Headlight Switch

DinoDan - Sorry, but you have experienced the dreaded light-stalk crunch. But, not to worry....the fix is easy.

First, place a large bath towel in your lap after you sit down in the driver's seat. Spread the towel out to catch all of the bits and pieces that are doomed to fly about. Pry the plastic (rotating) end of the stalk off with a thin knife blade. Gently remove the end-cap from the stalk, taking note that there is a ball (bee-bee) and spring in the cap acting as a detent. It is possible that the ball and/or spring have simply come out of there plastic recess that holds them, or that the two copper contacts that are pressed together by the ball have lost their solder joint or whatever. The worse case scenario is that the plastic, having become brittle with age, has cracked and the recess holding the ball is no longer intact.

In any event, the first step is to remove the cap. All else will be clear after you see what is inside.

Jim S.

 

That look then like this....
I am very interested to see how this part could solve the switch problems...
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DinoDan - I believe that you are correct. The failure in your description has occured at the end of the headlight stalk - the part that rotates to turn on the light. Is my assumption correct? You will not need to get into the base of the stalk where it meets the steering column circuit board.

I have found failure of the solder joint where the two wires terminate within the rotating cap. I have found the detent ball no longer captured in a fractured plastic cap. And I have found everything okay, the ball floating loose, and the need for a bit of grease to make everything right.

Jim S.

 

You are right, but the picture should show the problem area.
On this picture you can see the correct part.
Which part should be replaced against the dinoparts piece ?
The one in the red circle?
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Nico,
When you carefully/slowly remove the the long black plastic knob/cap...the one marked with "LIGHTS" and the white arrow...at the outer end of the stalk (ref Dan's recent picture), you will reveal the on-off switch (the DinoParts item). Follow the steps that Jim S. described to disassemble the switch. The inner end of the stalk that you have circled controls the off/high-beam/low-beam (not necessarily in that order) function.

Dan,
I recently attempted a repair on my friend's Dino. The plastic portion of the switch mechanism had cracked, allowing it to rotate with the "LIGHT" knob. In so doing, it had severed the fragile wires. I effected a decent repair of the plastic with JB Weld, secured it to the stalk, carefully reattached the wires with solder & successfully put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Perfect! OK..., NOT! Alas, an indelicate twist by an undisclosed twit popped us back to square one.

Soooo, the moral of the story is: Buy the DinoParts item (it's been improved with tiny screws that replace the brass rivets of the original. 'much easier to secure the wires!). I'm glad to see that you've decided to do just that. And, thanks to your initial inquiry & picture, I've ordered the part, too. I had forgotten that the piece was available. It would have saved me a ton of time.

Jim S.,
Thanks for your unfaltering mission to slay the dragon & breathe new life into our Dinos.

And, to all who want to avoid this lil' project, Be Gentle!

Coop

 

Dan - I have a spare column switch unit in my hand. In this particular unit there is a fare amount of slack in the green and black wire going to the headlight turn switch. That is to say, if you could get purchase on the ends of the wire, you would be able to pull at least an inch or more to work with. I can only speak for this particular unit.

What is preventing you from pulling the slack is the friction in the black nylon loom sleeve, and the tight bend around the periphery of the plastic housing of the unit itself. Nonetheless, I can pull the slack on the other wires in my unit.

You might try a needle nose pliers. Give the wires a good firm but slow pull. You have nothing to lose.

Should this not work, then you will have to remove the unit from the car to repair it. It is a rather easy repair, as these two wires DO NOT terminate on the circuit board in the column switch. They simply find their way to the loom, and on to a relay through the main harness. You will have to crimp a spade connector on the other end after you feed it through the sleeve.

The most difficult tasks associated with removing the column switch unit are 1) removing the steering column nut without breaking your windshield. Place your socket and wrench in such a way as to allow you to rotate the handle away from the windshield, that is, apply torque on the downswing, not on the upswing. Should your wrench slip, better a bruised knee than a cracked windshield. You will need a ring-nut socket. 2) You will need a gear puller to get the black crinkle-finished metal (pot metal I think) surround off of the steering shaft. 3) Upon reassembly, make sure that your ground connection is correct. This is very important and easy to mess up. There is a copper plate on the switch unit that must be tightened against the column housing. You will see it when you have it apart. 4) Make sure, and this is important, that you have the recess in the steering wheel hub aligned correctly with the two tabs on the rotating part of the switch unit. This allows cancellation of the turn signal when the wheel is straightened. IT IS VERY EASY to fail to pay attention to this when installing the steering wheel hub, and subsequently crush the plastic of the switch unit...a very bad thing.

Despite these frightening admonitions, it is a VERY EASY task.

Jim S.

 

Dan - after reading my previous post, I want to offer a temporary solution. It you are anxious to drive, and do not want to spend the day to fix this, you could simply trace the black and green wire exiting the column-switch unit harness sleeve, and put a simple on-off single pole switch across them. To turn on your lights, all you have to do is touch these two wires together (or close the switch). You could put a temporary switch under the dash.

Indeed, you could find them coming out of the loom under the dash, and pull them all the way out. Then simply connect them via a switch. Later, you could thread new wire through the sleeve and connect properly.

Just a thought.

Jim S.

 

Dan - find the white plastic block (under the dash) that connects the column switch unit to the main harness. You will find it easier to remove the steering wheel with a 3mm Allen wrench, the four knurl screws that hold the dash, and swing the dash out a bit for better access. Take two pieces of wire, long enough to work with, and wedge one end of each into the plastic block (either side) where the green and black wires connect. Then touch the other two ends together. The lights should go on. This will give you the layout and how you might arrange a temporary switch fix.

Jim S.

 

Dan - 14 gauge better, 16 gauge okay, 18 gauge a no-no.

Jim S.

 

Correct - the wires do not rotate. The outer, clear plastic cap rotates with the purpose of pressing the ball bearing (detent) against the copper leaf to close the connection.

I believe that you should be able to thread the 14 gauge wire through the stalk without much difficulty. These wires carry the current to close the relay. Sixteen gauge will likely work without any issue.

Jim S.

 

Study it. Then study it again. Then, when you think you have it, study it once more.

Jim S.

 

Dan - time for a Miller. As I do not have the cap off of mine as I write, I must rely upon your observations. The ball and spring (is there a spring?) act as a detent to provide a positive action when the cap is turned. There is a plastic prominence that might hit the copper leaf, rather than the ball. It may be that the ball merely acts as the detent, and the plastic piece on the inner radius of the cap presses on the leaf. Can't remember which. But careful observation and study should provide insight.

Jim S.

 

since this has black plastic at the column area, and the "square teardrop" knob says "washer" on it...is this not a 308 stalk and NOT a 246 stalk?
If there is no washer circuit, why bother with the spring detent's pulling towards you function?
Or, conversely, if no pop up lites, wht worry about the bucket tipping function???

If this repair does not work for you, there is a guy....as the saying goes, who does thes for a living...
good luck...

 

hello..... the headlights on my 1979 308 gtb failed to come on along with the running lights... all fuses were good so i figure it must be something simple.

i pulled off the black plastic switch cap and a spring and a BB fell out. doh ! with no ryhme or reason or ability to get them back where they belong (where DO they belong ??)

the good news is that i can manually complete the circuit with the cap off and the lights come on....

but what do i need to get the switch to operate properly again ? i assume i need a new cap assembly ???

halp !

cornfused in portland.