Defunct spotlight Switch

[Freddie]

Season's greetings, fellow GSers.

Nothing special - just standard GSA twin spots, switched on by light switch (BMW standard) sitting on top of left hand switchgear - the one that has the little green LED to remind you they're on....

Contact is now internittent - and the lights (and the green LED) only come on if I press and hold the switch in, just clicking it to 'on' doesn't work. Switch looks to be 'solid state' ie three wires going into it are encased in epoxy, so no amount of WD40 is gonna soak that baby. Clearly switch has had it.

Any advice - other than 'switch is dead, go get a new one?' Knowing BM, it'll be around £80 to buy, £120 to fit (wiring disappears under the tank and into the inky blackness of the wiring loom where Canbus munchkins lurk, so bound to be 'complex') +VAT, and lunch. Say £250 all in. Don't really want to make a mess of the nice integrated looking switchgear, any simpler options - like stripping back and swapping wires over, so off is now on) spring to mind amongst the great and the good? Ta in advance

 

[TLSgazza]

There's another thread on here from just a couple of weeks ago with a simple fix. Have the same problem with the one on the missus's switch.
Have a look for it.

Found it
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321703

 

[(RIP) Miff]

I use one of these and it works fine.

Alternatively, why not wire them into the main beam circuit via a relay, then they'll come on with main beam all the time.

If you want them on permanently, wire them into the dipped beam via a relay.

 

[Freddie]

Great forum!

Thanks Chaps - two great ideas. I'll probably go with the plastic shim effort first. If my attempts at home made lego don't work, it'll be a rewire into the dipped beam. Cheers

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Thanks Chaps - two great ideas. I'll probably go with the plastic shim effort first. If my attempts at home made lego don't work, it'll be a rewire into the dipped beam. Cheers

Don't forget an inline fuse if you do... Make it easy to get to. If the MOT man complains about them being linked to dip beam, you can just hoik the fuse out

 

[Boxed-in]

I had the switch such that it just would not switch, (very stiff), I simply sprayed in WD40 at the corners into the switch, so anywhere i could get lubricant inside the switch, now works perfectly.

 

[Billywhizz]

Season's greetings, fellow GSers.

Nothing special - just standard GSA twin spots, switched on by light switch (BMW standard) sitting on top of left hand switchgear - the one that has the little green LED to remind you they're on....

Contact is now internittent - and the lights (and the green LED) only come on if I press and hold the switch in, just clicking it to 'on' doesn't work. Switch looks to be 'solid state' ie three wires going into it are encased in epoxy, so no amount of WD40 is gonna soak that baby. Clearly switch has had it.

Any advice - other than 'switch is dead, go get a new one?' Knowing BM, it'll be around £80 to buy, £120 to fit (wiring disappears under the tank and into the inky blackness of the wiring loom where Canbus munchkins lurk, so bound to be 'complex') +VAT, and lunch. Say £250 all in. Don't really want to make a mess of the nice integrated looking switchgear, any simpler options - like stripping back and swapping wires over, so off is now on) spring to mind amongst the great and the good? Ta in advance

Good advice from the other guys but mine was doing the same as yours and the shim trick only lasted for a short time. I didn't think it got to the root of the problem - more of a bandage than a cure. I fixed mine by taking the switch apart and looking at how it works. When I realised it works on a simple cam rocker (that's the piece of plastic that sits under the switch) and the cam flicks across a raised edge to operate, it was obvious that the pointed end of the cam just wears into a rounded point and doesn't trigger the switch. I filed the end back into a point and all has been well for two years now - but I'm sure it will wear down again.