Indicator not returning to centre position

[ozfrog]

Is this the dreaded COM2000 problem? After all these years?

The indicator - left, of course - has started to occasionally fail to return to the centre position after a left turn. It doesn’t matter if it was almost a hairpin left turn! Sometimes it will return, but mostly it won’t.

I know that the problem occurred in certain models, but after 19 years? It seems that it should have occurred a long time before now. I have read that there’s a fix for the problem without having to replace the whole stalk. However, when I searched on eBay, I found plenty of results but every one I looked at said that it was only for DAV COMM2000 …

I presume that means there was a different type of stalk, but how do I know what type of stalk is in my car? Do I have to dismantle almost everything around the light stalk? What a pain!

Anyway, this is the link to the stalk.

https://ebay.io/m/kz3thd

All sensible advice wwilingly received. Thanks.

[mickthemaverick]

You'll have a better chance of some replys if you confirm which car you are talking about?

[ozfrog]

You'll have a better chance of some replys if you confirm which car you are talking about?

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?

As usual, it’s my 307SW. 2007 model

[ozvtr]

Being a 2007 model, the car will have the CAN BUS version of the COMMs unit and, yes, it suffers from the plunger nub wearing out.
Fortunately, all the ones that you find on the usual suspects (ebay, Amazon, etc) will fix the problem.

[ozfrog]

Thank you!

Ordered.

I hope they come with instructions for how to fit them.

[ozvtr]

I hope they come with instructions for how to fit them.

Not usually. Just the bits in a small ziplock bag.
You need to remove the whole COMMs unit, which unclips off the steering column, after removing the steering wheel. There is also a band holding the clips and COMMs onto the column and the band is tightened with a bolt.
The steering wheel and front wheels need to be facing straight ahead, so everything lines up when you put it all back together.
Before you pull the COMMs unit off you should observe an "0" in the window on the COMMs unit. If you don't, the wheels are not straight ahead. The "0" is embossed into a white plastic wheel indirectly connected to the steering shaft.
The biggest pain is removing the collar in the center of the COMMs unit. It just clips in but you need three hands to get it in and out. It clips into multiple points at the same time. Observe the orientation of the two lugs on the top of the collar. There is one wide one and one narrow one. I think the narrow one goes to the top but just check before you remove the collar. The collar straddles the front side and the back side of the COMMs unit so it won't come apart without removing it.
Keep the COMMs unit flat on your working surface at all times, otherwise the "guts" will fall out! Once you have the two halves apart you will see what you need to do. The stalks are sandwiched between the front and back halves, try and keep the stalks from falling out by retaining them in the back half.
DO NOT LET THE CENTER HUB ROTATE FROM IT'S INITIAL POSITION.
When you put it all back together. the "0" should still be in the window.