Help please! I need to change the wiring inside the metal cable going from the back of the ignition switch to the top of the coil on my '46. Does anyone have step by step instructions and/or pics. Do I need to remove the ignition switch itself with the cable in one piece and if so how is that done? Can I replace the wire myself or is there some one who specializes in this repair? I've heard that there is a bakelite disc that can be damaged. Any help is much appreciated.

If the wire inside of the electrolock is getting hot then a portion of the wire is probably bare inside of the electrolock cable and the wire is touching the inside of the cable.

There is a bakelite disc inside of the ignition switch that can be damaged if you are not careful.

You can replace the internal wire on the electrolock yourself and to do that you will have to uncrimp the three tabs on the side of the ignition switch housing and then separate the lock cylinder assembly from the base of the electrolock. Once that is carefully done then you will see the bakelite disc and you will be able to remove the internal wire and replace it.

Hi, following is the response I got from Tiny when I asked about the same problem with my 41 sedan. See the 1937-41 Chat site we are having this discussion now. If the pictures would help send me your email address. Mine is fraub48yahoo.com

Good luck Mike

P.S. I took mine apart today. The best advice is to mark the position of each part with a scribe or permanent marker. Especially the position of the black ceramic part that comes out when the cover is removed. There is nothing on the bottom of the ceramic part that lines up with a slot so I think it could be installed 180 degrees off???



This is a copy of the e-mail I sent to some other folks with the same problem. I don't know if it's the same for a '41 but it should give you an idea anyway. Hope it helps.


----- Original Message -----
From: R.B. Thomas
To: Rusty & Doris Unterzuber
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:28 AM
Subject: Re: ElectroLock

Hi Rusty,
On my 38 the cable has what appears to be a hex connector for a wrench. I have no idea why they did that because nothing unscrews. The cable is inserted through the switch housing and has what appears to be a press on clip inside to hold it in place. If your old key/tumbler assembly is still in the housing it'll need to be removed at some time in order to put your new one in. You say you don't have a key. Sometimes they are worn enough that any key will work but you'll need a key or other way to turn the lock cylinder in order to remove it from the housing. On some of the later models the cylinder is turned to the off position but on my 38 it's turned to the "on" position, then a paperclip end is inserted into the small hole in the face of the cylinder. You'll feel a spring resistance to the paperclip if you're in the right spot. Holding the paperclip in you turn the lock cylinder clockwise about another 1/8th turn and you'll then be able to pull it straight out. If your key won't turn it you may need to locate a lock smith to help you with the process.
You can disassemble the rest of the electrolock with the lock cylinder in place. Unfortunately I didn't take pics of the complete process but I'll include what I have. Use a scribe or marker to mark locations so you can get everything back in the correct orientation. To disassemble the housing you first pry the three "fingers" back that hold the cylinder together (pic 1086) and remove that part of the housing. You'll be looking at the part of the switch that the tumbler assembly turns when you turn the key (pic 1088). The part you are looking at pulls straight out. If you turn it over you'll see what is in pic 1089. That is the last of the pics I took so I'll describe the rest the best I can.
If you look at pic 1086, about half way down toward the left you'll see a small horizontal dimple. There are three of those which are intended to keep the guts of the switch in place. If you have a Dremel tool you can use a diamond point bit #7134 to abrade those down inside the housing. When those three spots have sufficient clearance you will need to push the bottom part of the switch assembly up through the housing to remove it along with the coil wire. You accomplish this by using a vise or similar devise to push against the two wire contacts that protrude through the bottom of the housing next to the armored cable. Those two contacts simply extend through holes in the housing and are not fastened to the housing itself. Once you have the bottom part of the switch assembly loose you can pull the old coil wire through the cable & housing. TIP! Solder your new wire to the end of the old wire & pull the new wire through the cable at the same time you pull the old wire out.
After that you simply clean everything up, removing all traces of lubricant inside the switch & switch housing. Remove the old wire & resolder the new wire in it's place, reusing the original connector on the bottom of the switch. Make sure the copper contacts shown in pic 1089 are clean. I bent the tabs on the end of the moving part of the switch very slighly to ensure good contact with the stationary bottom part. Don't bend them too much to prevent excess wear.
When you have the bottom part of the switch back in the housing, hold it in place (I used small "C" clamps) and use JB Weld or similar to glue the bottom of the switch in place (the job the dimples that we removed did). Once it's dry, use a dry lubricant such as silicone spray to lubricate all moving surfaces and reassemble everything. When everything is back in place you can rebend the three tabs back into place using Channel Lock plyers. Crimp & solder your new terminal on the coil end of the wire and you should be good to go.
If anything above doesn't make sense or needs further clafification let me know and I'll try to do better. Good luck.



----- Original Message -----
From: Rusty & Doris Unterzuber
To: tinysucocoopwb.com
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 11:59 PM
Subject: ElectroLock

Hi Tiny,



I’m getting ready to go through the same repair. I have a complete lock with cable shielding and the wire needs replaced. What is the trick to getting the cable shielding separated from the lock housing and then re-installed?



Am I describing it correctly?



Also, I have a new lock cylinder to install. Any thoughts on how to do this? I bought the lock cylinder with keys because the lock and cable assembly I bought did not have any keys with it.



The original had been replaced with an aftermarket key switch and an open insulated wire to the coil.



Thanks,

Rusty

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Thanks for the tips in beginning the process. I think this is going to take awhile.
Gerry99

I thought I should post this so all could see another way to replace the wire. --Mike

Hi Gerry, I found a way to take the black ceramic piece out without having to use the Dremel, all Tiny's other steps seem appropriate. After removing the lock mechanism and prying open the top by bending the tabs (use different sized screw drivers for this, smallest first to very large to pliers, and only pry tabs open enough to slide cylinder out) then you should locate the three dimples on the casing. Looking into the bottom half of the casing you will see the black ceramic piece and also if you look closely the three dimples holding it. Taking a small 1/8th tip regular screw driver begin to GENTLY pry (push) the dimples out. They will move, and I pried them away from the ceramic without damaging anything. It could take 5 to 10 minutes of gentle prying to get the dimples back enough to release the ceramic. As things loosen you could use a little larger screwdriver and ALSO could push from the two posts sticking out of the bottom of the part. This will make for a much easier repair (no gluing, etc.) you will just reinstall the ceramic after the wire repair and gently hammer the dimples back in.

Thats what I did and it worked fine just take your time.

Thanks for all your help. The detailed information did the trick. Just time and patience. You guys are great!
Gerry