Headlight Switch Extra Part

[Randalla]

I got brave today and took my headlight switch apart to clean up the contacts, as the switch was working sporadically. Everything went great till I realized I had an extra part left once it was all put back together. The part is a very small plastic bushing that apparently keeps metal parts from shorting against each other. I believe there is a total of 3 of these in the whole mechanism. I have no question where two of them go (they hold down and isolate the two headlight switches from the contact for the wiper washer. I guess the third one fell out when I was disassembling it and I did not see where it came from. Now when I flip the switch I blow the 20 amp fuse, so there are definitely two things touching each other that shouldn't be. Pictures of the bushing are below. Can anyone tell me with where the lone one is supposed to go? Thank you in advance!

[SteveJ]

Year? It helps to narrow down what I'm looking for in my collection.

[Randalla]

Series I 1971

[dutchzcarguy]

11 hours ago, Randalla said:

so there are definitely two things touching each other that shouldn't be. Pictures of the bushing are below. Can anyone tell me with where the lone one is supposed to go?

Next time... make... as we all should do before disassemble.....  MAKE PICTURES!  ? 

At first it looks simple but then you .... no... I procrastinate... !   haha and a week or 3 later i assemble, boy do i need those pic's  Hahaha...

[dutchzcarguy]

Does anyone have a pic of a not yet disassembled light switch?  (because that's what you need  ? )

[CanTechZ]

Not sure how this helps (unless you have X-ray eyes ?) but here you go.

Seriously, maybe try contacting @Zs-ondabrain

[Zs-ondabrain]

The extra bushing goes to the long, thin contact for the wiper washer switch...

Also, that bushing has nothing to do with the headlights blowing the fuse.

Your headlight contact Inside the switch is grounding out because it's misaligned. Open it back up inspect it. If you bent that "teeter" contact plate, it will go to high and hit the metal case and ground out.

[Randalla]

Thank you Zs-ondabrain, this is exactly what I needed! Back to work now.

[CanTechZ]

Looks like I was wrong, no X-ray vision required. You just have to know what you are looking for. ?

[Randalla]

Any way of knowing which of the two side switches might be causing the short? Not really sure I understand how the circuit works, given there are two very similar switch boxes, one on either side of the stalk. Any idea how the two function together? Is one for low and park and one for high beam?

[Zed Head]

Low and high are controlled on the turn signal stalk side, not the power switch.  The headlight switch has one circuit for head lights and one for parking/running lights.

 

Nobody noticed that Zs-ondabrain has arisen from the misty far past?  Spooky....

[Zs-ondabrain]

Randalla, the headlight switch has a red and a white/red wire.

Parking light wires are green/blue and green/white.

 

Zed Head.... BOO!!

Edited September 9, 2020 by Zs-ondabrain