80-82 headlight switch repair

geekdaddy

geekdaddy

X1/9 Learner's Permit...
My headlights haven't been 100% reliable switching-on and I suspect my switch is a little flaky so I disassembled it. Some of the contacts were a little cruddy and the spring loaded arms that slide across the contact arms are worn -- especially one of them.

I'm planning to clean all the contacts, reshape (and possibly build-up slightly) the tip of one of the arms, lubricate, and then reassemble. These switches are hard to find so would prefer to try this approach.

Any other advice? Photos and a link to a video below...

20180303_151701.jpg
20180303_151638.jpg
https://photos.app.goo.gl/0GtbbrdnekrQSFzL2
 
I seem to recall a prior thread that covered how to rebuild the headlight switch. I don't have it saved in my "favorites" list, so try a search for it. I don't remember what year switch it was for though.
 
Thanks Fellas -- I hadn't found these other links and they are very helpful. Looking at my switch and reading horror stories from others -- mine doesn't look too bad. Just a little crud on some of the contacts and one of the spring loaded plastic arms is a bit worn or melted. Given its relatively decent condition and I now have headlight relays installed so this switch isn't driving very much current -- I think I will try cleaning it and rebuilding and shaping the one plastic arm. If that doesn't go well I'll buy the panda switch and add 4 relays to it. Thanks again! Will report back later...
 
geekdaddy said:
Thanks Fellas -- I hadn't found these other links and they are very helpful. Looking at my switch and reading horror stories from others -- mine doesn't look too bad. Just a little crud on some of the contacts and one of the spring loaded plastic arms is a bit worn or melted. Given its relatively decent condition and I now have headlight relays installed so this switch isn't driving very much current -- I think I will try cleaning it and rebuilding and shaping the one plastic arm. If that doesn't go well I'll buy the panda switch and add 4 relays to it. Thanks again! Will report back later...
Click to expand...

The innards do look a lot like the later power window switches.
 
[QUOTE="geekdaddy, . If that doesn't go well I'll buy the panda switch and add 4 relays to it. Thanks again! Will report back later...[/QUOTE]

No, no, no Geekdaddy !!!!!!

I dont think that will work !!!! I'm 99% certain that would not be the right solution....

AFAIK, in around 1983 Fiat/Bertone did a major change in the X1/9 headlight switch. Changed from a rocker type switch to a sliding type switch. and the new type switch was also a different physical size (larger or smaller I forget which). This meant a change to the hole in the dash where the switch sat and snapped into. Thus the later sliding switch will NOT fit the hole in your '81 dash. In addition, the terminals on the back of the switch were in different positions, so your current wiring plug will NOT fit onto the later type switch. The Panda switch is the same physical size as the later '83 up X1/9 switch.

AFAIK, the '79-'82 switches were all the same size, and any of those would fit the hole in your dash. BUT..I think there is something different about the '79 only switch with the wiring or terminals on the switch. I think....the '80-'82 switches were all pretty much the same - with maybe some minor differences in the graphics on the face of the switch.

So Geekdaddy, I quite believe you would need a '80-'82 only headlight switch if you are looking for a new one. They are sometimes still available new from our vendors or Ebay. Sorry, I dont know the Fiat
OE part # you should be looking for. Maybe someone here can supply the part # - it would make your search so much easier !! If on Ebay, beware of Strada headlight switches - they look the same from the front but are different inside and dont have as many terminals ( I think your '81 switch has 6 terminals and the Strada switch only has 4 ? ). The Strada had fixed headlights and the X needed different internals for the headlights to raise and lower. Many Ebay vendors claim the same switch fits X1/9 and Strada - I think even a couple right now. Beware !!

But.....'80-'82 switches still CAN be found out there for reasonable $ - just keep looking. You should be able to find one for $30 or so. Probably worth it to ensure reliability in the future. Especially if you add relays to it and cut down the load on it.

Good luck. Doug
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Doug, not sure if I read your post correctly, but he is referring to this:

https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/head-lite-switch-issues.32626/

http://xwebforums.com/wiki/index.php/HeadlightSwitch
Click to expand...

Ummm.....Dr. Jeff.....I dont think that you did read my post correctly......read it again....

