10 replies to this topic

[leeaw92]

Hi all,

I was recently gifted a 1990 mini but along its ownership trail is had some work done to it (haven't they all!!)

I've tried searching so apologies in advance, but as title says - I have my indicator and wiper stalk all fine, and have the black circular "ring" that was separated from the switch unit. Turning upside down in the car, I noticed that the hollowed out section in the black plastic ring would fit ever so nicely on a little nubbin on the bottom of the steering wheel. Manual turning off the black plastic ring shows its the cancel ring for the indicators - a very handy feature!!

Now my issue. Part of historic upgrades have seen the very non Cooper model I have, had a copper interior including steering wheel. I believe I have the steering wheel as low down on the column as possible... And the stalk as high as possible on the column... And the wheel and black plastic ring will not join together, there's a solid 1" gap between them.

Have I missed something really obvious, or is the steering wheel the "wrong model/generation" is not life or death but it bugs me that I have to remember to cancel the indicators!!

[Spider]

Hi there and welcome to the forum

 

I know the issue you have and have 'fixed' many over the years like that.

If your new steering wheel has a peg or pegs on the back of it to engage the cancelling ring, then it's an easy-ish fix.

About 1/2 way down the column, you'll see a clamp that supports the column to the lower part of the dashboard, if you loosen the bolt off on that clamp, you can raise the outer tube of the column to get the cancelling collar to engage the pegs in the back of the steering wheel. I'd suggest before engaging the pegs to first align the cancelling collar to it's neutral position;-

 

 

While this switch has a white collar, you'll see a dab of blue that I put on a raised part of it, that needs to 'align' or 'face' the Indicator stalk when in the straight ahead position, before the pegs on the steering wheel engage it.

One issue you may have though is that while I've simply mentions a 'bolt' through the column clamp, it may well have in there the original shear head bolt, in which case, there's no hex to land a spanner on to, but a round-ish dome. If you are lucky, you can just grip it with vice grips to get it undone, or if not, you may have to drill the head off. I usually re-fit an ordinary hex head bolt back in them, but if you want to refit a shear head bolt, they are available from Mini Spares.

[alpder]

Spider's answer is almost certainly spot-on but... before moving the column *upwards*, also first check that the inside shaft has been properly seated fully *downwards* onto the spigot on the steering rack itself: it's possible (but would be wrong) to fit the steering column without fully engaging on the spigot - so that the clamp bolt sits on the top of the spigot, rather than through the groove in the spigot. The result is dangerously weak engagement of the steering shaft onto the spigot, which can disengage while driving.

[stuart bowes]

Quick addition re: the shear bolt (if fitted) instead of drilling you can use a dremel (or dremel cutter in a normal drill as I did) to make two flat edges and then you can get grips on it

 

drilling it or grinding the head off would also work, I just found the above method quick and easy so you may also

Edited by stuart bowes, 12 December 2025 - 10:45 AM.

[leeaw92]

Thanks for the replies all!!

So the clamp around the steering column, I have a Phillips head screw that seems to penetrate into the "black plastic" around the metal pole which holds the assembly place (when I took it out to lift the assembly and get it all to line up and work, yup you guessed it, the assembly spun quite freely). So I will assume that's the shear bolt, replaced with a screw.

When I had it all in place so it worked, I tried screwing the screw back in but it either couldn't penetrate the black coating around the steering column - or there was no black stuff there (it reminds me of work where we use industrial black heat shrink with glue inside).

Is this where I am meant to be brave and use a self tapping screw or drill a small hole and use a fresh shear bolt/screw? I have seen that in other threads, but didn't want to just start drilling holes in the sturdy metal pole that makes me turn haha!!

Going by the excellent replies above, I think i have sorted the self cancelling, now it's a case of getting it to fit together.

