Has anyone separated or repaired their dash dimmer rheostat? On my original switch the wheel itself has some play and causes the instrument lights to be full bright, flickering or off. I cant really dim it successfully. I recently sourced a used switch and the dim function is better, the wheel is tight, but the rheostat isnt perfectly linear in the dimming. Has anyone successfully opened one of these switches? Hoping to find a way to clear or find faulty solder joints.The replacement part is better than what i had, but still not (seemingly) perfect. Nothing comes back on the cross-reference thread, is there an alternative but suitable part? Video of the play on the wheel,
I actually started asking them. But it wasnt a switch they had worked on previously, nor does it get sticky.
Mine exhibited the same concern. My mechanic was able to “set” it so that it always comes on at the “right” brightness at night when I turn the wheel. It is no longer adjustable but it does not flicker any longer either. So there is that option…
I wonder if there is a simple potentiometer inside or if there are complex electronics. If it's just a variable resistor, I suppose a large wattage fixed value resistor could be put across the pins. Image Unavailable, Please Login i.e. across the yellow and white wire.
It looks very similar to a Fiat X1/9 (1979 on) one: Fiat X19 Console Dimmer Rheostat (Fiat Bertone X1/9, Pininfarina 124 Spider 1983-on) - U8 (midwest-bayless.com), except a mirror image!? I think I have a spare or two- I will check which hand they are. If nothing else, a Fiat one may be a donor or cheaper to dissect.
That link shows out of stock, but this one seems to show in stock (same company): https://www.midwest-bayless.com/p-4713-4459751-5936270-oe-console-dimmer-rheostat-fiat-bertone-x19-pininfarina-124-spider-1983-on-oe.aspx Price has doubled.
So update to this thread... I went ahead and purchased the Fiat X1/9 dimmer switch and unfortunately it doesnt fit into the slot on the lower dash. Its a very close part that functionality works and pligs into the electrical socket. Fiat on left/Ferrari right Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login The Fiat piece is a few MMs larger and you would need to grind out or modify the lip on the panel for the part to slide in. And the other no-go is that even after that it would be at a different depth in mounting. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Swap the internals you say.... Yes that would be a great idea. Unfortunately that too is not as easy as it seems, first off the Ferrari piece, I have so far been unable to separate the plastics. The Fiat piece casing is assembled differently and does seem reasonable to open up. Looking at what internals are exposed, the Ferrari piece has some sort of heat sink and resistor piece mounted off the main board, while the Fiat piece does not. @Qavion Ian, what are we looking at and is this safe to even assume they are compatible or are the electrical needs of Ferrari different that it may not handle the draw? Image Unavailable, Please Login That being said, there is certainly room under the dash to leave the stock switch in place and plug in the Fiat switch to have smooth dimming Image Unavailable, Please Login
If the Ferrari version has an additional heatsink, I don’t think I’d risk fitting the Fiat version. Comparing the instrumentation, I’d say the Ferrari has a few more instruments and panels attached to it. It might work, but I don’t know how long it would last.
