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Tech Tip, Wonky Switches

glemon

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I have had my share of wonky switches on my old British cars, and sometime you can take them apart and fix them (or replace, but much of the new stuff is crap) but if they do not look easy to take apart or like they are meant to be I have a trick I have used several times with a pretty good success rate.

If you are getting no continuity from your switch try spraying some WD40 right into the mechanism and saturate the puppy, I have had particularly good luck doing this with overdrive switches, and revived the one in my old Austin Healey that way, and recently had a very positive result with a gear lever mounted Triumph O/D switch, went from zero continuity no matter how many times I flicked it to 100% reliable with a good saturation of the stuff, I think it either loosens up the mechanism or clean some gunk of the contacts, or maybe a little of both. Of course after you soak the thing let the stuff run out into a rag before you place it back in use.

It has not always worked for me, but it is sure a quick easy fix when it does.
 
Good tip. Another is to do the same with contact cleaner.
 
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