (this has only just started happening). So, could it be anything other than the ignition switch? Is it worth unplugging the wires and connecting them to the new switch (which I have ready) and if so, do i just turn it with a screwdriver inside (there is a small metal contact in the centre inside the switch - does this need earthing or anything?). Thanks
Taadaa....done and problem sorted!! A big thank you to everyone's words of wisdom, especially Davidoft. it's so good to have such a helpful group of fellow bus owners to help you through these jobs, for encouragement as much as technical advice. It would appear that you do not need to remove the steering wheel or column to replace the ignition switch on an early late bay!
