Fw: [DML] Headlight switch fixes (was A frightning experience(Part 1))

["Chris Parnham" <chrisparnham@xxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Walter" <Whalt@xxxx>
To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 8:01 PM
Subject: [DML] Headlight switch fixes (was A frightning experience(Part 1))


> A bit of headlight switch etiquette I've learned from Rob at PJ Grady:
When
> pressing the button, don't stab it with one finger in the center. This
will
> wear away the little headlight switch symbol, and it will look even worse
> while the backlight is on. Instead use two fingers to press the switch on
> either side to give a balanced force so it doesn't tend to jam. The same
> goes for the hazard switch.
>
> Some helpful hints when servicing light switches:
>
> Mount it in the dash so that the white tab faces the passenger side of the
> car. The effects of gravity will help the mechanism to latch/unlatch
> properly instead of working against it.
>
> If the spade lug sockets are too tight or misaligned in the plastic
holder,
> they will push the lugs into the light switch body. This doesn't damage
the
> switch, but is still something to consider.
>
> The switch can be replaced without removing the center console. Remove
the
> backlit plastic panel and pull the switch out using an IC extractor tool.
> The wires are long enough to reach through the hole to do anything you
need.
> But first disconnect the battery!
>
>
> My original headlight switch socket had a poor electrical connection.
> Vibrations caused blinking lights and a potential fire hazard, and there
was
> nothing I could do to get the socket to seat better. I tried removing the
> wires one at a time to clean and tighten each spade lug socket as you
would
> do with a relay socket, but I had no luck doing this without destroying
the
> metal. I tried picks, drill bits, paper clips, etc. Each spade lug
socket
> came out destroyed. I tried in vane to find replacements locally, but
> nothing would fit the plastic socket properly. So I ended up not re-using
> the original plastic and instead used individual ones which I crimped then
> soldered and covered with heat shrink. I labeled each wire with
> electrician's numbered tape bought at Home Depot and scratched
corresponding
> numbers on the plastic light switch body. I originally stuck the number
> tape on the switch body as well, but there wasn't enough clearance to put
> the switch back in the dash without the sheet metal scratching the numbers
> off.
>
> Sure, this is not an 'original' looking repair and perhaps it lowers the
> value of the car, but I know the connector is not going to catch fire. I
> may have been able to purchase OEM replacements from a Delorean vendor,
but
> I prefer to see that each connector is seated individually even though
there
> is now a higher risk of confusing the wires should it ever be disassembled
> again.
>
>
> On the subject of headlight switches, I would like to publicly apologize
to
> the vendors involved for saying that I was sold a used DMC headlight
switch
> as new. My mistake. The headlight switch was actually new, it just sat
on
> the shelf for so many years that it accumulated a lot of dust. Someone
> wiped the dust off but left a residue under the switch cap and lip which
> made it appear to have been installed in a dash at one time where air
> circulating around it would deposit the characteristic dust print which I
> thought I saw.
>
> I bought my NOS headlight switch from DMC Joe who dropped shipped it
through
> PJ Grady who got it through DMC Houston (I think.) It's nice to see such
> co-operation among so many people. Anyway, once I had a new headlight
> switch in hand, I decided to do an autopsy on my old switch. I
disassembled
> it and found NOTHING wrong with it. I expected to see a broken mechanism
or
> burned contacts, but everything looked new.
>
> The problem was that the switch wasn't latching most of the time. It uses
> something like a wide staple looking wire which finds its way through a
maze
> as you press the button. On mine, it just didn't want to catch even
though
> the parts inside had no wear. It seems that it was a stroke of luck which
> way the wire moved every time I pressed the button. I think it is just a
> bad design from the start. Anyway, the only rhyme or reason I could come
up
> with for the problem was that the movement of the wire may be adversely
> affected by gravity. If the switch is mounted in the dash 'upside down'
> then gravity will tend to make the wire feed through the maze the wrong
way
> causing the switch not to latch.
>
> Sorry to be so long winded, but I'm sure some of you will benefit from my
> experiences.
>
> Hey Mr. Flames,
>
> Glad to hear that it didn't get any worse than it did. I hear that the
> white powder is very hard to clean up. People say that the longer it
stays
> on, the harder it is to get off. When my headlight switch went flaky, I
> jumpered it out at the relay until I got a new one installed.
>
> Walt Tampa, FL
>
>
>
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