High beam switch ..in failure

an enroute failure
monday i went to launch and found my battery flat, humm left the switch on fool i thought, however today's run in i found the multi switch [ turn/ Highbeam/horn] on the left of the column on this 79 was going into falilure, rather i should say , further into failure since the horn has been disfunct since before my time.now i have cute little red push button on panel. .
the high beam just comes on by it self.at the slightest bump . i suppose the little car thinks it is an autobahn auto trying to clear the highspeed lane..

unfortunantly if it decides to come on while parked i will find a flat batt ..

is it possible that i can dismount this assymbly inspect/adjust/repair and it will return to correct service or will i be wasting my time trying to fix an unfixable part , should i just order the 80$ replacement?
i hate multifunction switches prone to failure , expensive , hard to find and fit..

michael
[ the guy in your mirror flashing the beams ..]

On my 72 I found that after installing the higher wattage halogens the current draw through the switch caused premature (hate that word) failure of the plastic piece in the switch due to heat. I didn't think this was an issue with later model cars. After installing Limey's relay package there should be no more problems. Seems strange but the failure always (3x) resulted in the low beams not working, only the high beams worked.

I thought it was strange when I experienced this kind of switch failure a couple of years ago. I Checked on my 72 before retiring one night
and found the headlights on high beam with the headlight switch off. I had checked on the car a couple of hours earlier and all was normal.
I went with a new dimmer switch.

DW

i have hella halogen sealed beams .. hardly ever turn them on ..
my primary question is directed to someone who has dismounted the offending multiswitch and attempted service on said switch.. seems like a sprinfg or a detent has finally failed..

MG is Better thn the Mercedes Benze i had a MB in germany , the 4 ways failed , so i went to the dealer asked for a part.. the dude at the counter turned up his nose at me and said , get a new car... at least i can get the MG part..

Michael, these multi-way switches are a bear to work on. I've never found a good diagram or series of photos so it can be hit-or-miss.

I had a series of these things fail last year - three in a row. All three were brand-new and very flimsy. I ended up buying a used, non-working OEM switch and used one of the failures as my guide to noodle out how they're put together. In this particular instance, the problem was what is basically a set of points making contact on the wrong side of an electrical strip contact. (That doesn't make any sense on reading, but it did in person.)

The biggest problem with the new units is that the plastic melts at a pretty low temperature, and the connections are flimsy. Even the OEM ones can be overwhelmed by Halogen bulbs.

Get a new switch and clean/tighten all connectors and connections. Plus, as you've seen everywhere else - add relays. ;)

If possible and until you get a replacement, disconnect the purple wire going to the multifunction switch. The purple wire supplies power to the flash to pass feature on the switch and if the switch contacts are loose, it will supply power to the high beams.

I think when mine goes I'm going to disconnect it and install a good old fashioned floor dimmer switch. They were so much better and easier to use. No fumbling around, just tap it with your left foot. I never understood why car makers got rid of them. Wonderbar radios were cool too.

80 $ for a cheap replacement that will likely fail is what i am hearing ,

the horn push failed and i spliced in a little red button on the panel, i like my little red button

i am thinking that i may put a toggle switch on the panel for the high beams

i have been thinking that i want to rewire my ignition switch also , when it fails replace it with a double pole [ is that right ?] run switch /accesories switch and a start button .. dont need no stikin' ignition key

tomorow is a rain day and i need to take the tank to town for supplies anyway so i think i will disassemble the steering cowl tonight and glare at the offending part , think of rewiring it , attempt to determine the failure mode could be a spot of glue or RTV is all it needs ,

gonna check my wiring dia now for purple wires..

I fixed mine by making a part with the dremel tool. It may not last long but it was cheap. I will probably go with the floor switch if this fix fails. It took a couple of tries to get it right. The ones on the left are my first tries. They one on the right is the original.

My original failed. I took it out and could see no way to repair it. Complicated looking mixture of plastic and wire.

I bought a used one, which didn't work. So I (being a future DPO) wired in a toggle switch to operate my hi/lo beams. That worked fine but it was inconvenient and I just didn't like it.

