Odd Headlight Switch Issue

[sapphirexae]

I have a weird headlight switch problem and I don't think that it is the typical melting / current issue. I went to turn my lights off yesterday and the switch pressed in but did not come back up to the off position. As such, my lights were stuck on. Anyway, I dissected the switch today and I see the problem but I'm not sure of the cause or a way to fix it. In the video below, the metal bar slides through a track, almost like a maze. At the various stops is what causes the parking lights to come on, then the headlights and then off. My metal bar keeps falling out. When it does stay in, it will not navigate the path/track. Any ideas?



Here is how it should work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyGNUsnMVM

[AugustneverEnds]

It might not look melted but the entire structure of the switch may be getting fragile and allowing the bar to come off track. Happened to mine 2 years ago, no obvious melting but the lights would switch off at random and sometimes the only way to keep them on was to hold the button in. Replaced it with the DMCH setup and rid myself of future melting concerns.

[papanoel]

I have a weird headlight switch problem and I don't think that it is the typical melting / current issue. I went to turn my lights off yesterday and the switch pressed in but did not come back up to the off position. As such, my lights were stuck on. Anyway, I dissected the switch today and I see the problem but I'm not sure of the cause or a way to fix it. In the video below, the metal bar slides through a track, almost like a maze. At the various stops is what causes the parking lights to come on, then the headlights and then off. My metal bar keeps falling out. When it does stay in, it will not navigate the path/track. Any ideas?



Here is how it should work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyGNUsnMVM

I had an issue where the button only had two positions. Headlights on. and headlights off. no daytime running lights. grady fixed the switch for me while he was doing other work. was only 10 bucks.

[Rich]

My metal bar keeps falling out. When it does stay in, it will not navigate the path/track. Any ideas?

Two ideas:

1. Be sure you reassembled the body of the switch in the correct orientation inside the housing. It can be mistakenly rotated 180deg in which case the metal bar will not be held in correctly.
Look inside the black plastic housing and look at the inner sides (not top or bottom). One inner side has a flat, shallow groove about 4mm wide, the other inner side has a pair of raised ribs.
Be sure the metal bar/link side of the switch is facing the flat, shallow groove, not the two ribs.

2. Be sure the metal bar/link is not bent out of shape. The two short ends both need to be bent at 90deg relative to the straight section or maybe overbent a bit further so they don't tend to slide away from the recessed detents of the plastic mechanism. If the bar worked OK before this probably isn't the problem. There isn't enough force in the switch to bend the bar out of shape.

It could be something besides those but check them anyway now that you're in there.