Ignition barrel spins

[oddbod]

The bezel over my ignition barrel keeps unscrewing itself,or is it the ignition barrel unscrewing itself, it's making me dizzy thinking about it Any offers as to what might be going on behind the dash? How easy is it to remove the dash,and what pitfalls should I be aware of? At the minute I am tightening up the bezel more often than makes me comfortable and am afraid if someone else drives it will probably snap the key in the ignition as its "slot" for insertion can be upside down, at 3o'clock and 9o'clock and the right way up all on the same day!!!

[Alec]

Hello Oddbod,

that's very unusual, if the bezel is tightened reasonably tight then that should be all that's necessary. Is the key stiff to turn, if so possibly it's not the correct key or simply it needs a couple of drops of oil? The other possibility is the thread in the barrel or bezel is stripped, in which case a replacement is necessary?

Alec

[bmcecosse]

Hard to imagine it can rotate so much -the wiring would surely hold it more or less in place even if the bezel was loose. There should be a locking nut at the back of the dash - you probably need to pull the speedo out to get at it all.

[brucek]

Ok - the ignition switch is held in place by a bracket and two bolts which attaches to the underside of the front fascia of the dash. The barrel of the lock is secured by two very small bolts which fit through the barrel and the bracket - see photos:[frame][/frame]

[frame][/frame]

I'm guessing that the two very small bolts, which secure the barrel to the bracket have become detached over the years allowing the barrel to turn. If you remove the speedo head and/or the mounting bracket for the switch, you should be able to see what needs done and what the problem is. It is an easy fix and the solution may only be two very small bolts away - good luck!

[brucek]

Should have mentioned that this is the arrangement for cars up to about '64, if you have a later car then I'm not sure how the ignition switch is secured other than by the bezel itself. You may need to replace this if it is not tightening up enough to hold everything. - sorry!

[oddbod]

Cheers for the tips, I have been very busy for the last few days and have had no chance to look any further at the spinning problem, I hope (fingers crossed) to have a couple of spare hours on Saturday to Moggie Molest!

[oddbod]

I took apart the dash/speedo assembly and found the ignition unit should be held to the back of the dash with a locking nut. The locking nut wasnt tight enough to allow the bezel to pull through and hold the locking nut to the rear of the dash. However I failed to disconnect the battery during this process and made Magic Smoke appear from inside the dash,the upshot of which is no indicators,fuel guage or windscreen washer

[Alec]

Hello Oddbod,

sounds as if you've blown the fuse.

Alec

[oddbod]

Cheers Alec, I wish that was it. I've burned out/melted the earth wire to the back of the Speedo,and maybe some other wires where they touched the earth wire. The fuse is the only thing thats not gone!!