So I bought the "new" one and installed it. It works, but the turn signal lever was initially really hard to operate. It was so hard to operate, I was afraid something plastic inside was going to break. So I took the new one apart and was able to ease that some. Tricky work, though.

I'd be interested in another switch.

after being reminded of the purple circit [ always hot] i went out and pulled the fuze, pole 7-8 [bottom] of the fuze box, it powers the horn, the cigar lighter , the inside courtesy light[ a 35$ part that had broke and i *fixed* it with gorilla glue] the trunk light .and the clock.. clock does not keep time, and th only time i am interest in is time to go home, only one horn works and is puny i will just yell at any one in my way, do not plan on looking in the trunk, , have a lighter in my pocket and am far from being a courtious person...

good to go

i had fixed while rolling by chewing up a paper and stuffing it in by the lever along with my rust bubble pick .. an inelegant fix at the least..
i peeped in by the lever and see the contacts , , flash to pass and high beam , evidently the locator plastic, spring thing is failed cause the lever flops, a good fix will be a little dab of RTV on the flash to pass contact, this will eleminate the chance of the Flat Batt when the power is drained.. the lever does not lock into the high beam position now because of the failure, but i seldom drive at night and use High beam even less,

i guess i will still take the cowl off and see what i can see.

Maybe a lower rated fuse for the 7-8 terminal might be the ticket. Is there much of a difference between the head light draw and the horn draw?

DW

Mine failed, too. The little spring which makes the hi beam flash return to normal died. I jammed a little piece of fine cell foam rubber in the place here the sping went and it works pretty well until the foam falls out. One of my friends snipped the hi beam flash wire. Probably just as well, anyhow. Seems funny to give the person in front of you a brighter orange flash, anyhow.
A slick fix to retain the function and not replace the dimmer function of the oem switch is replace the "brake test switch" with an intermittant rocker, and wire it up appropriately so it acts as for 'hi beam' (brighter orange) flashing.


All British switches are 3 position: (1)Dim (2)Flicker (3)Off

Eventually they become 1 position switches: off (only) or on (only), whichever is least convenient.....

A lot of chatter this week about switch failures. It seems that all the new ones are pretty wimpy. I quess its time to throw relays at all of them. They're a lot cheaper than some of the switches and a lot safer for the wiring system.

morris that is the part ..
how skillful you are to fabricate a replacement,,

the long finger on one side pushes on the high beam poinnt spring ,, to connect the short finger on the other pushes on the low beam point .. to dissconect..

the longest in the middle is the failed section, kind of a spring cam detent thing....i found the broken end in the cowl..

this switch cowl on the wheel is not my friend , does not want to come off then does not want to go back on .. i did not look too long at the offending switch, it could be that the steering wheel needs pulling to properly remove the assy.. and since the whiper switch on the other side is attached , and works , and since the turn signals work,, my chosen couse of action was to clean the high beam and low beam points with a point file, apply some dielectric dressing, hose it all with WD 40 wiper switch and turn signal assy,, remove the purple off the Flash to pass.. just then i thought of wiring the Flash to Pass circut up to my little horn button, beep and flash at the same time ... however, i would need a relay since my retro fit horn button is not strong enough to sustain High beam Amps.. if i was still driving in italy i would need the required cams and linkages that make the horn honk and the lights flassh every time the wheel is turned , the brake applied or the throttle applied, puls a random generator that made for a more random honk/flask application.. thats got to be a complex circuit but if one expects to drive in italy espically rome one MUST HAVE IT ..

if/when my iignition switch fails i am removing the whole wheel lock ignition switch assy, ,, wiring the ignition to a single pole triple throw and the start to a spst momentary [ another little red button.] and a battery disconnect..
so to start this old man will not have to try and remember where the keys are,, just where the switches are....

The steering wheel does have to be removed. I didn't take a photo of the finished part. It did look better than the ones in the photo. I wasn't thrilled with my choice of material, 1" PVC pipe coupling, but it will do.