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Rant: Broken switch; replacement cost $50

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KeepItSimpleStupid

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Today I decided to check out why both power mirrors on the car wouldn't operate down. I had noticed that when the temperature was high, it was probable that the mirror wouldn't work. The "work around" was to "manually push" the mirror and then use the other controls.

Car is 2000 Impala. I took apart a similarly functioning switch 30 years ago. The older switch was larger and beefier.

Because of the "both mirrors didn't work in one direction", I conclude that the swich is probably bad.

It came apart easily, but it didn't assemble easily. I spent about 20min solving the puzzle, then it's cake.

It's actually a cool design. i always like critiquing designs when I take things apart.
Under it's Left,right,up,down switch was a number of 2 remote control like KB contacts. Instead of the carbon, they used a Gold plated plate which touched gold plated contacts on a PC card. I said cool. A grain of wheat bulb was soldered in place and was light-piped to the LEFT/RIGHT select switch and I said cool again.

The LEFT/RIGHT contacts are tiny pieces of copper shim. Not gold plated with a lubercant and it hit gold plated areas on the PC board.

Now I see the problem. Metal fatique, but no real oxidation. I finally figured out how the contacts went together.

So, I rebent the contacts, but instead of using vaseline or other lubercant, I used some of this: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2011/07/CL20Spec20Sheet.pdf

Good stuff, but expensive.

so, neat design, cool switch, hopefully improved switch and a nice puzzle to solve.
 
If you want a real shocker, look up the prices for re-pinning a GM waterproof connector. I am not picking on GM -- I just had need to fix one recently. It was like $50 for a 2-pole connector. That is, $12 (list) for a crimp-on spade connector that had the little retention barb in the right place for the casing. The dealer was going to make me a deal at only $8 each. I just jerry-rigged something instead.

John
 
Someone has to make money. One of the instruments I used at work required 4 cables at over $100 each. Triax to alligator clips with graphite impregnated shields. I couldn't find a cheaper source.

My worst ones were a $70 Gold-stripe radiator hose sold as a vacuum hose
A $400 "O" ring, but it was about 3' and 0.250 diameter (Custom ends up being significantly cheaper like $50-$100) and we needed 2.

It gets really wierd when you can pay a machine shop to make the component cheaper than you can buy it from the manufacturer. I forget the cost of a 8" diameter, 3/8" thick plate with a circular dove-tail pattern cut into the base and blind holes tapped on the plate. Copper lines were flattened into the dovetails. We did these in house and at a machine shop cheaper than we could buy them from the manufacturer.

I don't feel bad with the project because it would have taken 40 min travel time and less than 30 min troubleshooting and re-installing. So, time-wise it came out about the same.
 
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