More electrical gremlins
03-09-2014, 11:56 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
More electrical gremlins
Just a FYI for newby guys doing an electrical refresh on a 30 plus year old shark.
I thought I had cleaned every ground, contact, relay and switch on this car, but there are always more to do.
My son has owned this car since last April and we never noticed the emergency parking light and master caution didn't work when the hand brake was pulled. So we pulled the cover on the handbrake and discovered the small button switch was stuck in the down position. Probably because the car sat covered with the brake in the down position in a heated garage for 10 years before the PO bought her.
A little fine grit sandpaper and contact cleaner and we have warning lights.
The mirror control switch has been very intermittent, so we took it apart and sprayed liberal amounts of electronic cleaner down into switch throughout the control shaft. After letting it soak for a while, the switch and mirrors work like new.
We also never noticed that the interior light on the hatchback lid was inop. Again, sitting for many years in the off position tends to corrode the contacts. So a bit of fine grit and contact cleaner and it works.
Funny how to you tend to find small things after the major items are sorted….
I thought I had cleaned every ground, contact, relay and switch on this car, but there are always more to do.
My son has owned this car since last April and we never noticed the emergency parking light and master caution didn't work when the hand brake was pulled. So we pulled the cover on the handbrake and discovered the small button switch was stuck in the down position. Probably because the car sat covered with the brake in the down position in a heated garage for 10 years before the PO bought her.
A little fine grit sandpaper and contact cleaner and we have warning lights.
The mirror control switch has been very intermittent, so we took it apart and sprayed liberal amounts of electronic cleaner down into switch throughout the control shaft. After letting it soak for a while, the switch and mirrors work like new.
We also never noticed that the interior light on the hatchback lid was inop. Again, sitting for many years in the off position tends to corrode the contacts. So a bit of fine grit and contact cleaner and it works.
Funny how to you tend to find small things after the major items are sorted….
