Light switch on disco I

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Author Message   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 05:12 pm:    Has anyone taken the headlight switch apart on the steering column. Dashlights, taillights, etc. are out and I was getting them to work by jiggling the switch but no more. I assume i need to claen the contact points. I found a tiny roll pin in the rear of the plastic shroud which i tried to get out with no luck. I pushed it in thinking I could slide it over the end but didn't want to budge. Any tips on how to do this? or must I bite the bullet and buy a whole new switch. BTW I checked all the fuses under the hood and behind the dash and all appear to be fine. I'm using the rear fogs as tail lights but want to get fixed before the holiday parties come so Mr. policeman doesn't have an excuse to pull me over. Thanks in advance. John   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 08:20 pm:    Bueller, Bueller, anyone? someone has had to have this same problem. Thanks   rob depiazza (Rossrobb) Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 11:01 pm:    john, i just installed a 4th headlamp/turnsignal switch in a '95 disco. the original shit the bed after 5 years and then atl british sold me a replacement that went bad after 14 months which they replaced under warranty. now that one died after only 18 months. this time they refuse to replace it. the switch seems to disintegrate and is not rebuildable. one word of warning coming from a long time lr mechanic. the 'original' parts sold by atl british are not of the same quality sold by the dealer (and no cheaper either). furthermore the dealer will stand behind a clearly defective part. do yourself a favor and buy it from the dealer.   rob depiazza (Rossrobb) Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 11:06 pm:    btw, it is def the switch that is the culprit. for some reason the contacts that control the parking/tail/dash lights goes first. soon after the headlights follow. fyi, if the switch has never been replaced the screws may be difficult to remove which is compunded by the steering wheel being in the way of a good direct shot with the screwdriver. first time around i had to remove the steering wheel. be prepared.   Rob Davison (Pokerob) Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 10:34 am:    i think it's karma from getting a good deal on the adventure rack rd   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 11:02 am:    Rob you are definitely right! My wife took my car to work today and upon arriving, called me in a panic that the check engine light came on. She panics all the time when the electrical system whacks out but I've learned to deal! I guess its time i buy an OBD reader for my laptop. Does anyone know of a good source to buy one. I have no idea how to use one, but i'm ready to learn and to quit paying to have codes read. Thanks in advance for putting me in the right direction. John   BobbyMcNeill Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 03:03 pm:    Just replaced my light switch. When it died, I used my rear fog lights to get me by until I could install a new switch ... but had to do without any dash lights. By turning the steering wheel you are able to access the screws attaching the light switch. The switch is a "plug and play" system. I also have not been able to repair my old unit, but if someone has, please advise so I can repair it for a back-up, if needed. Good Luck!   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 03:07 pm:    did you get yours at the dealer and if so, how much? or did you get it from an aftermarket vendor. I'm not fond of going to my local dealer. Thanks   Rich Lee Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 09:57 pm:    John, It is a lot easier if you remove the steering wheel, just pay attention to its orientation and the rotary coupling. I took my light switch completely apart and sanded & cleaned all the contacts (don't lose those tiny springs!). I also sanded out the pitting in the high/low beam rocker contacts and reassembled the whole thing with lots of "bulb grease". MOST IMPORTANT! I then ran all my headlights through a relay setup so only relay power voltage flows through the WIMPY light switch contacts. I made my own, but you can get them through Jacobs Electronics, Susquehana Motorsports or Painless Wiring. Good luck. Next time I'll just get an OEM switch   Jay Martin Posted on Friday, December 20, 2002 - 08:31 pm:    I have a '95 with the same problem also: no dash lights, no running lights. I replaced the column switch but no luck! Does anyone know if there is a relay for this group? It seems that several fuses covers this, so it can't be a fuse. Help!   Jay martin Posted on Saturday, December 21, 2002 - 10:56 am:    Can anyone help here??   Robert Smith (Robsmith) Posted on Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:16 pm:    Sounds like I'm not the only one with this problem by a long shot I have identicle symptoms of flaky dash/tail lights affected by jiggling headlight switch. Anyone have any advise on getting the switch module to come free? I have removed the shroud, and found the magic steering wheel position that allows the two screws holding the switch module in place to be removed, but the block does not seem to want to come out. Its loose, but does not slide. Am I missing a screw, or is there something else holding it in place? Is there anything else that needs to be removed to provide clearance for the module to pull out (like the tilt lever perhaps?) Thanks for any help you can provide. Rob Smith BTW anyone have a part number and aprox. cost for this module? If its more than my $100 ext. warr. deductable I'll probably just let the dealer do it.   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 03:08 pm:    I replaced mine a week or so ago....in 5 minutes from start to finish. There is a small plastic bump out that you need to gently pry up to release the switch. If you have the new switch, you will see where it is. I would contact Nathan at discount rovers. He has them for around 130.00 if you want new or I got mine from a junk yard (www.aaronauto.com) for 25.00. You could try them if you want used.   Robert Smith (Robsmith) Posted on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 12:00 pm:    Thanks for the tip. I figured there had to be something like that hanging it up. I will probably try the used route as you did. Any idea what the part number was at aaronauto? Thanks, Rob Thanks for the tip on the rear fogs as well. With as much fog as we get here in AZ (ie none) I'd forgotten I even had them   John Hook (Hookdesign) Posted on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 01:03 pm:    I didn't have the part number. I actually bought it on ebay as part of a whole cluster which also included the windshield wiper switch. Just email them and tell them what you need. I paid 25.00 for the whole cluster. I asked him if he had other disco parts and he said he had a number of Disco Ones, although if you are planning on keeping your truck for a while, you may want to consider new. John   Robert Sublett (Rubisco98) Posted on Saturday, February 01, 2003 - 08:30 am:    Glad to see that others are having problems with the switch as well. My turn signals are getting really finnicky. Most of the time the right one works, but when the left turn signal is engaged, you have to push on it to keep the signal going. I guess it's new switch time for me as well.. '96 D1 with 137k