Thud_mcguffin

My 90 T2 vert has a strange electrical problem which from searching the archives looks to be a cold soldered joint in the headlight switch assemebly. Getting a replacement switch in Europe is difficult - 2nd Gens are as rare a rocking horse poop and I can't get one from the US as the switch is on the other side of the console.

Before I take the switch out and spend a frustating weekend rebuilding it, I wanted to get a second opinion that the problem is with the switch assembly. The symptoms are :
1) when I turn the headlights on, the bulbs light up but the headlights don't pop up.
2) If I then then the switch back to the sidelights position, the headlights pop up
3) I then move the switch to the main beam position and the headlights stay up and the bulbs are at the correct brightness
4) The instrument panel flickers between normal brightness and very dim for the first 10 minutes or so of driving. After that they are fine. (yes I checked the dimmer switch!)
5) The headlight washer system is not working

So, does this sound like I need a new/rebuilt light switch assembly or should I be checking other things first?

Thud_mcguffin

Also, I just found this which matches my problems pretty well :

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...highlight=idle

Could my symptoms also be caused by a grounding problem?

xtremeskier97

Could also be cold solder points in the CPU. When my first 7's dashlights, which are connected to all parking lights and tailights, were going in and out, I resoldered the cold points in the CPU and in the headlight switch. Didnt have a problem after that. The CPU is down by your feet while driving on US 7s...not to sure about yours if they kept it on the left side or swapped it to the right. I dont know how all that switching one side to the other worked.

Someone had a tech guide on their site on how to rebuild it....Im just not sure who it was. Maybe they will post and let you know. I think it is Icemark ( http://www.mazdamark.com/ ) who rebuilds them and has a 'how to' on his site. Not sure.

Good luck.

Icemark

CPU won't have anything to do with the dash lights or headlights, other than the headlight on beeper, if the headlights are on and the key is off

Icemark

On the headlights not poping up... does the cleaner switch pop them up???

The flickering dash lights sounds like a bad dimmer contact in the switch, but could also be related to a failing harness/plug at the light switch.

Either way, does not sound like cold solder joints

Thud_mcguffin

Thanks for the input. Yes the cleaner switch pops the lights with no problems. I will take a look at the state of the switch harness this weekend and while I'm at it I will clean up the grounds.

Icemark

If the cleaner switch does pop up the light with no problems, but the switch does not, then mechanically (inside the switch) the contacts are bad.

There is a thread in the 2nd gen archive that covers rebuilding the switch and that problem

xtremeskier97

I knew he could be of more help than me.