Re: How to replace the bulb on the dome light, 1953/1954
Posted by HH56 On 2017/5/11 8:55:40
Quote:
The headlight switch has an arrangement that is prone to oxidation and wear. The wipers for the courtesy light switch and rheostat section are made of brass or some metal that oxidizes and corrodes quite easily. That could be part of the issue. Usually the dash lights are the ones that don't work when the switch is dirty but the courtesy lights could be affected if the resistance is high enough.
The rheostat wiper is on a plastic isolation sleeve and the courtesy light wiper on the knob shaft. Rivets complete the connection between the terminals and wiper components. If the terminals loosen, the rivets oxidize between the surfaces and connection is poor. Also the corrosion causes a high resistance between the wiper and its contacts.
The D shaped holes which turn the wipers are prone to wear so the wipers may not exactly line up as they did when the switch was new. That would affect the courtesy light portion. The headlight switch has essentially 3 positions: at the extreme left the dash and courtesy lights are off. A very slight turn to the right and courtesy lights come on and a slight bit more to the right and courtesy lights go off and dash lights come on at full briteness. Farther turning to right and dash lights dim and are usually too dim to see by the time the knob is half way around.
Here are a couple of photos showing components and the area to check. Note the green corrosion on the rheostat side. The courtesy light section is on the other side of the ceramic and is in the same condition.
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1. The headlight switch doesn't turn the courtesy lights up front on. Probably that needs to be taken apart and cleaned.
The headlight switch has an arrangement that is prone to oxidation and wear. The wipers for the courtesy light switch and rheostat section are made of brass or some metal that oxidizes and corrodes quite easily. That could be part of the issue. Usually the dash lights are the ones that don't work when the switch is dirty but the courtesy lights could be affected if the resistance is high enough.
The rheostat wiper is on a plastic isolation sleeve and the courtesy light wiper on the knob shaft. Rivets complete the connection between the terminals and wiper components. If the terminals loosen, the rivets oxidize between the surfaces and connection is poor. Also the corrosion causes a high resistance between the wiper and its contacts.
The D shaped holes which turn the wipers are prone to wear so the wipers may not exactly line up as they did when the switch was new. That would affect the courtesy light portion. The headlight switch has essentially 3 positions: at the extreme left the dash and courtesy lights are off. A very slight turn to the right and courtesy lights come on and a slight bit more to the right and courtesy lights go off and dash lights come on at full briteness. Farther turning to right and dash lights dim and are usually too dim to see by the time the knob is half way around.
Here are a couple of photos showing components and the area to check. Note the green corrosion on the rheostat side. The courtesy light section is on the other side of the ceramic and is in the same condition.
Attach file:
(89.96 KB)
(28.51 KB)
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