rrxx007 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 just removed the light switch, carefully though because the two parts between the wheel and the dash are about to crack. Anyway tried cleaning the contact pins with a piece of sanding paper and nothing, it seems that there is some corrosion but inside and bellow the copper colored pins i dont know if you can notice the greenish hue between the copper contacts. My question is can I remove that white part from the switch to clean it from the inside or should I just by a new one? BTW its a pathfinder xe 1994 4x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Cheaper and easier to replace it! (NAPA sells them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 The corrosion you're seeing is between the metal and the plastic, and probably isn't hurting much. When I did mine I took it apart further (pulled the switch itself apart) and cleaned the contacts in there. Getting the plate to unsnap is interesting, but once that's out, it's easy enough to get at everything. I used some contact cleaner in mine and bent them around a little bit (too much, actually, and I had to open it back up and fix it again). If it won't go back together/you're not up to it, then yeah, buy a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Time to upgrade your lighting system.... The factory system is terrible... Let me see if I can find the link... Found it. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=4945 Edited January 30, 2012 by tmoore4512 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrxx007 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Bad news! Just took the switch appart cleaned it with contact cleaner and a piece of sand paper and reinstalled to the truck and nothing now i'm doubtful as to what is the problem here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Mine acted a little funny after I took it apart the first time. Turned out I'd bent up one of the little contacts. I marked mine up when I had the back open on Saturday, looking for a high-beam lead (re-wiring my driving lights). Make sure they're clean, and (more importantly) that they're touching. A little re-bending should get yours working again, assuming all the parts are there. Also make sure the plug is clean and making good contact. Wiggle it and see if the lights flicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrxx007 Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 I noticed the plug seems to have some corrosion too but how the heck can I clean those tiny little bastards?! btw thamks for the pic and support man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Np. The plug in the unit should be easy enough to get to with some fine sandpaper folded around a little piece of wood or something. Electronic/tuner cleaner should help, especially on the harness plug, where pretty much nothing else is going to get in there. A little WD-40 afterwards shouldn't hurt anything. IIRC, if you take the light/turn signal base apart further, the plug blades will actually come out. That would make cleaning a little easier, but the reassembly is a pain. While you've got your dash etc torn apart, you might as well rule out other connection issues. The wires going to the headlights do flake out, but I'd be surprised if all four were dead. Try sticking a jumper wire in the plug, and see if the lights come on. I'm fairly sure that the two contacts at the far left (in the above pic) are a direct + from the battery, and the other four in the middle connect to them selectively for the high and low beams. Make sure that the plug is getting the +12v (you have checked the fuse, right?), and that the headlights are grounded properly/good bulbs/all that. Your switch is a likely culprit, but before tearing it all to bits, can't hurt to rule out the other lousy wiring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrxx007 Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 well I already took the switch completely appart taking out each pin cleaning and then put it back together for nothing! bent them and made sure they made contact, nothing; moved around the plug, nothing; my makers and signal lights and brake lights all work only the low/high beam is giving me trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Can you test the switch with a voltmeter? Starting to sound like it's not the problem. Like I said, make sure the plug's getting power. Set the voltmeter to 12v (or use a tail light bulb for all it matters), touch one lead to a bare spot on the body (I used a metal bracket next to the fuse box; the door hinge should work too). It's the six pins in the middle you're looking at, and again, it's the ones on the end IIRC. If there's no power to them, check the wires on the plug (PO on mine had clearly tried to tap something into them, and left a mess of bare wires and crimp connectors). If those are okay, go through the bulbs, plugs, fuses, etc. There's got to be a fault somewhere in the system, you've just got to narrow it down. Or, maybe you've got a bad fuse link like this guy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now