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Restoration and Technical Tips - Boot and Bonnet Switches |
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Sunday, 01 February 2004 |
Restoration and Technical Tips
by Michael Brinsden
Boot and Bonnet Switches
How often is it that you’re Boot or Bonnet Light Switch ceases working?
For me this has happened innumerable times, usually at night when you
want the damn thing to work!
The switch fitted to most Chrysler and Valiant vehicles
produced in Australia is a spring loaded contact switch that screws
into the body to provide the earth connection. When the Bonnet or the
Boot is opened the compressed spring extends and pushes the centre
spindle up until the copper sleeve, to which the active wire is
connected, contacts the switch body which then completes the earth
circuit.
The most common form of fault is that the copper sleeve slips
down the centre spindle insulator and fails to meet the switch body to
form a circuit. This is easily fixed by depressing the switch centre
spindle with your finger and pushing hard on the copper sleeve to force
it further up the insulator. Release the centre spindle and the switch
contact should allow the boot or bonnet light to turn on.
If this fails to work disconnect the active wire from the
copper sleeve and bend the wire out of the way. Remove the protector
insulator from the switch body and unscrew the switch from the vehicle
body. You will then have easy access to the copper sleeve and the
contact part of the switch body. With 200 or 300 grade emery cloth
clean the contact section of the switch body and the copper sleeve.
Ensure that the copper sleeve contacts the switch body with the spring
fully extended. If you wish you can test the contact with a Multimeter
– the reading should be .1ohm or less.
Screw the switch back into the vehicle body and tighten
lightly with a suitable spanner. Do not over tighten as you will strip
the vehicle body thread or the switch thread.
Replace the protector insulator and reconnect the active wire. The light should now turn on satisfactorily.
Some other faults and their remedies-:
? Body thread or switch thread stripped – Wrap aluminium foil
around the switch thread and carefully screw into the vehicle body. If
you don’t have this try very thin copper sheet.
? Spindle damaged or bent – Replace the whole switch from a wrecked vehicle.
? Wire to switch not active – Check the lighting fuse in the
fuse holder. If fuse is OK then there is a wiring fault – probably an
open circuit due to broken wires beneath the insulation.
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