The interior light on my 83 SC has stopped coming on when the drivers door is open so I removed the switch to check it out.
The problem is that the wire is no longer connected and has dissapeared into the panel.
Does anyone know how to get into this space to retreve the wire so that I can re-connect it?

Thanks

 

Try one of those inexpensive long flexible grasper tools which can be found in any auto parts stores. No shop should be without one anyway. Push the button on top to extend and open the grasper. It's just like those plush toy grasper arcade games.

 

I have exactly that tool & I did try it but the end of mine is just too big to go through the hole!

I wonder if after removing the trim at the side of the footwell there is an access hole or similar?

Anyone any ideas?

 

Then try a heavy piece of copper wire (12 or 14Ga) with the end bent over into a fishhook shape and *go fishing*. Electrians do it all the time. I do not recall that on can get there from the footwell .As a matter of fact, after this I pulled off the foot well cover and you CAN NOT get better access in a 1984...so my prior
advice stands (see attached). There are 2 small holes which may (or may not) help with high power illumination. And as Spider911 stated, sometiems you get lucky and it's easy,
then sometimes ....well, it isn't.
regards,
Steve

 

Just bumping this one to the top again!

Come on you guys, someone must have had this problem before.......I don't wan't to start ripping out my interior unless I've no other option.

 

I don't think you can get to it from the interior. I used a small diameter coat hanger and bent the end over into a hook and caught the wire, as previously stated. Good luck and be patient...sometimes it goes easy and sometimes it's a Bitch.

 

Thanks a lot,
I'll give that a try this weekend. Probably end up doing this though !

 

For some bizzare reason if one edits a post the you can not post a photo.
So I'll try here, but it goes with my prior post.
Regards
Steve

 

Thanks a lot Steve & Spider.
I was going to have a look at fixing this today or yesterday but as it's poured down most of the weekend it'll have to wait until next week.

Got side tracked today by going to see some Porsche racing at a local curcuit here in northern England called Croft.

Thought you might like to see a picture or two

 

...

 

Why don't you just rewire the sucker?

 

Chris, The problem is, old wire or new= limited access.

 

Okay. I was just sensing your exasperation as you try to work through this tiny hole to grasp a wire that you can't even see. When I'm in that situation in general, I get a stiff piece of wire as a snake and try to establish a new run from one accessible spot to another. With that said, I have several of the grabber gizmos described earlier. That is always the first try and often works great.
C