Ps also just free read before posting this, I do have the bolts that hang the column from the dash, I loosened one so I could tile the column up every so slightly and be able to read the speedo whilst driving. Is it the other bolt that I need to learn to be able to elongate/shorten the the length of the column itself

[alpder]

...so I could til[t] the column up every so slightly and be able to read the speedo whilst driving.

When doing this, always a good idea to loosen the U-bolts holding the rack to the floor, so that the rack can rotate to match the new tilt of the column. Before loosening, eyeball where the pinion shaft is aligned with the hole it comes through in the floor, and match that position (side-to-side) when retightening so that the steering centre-point is unchanged.

[stuart bowes]

I would say at this point best to post a couple of pictures, someone will mspaint some arrows in for you to confirm before you start cutting or drilling

 

use https://imgbb.com/ (free version)

Edited by stuart bowes, 13 December 2025 - 02:32 PM.

[leeaw92]

Hi all,

https://ibb.co/wXtwxvg
https://ibb.co/6JWcT3kH
https://ibb.co/GQNBHvLj
https://ibb.co/Ps3z1h5G

For images. You can see the small gap I was talking about between base fo wheel and the self cancelling gadget.

On the under dash u clamp, I loosened the lower bolt just to lift the steering wheel slightly up off my lap. Weirdly since everything I tried before these suggestions, the indicator and wiper stalks feel much more secure and less sloppy.

I can lift the assembly up to the wheel, but then it free spins with the wheel as it won't reclamp to the steering column. Currently there is a small black screw that passes through the hole on the assembly and appears to "bite" into the pole. If that's all that is required, I am happy to drill a pilot hole for a new screw - it certainly appears to be the easiest (tongue in cheek) option.

I just wanted to make sure that I didn't have the wrong wheel for model and that's why it is the way it is. It's likely, and would explain my thoughts on an AdHoc fix.

Merry christmas all

[Ethel]

Clear a few things up...

 

What's spinning with the wheel & what's not clamping?  Do you mean just the indicator stalk, or the entire column?

 

The shroud is still on in your piccies so we can't see if the stalk is clamped to the column. There also looks to be some sort of drop bracket on the column so it makes me wonder how secure the column is in it. 

 

You can see in the first photo that there's a tab welded to the tube that the clamp should go round to prevent turning

[leeaw92]

Hi Ethel,

The column doesn't move in any untoward way, and currently neither does the stalk. The wheel turns just fine and everything - but without the self cancelling working.

Yeah sorry the shroud was on, it is the same column as your link minus the tab. My indicator stalk assembly is literally screwed straight into that black "casing" of the column. It stops the stalk from free spinning around, but I don't think it's right.

If I move it slightly higher to engage on the steering wheel, and thus make the self cancelling work (and in my mind, have it in the right place) then it won't secure to the column so the indicator stalk sounds with the steering wheel. Although hilarious, not actually helpful!!!

I'm beginning to think it's a bodge it in between a wheel and a column and a stalk assembly that don't quite all belong together

[Ethel]

So it's just the stalk?

 

I didn't want to over complicate things, but there's also a concern over fitting drop brackets that they don't put the column out of alignment with the rack. If they do you can create stress & movement in the splines of the coupling which can have nasty consequences.

 

It might be worth worth running through things from the bottom up. It could also sort your cancelling issue along the way...

 

Slacken the 2 pairs of nuts, in both footwells that are on the ends of the U bolts securing the rack to the floor.

 

Slacken the column clamping bracket and look at the pinch bolt in the bottom end of the inner column to ensure the splines are fully engaged & the bolt is tight. 

 

Arrange the drop bracket so it's as near to perpendicular to the column as possible, so it can't "hinge" as the steering wheel is turned. Take opportunity to lift the outer column as far up the inner column  as needed to engage the cancelling mechanism. Levering it from the bottom, with a block of wood as a fulcrum may help.

 

Once your happy with it all tighten the column clamp, then retighten the rack U bolts last so the rack can turn to align with the column. Consider making up some packing or extra locating straps to stop the bolt moving in the drop bracket.