Cleaning the Dash Dimmer is easy!


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By skygazer - 13 Years Ago
I've read about how the instrument dimmer on the headlight switch goes out and can't easily be repaired. Gill Baumgartner even recommends shorting out the rheostat alltogether. That seems a little severe to me! I decided to see for myself after my dash lights flickered out, and no jiggling of the headlight knob would bring them back.



I've found that maintaining the rheostat is remarkably easy! Of course, you need to push the "secret pin" under the switch to pull the knob, and you need a tool to remove the switch. After that, it is a simple matter to remove the rheostat ceramic disc, sand the corrosion off of coils on the disc and the contacts on the switch, and put the whole thing back together. Here are some pics... first the switch removed from the dash



and the rheostat ceramic disc removed from the switch assembly



the switch without the rheostat



sanding the coils on the rheostat



and sanding the contacts on the switch. There is one contact on the side near the connectors, and two contacts on the side opposite the connectors



After reassembling the switch and reinstalling, the dash dimmer works great!

What was I so afraid of?
By texasmark1 - 13 Years Ago
easy!

and silly me, I just bought a new switch...

well, its never too late to learn a new skill.

By DANIEL TINDER - 13 Years Ago
Twirling the knob a few times on a regular basis is usually all it takes to prevent corrosion build-up on the contact surfaces. A shot of tuner cleaner (obtained from Radio Shack) might also make disassembly unnecessary (?). OEM radio potentiometers should be routinely twiddled also to keep them clean.
By Jeff - 13 Years Ago
WD-40 works very well around most electrical equipment. I've used to clean and lubricate the dash light dimmer as well as the headlight switch itself. It not only cleans, lubricates and displaces any moisture present.



Jeff
By oldcarmark - 13 Years Ago
Way back when you could purchase a replacement resistor which is what I did.I tried cleaning up the original but still did not work well.Back than you could buy parts to FIX not just replace the whole switch.
By 56_Fairlane - 13 Years Ago
If that's all it takes, I'll give this thread two thumbs up. I have a jumper wire on mine right now so I could have dash lights.

I wish it was this easy to figure out my fuel gauge problem.
By MoonShadow - 13 Years Ago
Check for a break in the coiled wire on the dimmer. Thats usually the problem and can sometimes be repaired. Chuck