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US front turn signal socket

Started by Inshan, 05 December 2020, 07:59 PM

Inshan

I was changing over some of my bulbs to LED and when I pulled the driver side turn signal socket out of the lamp housing, I guess I pulled the plastic base loose from where it was crimped into the meta socket.  Now it won't stay in, and the bulb is loose.
Any ideas to repair this?
1980 300SD

Alec300SD

The staking of the housing needs to be renewed.

Have a buddy use a blunt tool (socket extension, etc.) to push the lamp socket deep into the housing.
Peen/stake the rim of the housing in at least 3 or 4 spots to secure the lamp socket in the housing.

The spring used in the socket is very strong and can overcome a subpar staking/peening of the lamp housing.
78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

Inshan

Thanks Alec, I thought of trying this but thought it might destroy the whole thing.  Will try it tomorrow.
1980 300SD

Alec300SD

It is an easy repair, the metal  of the housing is quite soft and easily deformed.
I described this repair in the third paragraph pf the first post on this thread:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/375603-w116-right-front-turn-signal-electrical-gremlin.html
78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

Inshan

Thanks Alec, you are always very helpful and I appreciate it.
1980 300SD

john erbe

Had same problem. Took two pieces of metal, bent them in "L" shape and taped to socket. Crude, yes but problem solved.

PosedgeClk

It's funny how I don't look at a forum for months, everything looks entirely foreign, and the moment that I bother reading something, I quickly notice that I have already solved the problem.

I had the same issue. The answers above are good. I was in a hurry myself and pressed the plastic into the pot metal, held it in place with a C clamp, and deposited a thin crown of JB-Weld at the plastic-metal interface. It worked great. I also lubricated the socket/spring mechanism with Dow-Corning No. 4 grease. The funny thing is that I saw the DC4 in my toolbox the other day and knew that I had driven it hundreds of kms to the 6.9 and that it had made a round trip, but it entirely escaped me as to what I had used it for.

One of the previous owners had done the American Pig fix of jamming everything into the housing and sealing it with vinyl tape.
1979 450SEL 6.9