Hi, I managed to fix the reverse light switch on my car.
You could say that I could have bought it but...
As I had one from a GV that I scrapped, after replacing it and having the same issue ( no reverse lights or parking camera on), I said I have to know what's inside them to know if they can be fixed.
Unfortunately I can't upload anymore pictures ( maximum is 1.78KB that I can use)but I will try to explain it:
The switch is made from two parts, the one with the ball and the other one with pin connectors. This two parts are separate by a (in this case orange) rubber membrane.
On the side of the ball, behind it, is a spring with two flat pieces one for each end of the spring and slightly different from another.
On the other side, where the connection pins are, is a spring that runs between the two pins and a piece of stainless steel plate that looks more like a hat.
After breaking one of them, I could tell that even though the materials used are corrosion free and in a concealed environment, the connection was not made despite the fact that they were touching.
So on the one that I fixed I melted the sides along the pins, only 5-10 mm from the metal side
( ball side) towards the end of the pin, until I could see the inside part of the pin. I cleaned the remaining melted material with a Stanley knife blade and between the pin and the "hat" I passed the point of the Stanley knife few times.
To make sure in the future it does not happen again, I added some grease on the pin and hat, finally I sealed the cuts with silicon, that's what I had but anything you can use is good as long as it's thick and it does not go inside the hole blocking the connection. I added some electrical tape to protect the silicon from dust or any dirt that might get there, the connection plug it covers most of it anyway.
It works so far, but even if it breaks again it will be a 10 mins job now to remove the silicon and scratch the connections again.
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mikebh8
Hi, I managed to fix the reverse light switch on my car.
You could say that I could have bought it but...
As I had one from a GV that I scrapped, after replacing it and having the same issue ( no reverse lights or parking camera on), I said I have to know what's inside them to know if they can be fixed.
Unfortunately I can't upload anymore pictures ( maximum is 1.78KB that I can use)but I will try to explain it:
The switch is made from two parts, the one with the ball and the other one with pin connectors. This two parts are separate by a (in this case orange) rubber membrane.
On the side of the ball, behind it, is a spring with two flat pieces one for each end of the spring and slightly different from another.
On the other side, where the connection pins are, is a spring that runs between the two pins and a piece of stainless steel plate that looks more like a hat.
After breaking one of them, I could tell that even though the materials used are corrosion free and in a concealed environment, the connection was not made despite the fact that they were touching.
So on the one that I fixed I melted the sides along the pins, only 5-10 mm from the metal side
( ball side) towards the end of the pin, until I could see the inside part of the pin. I cleaned the remaining melted material with a Stanley knife blade and between the pin and the "hat" I passed the point of the Stanley knife few times.
To make sure in the future it does not happen again, I added some grease on the pin and hat, finally I sealed the cuts with silicon, that's what I had but anything you can use is good as long as it's thick and it does not go inside the hole blocking the connection. I added some electrical tape to protect the silicon from dust or any dirt that might get there, the connection plug it covers most of it anyway.
It works so far, but even if it breaks again it will be a 10 mins job now to remove the silicon and scratch the connections again.
Hope it helps.
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