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The new combi switch is +$80. I could get a whole ac/delco combi and windshield wiper switch for about the same price.
Has anyone else tried this?
The current combi switch is 20 years old, bought it in 1996. Dissassembled and cleaned it several times. The high beam flash now works, but constant high beam doesn't. And given ac delco, and american car 's legendary reliability, maybe I should buy another OEM replacement.
Or I could use toggle switches like I did with the heater blower, a/c, headlight updown switch, and console assembly?
I'm so confused! Like the door handle, I'm tired of replacing repairing buying OEM parts.
You should go with used parts mm, the door handle and combi switch (headlights, turn, wiper et cet) are available as decent used units for much less than new stuff.
Plus they fit without modification.
Also, is this the "new combi switch for $80" you're talking about?
Looks to me like a new unit will run you around $210 plus shipping:
Also, I agree with your assessment of "American Car Legendary Reliability".
After spending most of the last week trying to replace a gas tank in a 93 Jeep Wrangler (yes that would be designed, engineered, manufactured and sold by Chrysler) I'm convinced that American design, engineering, and manufacturing are well worth avoiding.
You should go with used parts mm, the door handle and combi switch (headlights, turn, wiper et cet) are available as decent used units for much less than new stuff. Plus it fits without modification.
Also, is this the "new combi switch for $80" you are talking about? Looks to me like a new unit will run you around $210 plus shipping:
Also, I agree on your assessment of "American Car Legendary Reliability".
After spending most of the last week trying to replace a gas tank in a 93 Jeep Wrangler (yes that would be made by Chrysler) I am convinced that American design, engineering and manufacturing is well worth avoiding.
Idk, i had to replace the fuel pump in a '08 impala, which of course means dropping the gas tank, i had it out and back in by myself in about 6 hours i'm guessing, everything was very accessible.
Now i know that doesn't mean EVERY car is like that, i think it depends on how much money the engineers are making for that model. Idc what car make or model it is, some are just designed better for working on then others
Except the German cars, even the factory doesn't like working on them i bet
I've never had a problem with cleaning all of the contacts with emery cloth and Scotch-Brite. Note that there are two different contacts for flash-to-pass versus high beams.
This is one of those things that I want to do a writeup for, along with wiper linkage preventive maintenance.
I've cleaned the contacts so many times that they are worn out. I'd like to find a permanent solution.
I don't get how brights go on when the handle is pushed forward, and they are flashed by pulling the handle back. I know the handle moves the white thing on the combi switch. If the white thing is in the center, than the lights are regular. I've opened the combi switch and moved the copper leafs so the contacts touch and made the brights flash, and the brights go barely go on.
I hesitate to say this as I don't want to jinx myself, but I have driven the same SA for about 38 or 39 years now with nary a combination switch problem, do you guys live in corrosive environments?
My high beams would only flash, not stay on.
I cleaned the contacts last year to fix the issue. 31 years old, 163,000 miles.
Car has lived in SW Ohio all its life.
rwatson, good catch. yes, the car has spent it's life mostly in humid enviroments.
when it was in L A, the combi switch failed after 13 years. got a new one from mazda, and every 4 years after that in new jersey and in alabama the brights fail.
Last edited by midnight mechanic; 12-28-16 at 02:10 AM.
I'm back after 1 1/2 years to bitch about the brights not working. So I broke down and bought a new combi switch because they are getting scarce. It didn't fix the problem. Swapped the headlight relays and still the brights wouldn't work. If I jiggle the connections on the steering column, the brights will work sorta.
Since everyone here has a +30 year old car, and hence are experts on underbody de-rusting and undercoating, which contact cleaner is preferred? Is there a more creative solution?
It is super easy to pull the headlight switch out and disassemble it to give all the contacts a good cleaning with some Scotchbrite pad. It is all screws, no permanent adhesives/melt rivets like modern cars.
The only reason to replace one is if it were physically damaged.
I need to do this on the black car, maybe I will take pictures....
If you installed a brand new combination switch (did your really pay $264.01 for that thing???) and it still didn't fix the problem: <----<<no. I just bought the $70 combi switch
And you can get the headlights to flicker when you jiggle the connections to the assembly, it must be the wiring or the connections to the unit.
(not the headlight switch unit, save your old one).<-----<<<good idea, the turn signal part was worn through, I combined parts from the 1983 original combi and the one bought in 1996 to make a good turnsignal
If I were you I'd take a real close look at the wires and plug connectors, there must be a problem in there somewhere.<---<<the female connectors look dark and corroded
So I bought the duralast combi switch a year ago and 9 days. It was 9 days out of warranty, and the turn signals crapped out.
Easy fix was to take off the white box on the duracrap turn signal and scrape the contacts.
But damn, right after 1 year it craps out!! The OEM mazda combi switch lasted almost 13 years!! And the OEM replacement sourced from Mazda lasted 22 years!!
12-26-16, 02:17 PM
