© www.1600i.de
created 12.06.2007

Removing the Ignition/Starter Switch

Important note!! Make sure that the steering lock is disengaged and the battery earth strap is disconnected.

To remove the ignition switch you will need to remove the steering wheel.

On mexican beetles prise up the rubber horn push at the middle of the steering wheel.

On european beetles, prise up the plastic horn push at the middle of the steering wheel.

Now undo the 27mm nut at the centre of the steering wheel and lift it off the steering column. Disconnect the wire from the horn push to the steering column.

Now undo the plugs on the indicators and windscreen wiper switches (connectors 1 and 2) as shown in the photo below:-

The indicators and windscreen wiper switches should now be removed. This can be simply done by removing the three bolts (as shown in the photo below) and lifting off the switches away from the steering column:-

These bits should now be put aside for re-assembly.

You should now be able to remove the ignition/starter switch plug (connector 3) from behind the ignition barrel as shown in the photo below:-

The plastic bush (in front of the steering column's bearing) should now be removed.

Use a pair of molegrips or similar (with silicon sleeving over it's jaws !!) to remove the bush. Do not crush or distort the bush during removal !!

Manfred's photo below shows how this is done:-

And here's what the plastic bush looks like after removal:-

The steering lock can now be removed. The key must be in the barrel and the steering must be unlocked before removing the steering lock.

To remove the steering lock, turn the ignition key to the run position and push down on the retaining plunger (on the barrel) and turn the key slightly clockwise at the same time. The steering lock barrel can now be pulled out of the ignition/starter switch housing.

The steering lock housing can now be removed from the steering column. This can be carefully drifted upwards using a lightweight hammer with some difficulty.

Make sure that you do not distort the plastic housing nor the steering column's bearing in the process.

This is what the steering lock housing looks like once it has been removed:-

Once the steering lock housing has been removed, the ignition starter switch can now be removed by removing the bolt at the bottom of the steering lock housing as shown below.

You should now be able to remove the ingition/starter switch.

Here's what the ignition/starter switch looks like:-

Terminals:
30 = + Battery (+12 V)
15 = Ignition on (+12 V)
50 = Solonoid
X = Electrical circuits (Ignition on) eg. Lights, Windscreen Wipers, Horn, etc.

A replacement ignition/starter switch is very easy to obtain since they fit nearly all VW vehicles and Audi 80, 90 and Coupe.


Reassembly of the ignition/starter switch and steering lock:-

Reassembly is the reverse of removal, however in addition to this the following should be considered-

Indicator/Windscreen Wiper Switch Gap Adjustment:-

Check the gap between the steering wheel and the indicator/windscreen wipers combination switch. This should be between 2mm to 4mm. Turn the wheel and make sure that the horn works properly from lock to lock.

After you have checked the horn, tighten up the clamp bolt on the indicator/windscreen wiper combination switch unit.

The steering wheel should then be tightened to 50 Nm (36 lb ft). Clip the horn push back onto the steering wheel.

This document was translated from the 1600i website (in my own words) by Phil Ade, Saturday 9th June 2007.