naverillsn001

Can you take apart and repair a headlight switch instead of replacing it?

The headlight switch on my 97 Grand Cherokee is dying, and I can't find an affordable replacement. Used ones are on eBay for under $30, but never in the configuration that matches mine, WITH the "Auto" setting but WITHOUT the fog lamp button. Apparently my version is harder to find, and I've gotten a $65 quote used, and new $120, and both seem too much to pay for a freakin' switch.

Has anyone taken one of these puppies apart and repaired it? Are there just bad contacts or something that makes them fail? I know these failures are common on the '97.

trucker

How about a junk yard?

naverillsn001

Sorry, wasn't clear -- can't find the right one at a junkyard, I've been trying. That's why I'm wondering if I can fix the one I have.

rainandsun

i have read that you can repair the headlight switch. here's the guide where i found on how to do this. actually this work would be done after removing the gas tank and disconnect the switch wiring harness all that can be cleaned and repaired in a suitable table. However, it may be that Don and I to switch the plug is still connected somewhere under the gas tank. I used a magnetic plate purchased at a hardware store to keep most of the parts and put a light colored towel on the tank and inside of the fairing to pick something that I fell. (WARNING: Somehow ensure the towel or do in the garage or in a breeze can send all these little pieces of flight)

i found out that my switch was dirty but that was not the problem. after cleaning i was able to attach a new blob of solder in place of the old one so the light is functioning now.

after complete disassemble, I was able to heat the connection that had crumbled in my switch with a soldering iron and reconstruct the failed contact. When finished, I cleaned everything thoroughly with contact cleaner and re-assembled the switch. Before I installed it, I doused the insides and back of the whole thing pretty good with an aerosol silicone spray that will act as a lube and protect the contacts from corrosion too. this was an advise from a friend who was working somewhere in florida repair shops.