EJDobbins01

After many hours in researching the forums, wire chasing, schematic reading I’ve finally thwarted the cargo light malfunction on my 96 XJ Country.

The problem originated in Detroit where some young engineer after completing four years of college plus a couple of years internship actually got his first "hands on" experience in “planned obsolescence” .

By using a carbon steel switch contact in a very dirty environment with dust, moisture, lubricants and vibration instead of using a common off-the-shelf micro switch (or even stainless steel) that when purchased in bulk would cost pennies on the dollar, the switch contacts will self-destruct in a much shorter time frame than the locking mechanism it was riveted to, thus mandating the purchase of a much more expensive part.

Of course, this young engineer was only using his Detroit employment as a resume enhancer for a future job designing $7000 toilet seats for NASA.

Now for the fix:

Rust forms on the switch contacts thus preventing an electrical path to complete. One could use some sort of abrasive to remove said rust, however as in my case, the clips holding the top side of the switch plate to the fiber board insulator has also corroded to the point of not holding any longer.


This is how the light is turned off. The locking latch will depress the metal slider, which is the other half of the switch contact thus opens the circuit.


This shows the switch in the closed position, when the hatch door is opened and the light is/should be on (with the button on the light is activated).



While using a small wire brush to remove as much rust as possible, the corroded top contact broke loose completely, thus requiring added repair.

In this photo shows my temporary repair until I can research and locate an appropriate micro switch to replace this apparatus born of typical Detroit marketing stupidity.




I used the epoxy paste to re-secure the top contact to the insulator fiber board together.

Another note, the electrical contact for the wire will need to be wire brushed as well, I guess they don't teach much about rust in Detroit.