Need help with washer pump problem

[Tom1]

I need help figuring this one out. I have a 72 and everything was working as it should until today. When I pull forward on the stalk instead of the washer pump spraying and the wipers moving back and forth three times nothing happens. I connected the pump straight to the battery and it works fine. I left the pump disconnected and pulled forward on the stalk and the wipers moved back and forth three times as they should. I connect the pump back up pulled the stalk forward and nothing happens. The wipers on/off and indicators on the same stalk work fine. Does this sounds like a relay problem or something else?

[ifayeoh]

Could be your stalk has a broken wire, remove and inspect.

the wires are kinda small and in a tight place on the stalk and may have broken.

check it out first.

[Tom1]

Damn that sounds way harder than replacing the relay but I think you're on the right track because it kicked in one time when I slowly pulled the stalk forward and slightly wiggled it.

[Mike Self]

base of the lever...but only two wires travel up the stalk, and they're the ones that turn the wipers on to regular operation, not the "wash-wipe" function. I think your problem is at the contacts in the base of the wiper/turn signal stalk.

If you're VERY careful you can dismantle the stalk base (beware of flying springs if you do!) and thoroughly clean it out, but I'd try squirting some tuner cleaner--or even WD40--into the base's innards to clean the contacts. They were greased from the factory, and old, hard 35 year old grease doesn't make the best electrical connections...

mike

[PeterVarga]

I agree with Mike, the previous poster. My turn signal stalk became

intermittant and it was due to the internal contacts of the switch itself. When I opened it the case that is at the base of the stalk had a hairline crack in it. Enough to keep the electrical contacts from conducting the electricity. Can be repaired if you get another non cracked case and stuff the guts from the old switch into the uncracked casing.

[Tom1]

Ok, I’ll try the WD-40 and look for breaks first then dismantle if that doesn’t work. Is it going to be easy to figure out where the flying springs go back or do I need a diagram?

[PeterVarga]

Do it slowly then the springs fly out slowly and you can see where they came from. They're kind of like see-saw or rocker contacts with a pivot in the middle and small springs under each edge. The old grease holds them in place unless of course you have degreased it and then it flys apart. Do it slowly and you won't have any concerns.

[Tom1]

Well the WD-40 worked. There was a build up of gease at the end of the contact point, once I sprayed it off every went back to normal. The hardest part of the whole operation was getting the top cover back onto the steering colum, took about 20 minutes of prying the rear screw point up onto the spot where the bolts go through. Didn't help they were half torn off. Anyway thanks for the help everyone, it sure made things a lot easier.