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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch issues?
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Message started by madmikesmech on 05/07/17 at 07:42:21

Title: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch issues?
Post by madmikesmech on 05/07/17 at 07:42:21

Hello, Mike here again.
I just picked up this '99 Savage. Niether beam of the headlight illuminated, so naturally my first thing to check was the headlight itself, even tho it's fairly UNLIKELY both beams would burn out!!!
Well they both worked... so on to the switch... power at yellow wire into switch (if I remember correctly!)
Well I took the turn switch out to access the high/low switch and as I got to that point, I turned the key switch back to the on position. As I WRESTLED the hi/low switch out of the handlebar housing the headlight flickered!! Well to make a long diagnosis short.... I TOTALLY disassembled the switch itself, and I THINK I remedied the problem! "Knock on wood" I ever so gently stretched the spring, and cleaned those 3 "pucks" up on the contact areas. It's been working ok since. I was wondering if any one else ever experiance this trouble? ie is this another Savage weakness???
Glad we have this group of people to share and learn from!!
Mike

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by Papa Bear on 05/07/17 at 09:01:23

When switches aren't used regularly they begin to tarnish, this tarnish prohibits them from making a good connection and the switch becomes intermittent or inoperative.
A little shot of WD-40 and moving the switch on/off a few times on a regular basis keeps the contacts cleaned and lubricated - the lube keeps the air off the contacts and prohibits the tarnish/oxidation cycle from commencing.

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/07/17 at 09:15:37

I have a shelf dedicated to lubricants.
WD40 isn't among them. WD stands for
Water Displacement, and it was the Fortieth attempt that worked. My boss told me to buy a few cans and load the parts of a transmission with it. A few months later I was up where the parts were. All rusted. In West Texas,

Electrical contact cleaner, for switches, is available. When WD is gone, whatever lube Was there is gone, too.
Will it clean up a switch? Better than lots of stuff, but it's not the thing that will make a switch last. I'd use it, to get me home or to troubleshoot. . Then I'd get the right stuff.
Watching people squirt WD into the spring and rotating star in a car door hinge is just funny. Works great, for a few days..
If they had a can of white lithium grease, things would be a lot better.

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by madmikesmech on 05/07/17 at 10:53:07

Thanks, yes you guys are correct, but I personally have never been a fan of "tune up in a bottle" in any fashion!! I think the only way to make a play is to roll up your sleeves, and jump right in!
Yeah wd40 may have worked, but kinda messy. Contact cleaner would have DEFINATLY worked, but some brands ( like the ones on my shelf) are quite "aggresive" and I was afraid it may eat or deform the plastic that the actual switch is constructed of.
But the way this switch was acting I just suspected the spring that pushes the contacts together need more oomph that's why I did what I did, plus the $200 Suzuki dealer local price was almost as much as I spent on the whole bike :-/ and I found a couple on eBay, but I couldn't be certain of the actual operation, I mean sure they were in tact and they all " worked when the bike was parted out!"
Mike

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by batman on 05/07/17 at 11:32:28

Well the switch is working, the only other thing that would stop both beams from working would be the ground which they both share , you might check that if you have further trouble .

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by madmikesmech on 05/07/17 at 13:43:10

Your absolutely right Batman,but I'm pretty confident it was a poor contact in the switch itself. This is exactly WHY these rider groups are KICK ASS! YA ASK a question and Ya'll are there to help!!! Thank you

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by George Palickar on 05/07/17 at 17:08:59

Well, as an Electrical Engineer for over 25 years, I gotta tell you, in industrial / weather settings, WD40 works great as an electrical contact cleaner. True, when it's gone in a few days the lube is gone, but for most switches, you just need the contacts clean. WD lasts longer than most contact cleaners, and gives you a chance to work the grime out of the contact surfaces. Not a cure all, but works. It does not eat plastic, it's cheap, available anywhere, anytime. I agree Justin, no sub for grease, but good for what its good at.

Title: Re: anyone ELSE ever had headlight/turn switch iss
Post by Ed L. on 05/07/17 at 17:38:35

I had pieces of a dragon fly stuck in the headlight switch of my '02 when I bought it. Must of been a direct hit like the beginning of "The Men In Black" movie. :D
No problems since I cleaned it.