Yes - as the posts you link to show - a Panda headlight switch CAN be used (with wiring changes) to replace the tough-to-find proper X1/9 headlight switch.....BUT....only on a '83 and later X1/9 !!!!!!

BUT...
Geekdaddy has an '81 X1/9......he CANNOT use the Panda switch. It will NOT physically fit into the hole in his '81 dash......
 
geekdaddy said:
I think I will try cleaning it and rebuilding and shaping the one plastic arm.
Click to expand...
Most of these switches use the same internals with the rockers and arms. You may be able to salvage a good set of arms out of a used hazard switch as they hardly ever get used and they have two rows of contacts inside like the headlight switch. I have a used headlight switch from my '81 that I don't have a use for as well as a couple of used hazard switches if you are interested. The rockers are faded and no where near as nice as yours is, but you are just after the internals.
 
Rodger said:
Most of these switches use the same internals with the rockers and arms. You may be able to salvage a good set of arms out of a used hazard switch as they hardly ever get used and they have two rows of contacts inside like the headlight switch. I have a used headlight switch from my '81 that I don't have a use for as well as a couple of used hazard switches if you are interested. The rockers are faded and no where near as nice as yours is, but you are just after the internals.
Click to expand...
The late sliding headlight switch is different internally from the rocker type switches. They can be cleaned just like the rocker types but I don't think the internal parts are interchangeable. The biggest problem I've found with the sliding type switch is that when they fail they melt the plastic around one of the contacts which makes refurbing them very difficult.
 
Update: SUCCESS! (I think)

Based on the feedback here, I decided to rehab and clean my existing switch. I used some JB Weld to build-up and shape the tip of the internal spring-loaded wiper that was worn-down. I removed the contacts, cleaned them, and applied a very light amount of dielectric grease to their surfaces. Reassembled the switch and cycled it a few dozen times. Everything seems to be working perfectly although will know better when I am back on the road in a few weeks (snow is melted in Southern NH and just need a few good rains to wash the salt residue off the roads).

I cleaned the contacts with a rubber eraser and then wiped with alcohol. They appeared to have some small visible carbon/dirt but I was surprised by how much crud accumulated on the eraser after rubbing them. I'm guessing that the carbon/dirt/corossion build-up combined with the worn wiper may have caused the prior intermittent switching problems but we'll see. My headlights are drawing less current off LED's and now powered locally by relays so the load on this switch is now minimal as well...
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Nice work. Any updated pictures of how you built up the wiper?
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn't take a picture before I reassembled. I basically dabbed the JB Weld on top of the existing wiper/arm and shaped it while curing to have the same shape as the other one. So it looked like a new wiper but the tip is silver instead of brown.
 
See the area in the red circle. The wiper tip was worn and some material had been pushed to the side giving it the appearanc of a larger diameter. I trimmed the "flash" from the sides and dabbed some JB weld onto the tip. Just prior to curing I shaped the tip so it was similar to the other (on the wiper located just above in the photo). When finished, it looked just like the other wiper but was silver (the color of JB Weld) instead of brown. The tip size and shape seems important because it is relatively flat but also blunt with rounded edges so it can slide across the the "see-saw" shaped contacts and cause them to make contact on the left, right, or center of the terminal strips in the brown block. The green lines show how the contacts fit back into the terminal block. Hope this helps
20180303_151701.jpg
 
Yes, that helps a lot, thank you. After seeing what you meant by the "wiper tip" I can follow the process better.
I have a window switch with the same problem. For awhile it still worked by pressing down firmly against the rocker. I assume that was because of worn 'wiper tips'. So I'll take it apart and try your method to improve it.
Another big benefit was simply swapping the driver's side switch with the passenger's side switch, it gets much less use and is far less worn.
It might be fun to experiment with different substances to build up that worn tip. Please keep us informed how yours holds up. Thanks again.
 
Following-up on this thread. Took the exxie out for a few night drives after repairing the switch and everything worked perfectly. This repair and cleaning seems to have resolved the previous issue I had with intermittent headlight switching failures. Presently off the road temporarily for other repairs -- hope to be driving again soon and will report back if I encounter problems.
 
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