Hello all,
I have a 1968 series 1.5 2+2. Several of the dash switches
have been working intermittently (side light switch,interior light
switch,headlight switch,windshield washer switch). Many of these
switches are no longer available for this car, but the switches for
the series III cars are still available. Will the switches for the
series III cars fit in my car and will they look and work
correctly? Thanks for your help.–
barbqme2
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
They will work but they have a white tab at the top to indicate
they are on (Fed. REG). The switch covers for your car are
available and ususlly those switches can be carefully cleaned and
lubed and give another 40 years!–
The original message included these comments:
the series III cars are still available. Will the switches for the
series III cars fit in my car and will they look and work
correctly? Thanks for your help.
–
JCRC SE member JCNA Regional Director SE JCNA Auth. Desk
Columbia SC, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
Hi Barb,
The good news is that you can usually repair these
switches but yes the switches are similar for both. The
usual’s will have the switches available too.
They are pretty easy to rebuild, you just need to have a
gentle hand to pop them apart, use electronics cleaner and
then coat with a bit of dielectric grease and Robert’s your
fathers brother!
Cheers,
Lynn
PS: we use our real names here, a few use a pseudonym, but
you’ll find folks are more helpful if they have a name to
attach to the note.–
The original message included these comments:
Hello all,
I have a 1968 series 1.5 2+2. Several of the dash switches
have been working intermittently (side light switch,interior light
switch,headlight switch,windshield washer switch). Many of these
switches are no longer available for this car, but the switches for
the series III cars are still available. Will the switches for the
series III cars fit in my car and will they look and work
correctly? Thanks for your help.
barbqme2
–
Lynn G.
68/85 ots, 73 2+2, Boise, Id., United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
Ditto on repairing the old ones. I took all of mine apart
and after a good clean/lube they all work well.–
Ian 1970 OTS
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
I’ve always scratched my head when reading disparaging remarks
about the reliability of the rocker switches that replaced the
earlier toggles. As already said, they’re very repairable and
generally reliable. My car has all but its original headlamp
switch, and it was replaced by the PO only because it was ‘‘sticky’’.–
1968 E-type S1� OTS since 1982, 1954 XK120SE OTS since 1991
Niagara, Ontario, Canada
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I have to agree. I used to get pi$$ed at people who whined on and on
about how unreliable the Jaguar XJ engines are. Invariably, they’re
looking at a car with 200k miles on it - and its still running!
Perhaps not perfectly because of crappy maintenance, bit STILL
RUNNING! To me, that’s far from the definition of ‘unreliable’.
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
I’ve always scratched my head when reading disparaging remarks
about the reliability of the rocker switches that replaced the
earlier toggles. As already said, they’re very repairable and
generally reliable. My car has all but its original headlamp
switch, and it was replaced by the PO only because it was ‘‘sticky’’.
1968 E-type S1½ OTS since 1982, 1954 XK120SE OTS since 1991
Niagara, Ontario, Canada
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I’ve had to disassemble and clean a couple, but other than that have had no problems.
LLoyd
My driveway is long enough that you can appreciate the conflict between the desire for privacy and the terror of being completely lost .----- Original Message -----
From: “Nick S.” stellar-plain@sympatico.ca
To: e-type@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 1:36:46 PM
Subject: Re: [E-Type] Dash Switches Question
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
I’ve always scratched my head when reading disparaging remarks
about the reliability of the rocker switches that replaced the
earlier toggles. As already said, they’re very repairable and
generally reliable. My car has all but its original headlamp
switch, and it was replaced by the PO only because it was ‘‘sticky’’.
In reply to a message from L.Lynn sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
Thanks to everyone who replied to my question about the dash
switches on the series 1.5. I had no idea that they could be
cleaned and reused. I’m going to do that very thing this evening
(after I finish mowing). It’s also helpful to know about the white
box that shows when the switch is on. Some of the switches have
the white box and some don’t. I never knew why. Once again,
thanks.
In reply to a message from Nick S. sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
But, Nick, I’ve heard of people who’ve had their switches FAIL
after only 45 years! They are obviously total cr@p! Besides,
EVERYONE knows everything Lucas EVER made was and is
unreliable junk. No exceptions. (And, E-types ALWAYS
overheat, and the brakes are ALWAYS lousy…)–
The original message included these comments:
I’ve always scratched my head when reading disparaging remarks
about the reliability of the rocker switches that replaced the
earlier toggles. As already said, they’re very repairable and
generally reliable. My car has all but its original headlamp
switch, and it was replaced by the PO only because it was ‘‘sticky’’.
1968 E-type S1� OTS since 1982, 1954 XK120SE OTS since 1991
Niagara, Ontario, Canada
–
Ray Livingston - '64 OTS Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz, CA, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
Yes, what Ray says!!!
BUT… tonight when you pull your switches off… use a screwdriver to push in the tabs, DON’T break them off…
LLoyd
My driveway is long enough that you can appreciate the conflict between the desire for privacy and the terror of being completely lost .----- Original Message -----
From: “Ray Livingston” jagboy@pacbell.net
To: e-type@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 2:45:47 PM
Subject: Re: [E-Type] Dash Switches Question
In reply to a message from Nick S. sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
But, Nick, I’ve heard of people who’ve had their switches FAIL
after only 45 years! They are obviously total cr@p! Besides,
EVERYONE knows everything Lucas EVER made was and is
unreliable junk. No exceptions. (And, E-types ALWAYS
overheat, and the brakes are ALWAYS lousy…)
In reply to a message from barbqme2 sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
SNG Barratt in Manchester New Hampshire have new ones that
look just like the original. Just bought one for the interior
light on my 70 OTS.–
Busvette
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Busvette sent Mon 30 Jul 2012:
Just a short update about the dash switches. I took three of them
apart, cleaned and repaired them last night. Two were the newer
switches with the white box and one was original to the car. They
look identical inside but the original switch’s plastic parts
seemed more brittle than the newer ones. I had to fabricate a part
inside the original switch that had failed because of the
brittleness of the plastic (the cap on top of the spring inside the
switch). I also snapped the side of the original switch off when I
pried on it (no problem with the newer switches). If you had to
replace an original switch I believe it would be possible to remove
the black rocker section (whatever it is called) from the old
switch and put it on the new switch. You would then have the
original look with new components. Thanks once again for the
advice.–
barbqme2
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I want to remove the switch (unused- designated for rear window defroster) and clean it up and use it for a radiator fan override. It failed the test for continuity. How does it come out?
Thank you
Carlo
Pull down the center panel to expose the backside of the switches, gauges, etc. There is a springy plastic tab at each narrow end of each switch. Carefully push each tab toward the center of the switch to disengage the switch body from the panel. Over time the tabs get brittle and want to break off. It’s common for that to happen. The switch comes out the front of the panel.
I now only remove the old ones as a last resort since I have broken the tab on a few. My map light switch is intermittent if I do not use it for awhile but if I flip it back and forth a few times it will start working again. I am sure it just needs a good cleaning inside but do not want to risk “totaling” it while it still works with a little persuading and is not a critical switch.
I took out the switch as you posted, and yes, the springy tabs ARE brittle. As an aside, the switch seems secure with only one tab. And as suspected, the contacts were more than a bit cruddy. With Contact Renew and some scraping, I got them clean and shiny. The fan bypass is up and running. I like that I made use of the unused switch.
Reading this old thread allowed me to realize that these switches are fairly easy to clean up and keep or get back into service.
David- Don’t be intimidated to fiddle with it or deter you from sorting out a dirty switch.
