Light switch

[hale1776]

I am replacing lighting wiring harness issue I am having is at base of steering column attaching switch cover with bail. Everything goes in fine but when I get in cab and move light switch it gets straight down and locks in that position I have removed, adjusted tried different things rod end moves freely with no light switch it also moves to approximate low bean high beam coal light range before putting bail on then locks with installation complete. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Bob C]

Check that your contacts are not recessed to far down into the plastic.

Bob

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

A little Vaseline helps the contact plate rotate easier.
I've sanded the repro wiring plate to round off the sharp edges, so the switch is easier to turn.

 

[hale1776]

Thanks guys back at it, I have an original switch with toasted wires was thinking of switching new wires over to old switch

 

[Mitch//pa]

I use dielectric grease as a lubricant / corrosive inhibitor in the light switch...

 

[hale1776]

That worked lube doesn't have the right feel yet but maybe some cycles will cure that.

 

[Colonel]

Tom - What shaft edges are you referring to that you work on?

 

[ian Simpson]

I use dielectric grease as a lubricant / corrosive inhibitor in the light switch...

Dielectric grease is fine, but back in the day when I was maintaining a fleet of electric (battery) operated vehicles, we found that Vaseline is cheaper, easier to source, and just as effective.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Tom - What shaft edges are you referring to that you work on?

I just corrected it to read sharp.
I wonder if auto correct did that to me if I missed a letter?
I round off the edges of the pockets on repro plates.

 

[Ulysses6]

Check that your contacts are not recessed to far down into the plastic.

Bob

are the examples in your photo, recessed too far ?

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

are the examples in your photo, recessed too far ?

No, that's my picture of original switch parts that work great.

I don't have any repro parts to take a picture of them.

 

[Bob C]

No, that's my picture of original switch parts that work great.

I don't have any repro parts to take a picture of them.

Thanks Tom, I added your name to the picture title in my album so I
know where it came from.

Bob

 

[wensum]

I had a loom and a replacement plate both with the recesses too deep.
I tried sanding the recesses to get a shallower ramp each side but it didn't result in an improvement so in the end I partly filled the recesses with JB Weld (it just happened to be handy) and the smoothed the shallower recesses after it had set and it worked perfectly.
Keith

 

[CarlG]

The problem I have is with the upper plate having too flat of upsets that don't slip into the recesses properly. I can get low beams OK, high beams sometimes, and parking lights only if I jiggle the switch handle.