When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I recently had an issue where my headlights stopped working. The retractor switch worked along with the parking lights but when the headlights were switched on they did not pop up or turn on.
I did quite a bit of searching on the site and found some good information on testing the system and checking the relays. Seems like the most common failures are relay related. In my case I went through the steps from the FSM (E-10) and found I had a problem with the combination switch. No continuity between GRN and HEAD. All other checks passed.
After even more searching I could not find any reference to an attempt to repair the switch. I even tried to find an example for any type of vehicle but came up empty. The FSM says to replace the entire clock spring assembly…
I was convinced that the issue with my switch was a dirty/broken contact and it was repairable so I sourced an old/broken headlight combination switch to dissect so that I could figure out how it comes apart/works. It appears it was never meant to be serviceable but in the end I was able to repair my switch very easily at almost zero cost. The next post will cover the steps.
The headlight switch stalk has 3 wires (red/green/black). The green is for the parking lights, red is for the headlights and black is ground. In my case I had to figure out why the red wire was not making contact. Somehow there must be a way to take it apart. Here is a picture of the back side of the headlight switch.
Note the pin/screw in back. At first, I thought this would be a micro torque or hex screw (0.7mm) so I bought a set of drivers from Amazon. That assumption was wrong, and I was unable to remove that little piece after quite a bit of trial an error.
There might be another trick, but I resorted to drilling it out very carefully. I used a bit that was slightly larger than the inner diameter of the whole in the ‘pin’ and drilled slowly. I was lucky and got it perfectly in the middle and after a minute or two it grabbed enough for me to pull it out. It is simply a pin. Not sure why it was not a screw but once it is out you can remove the cover. That was the key and the hardest part of the repair!
The gray cap is next and can be removed by lifting both tabs and gently pulling it off. I say gently because there are 2 ball bearings underneath along with 2 springs so be carefully and keep it upright so as not to lose them. Also take a picture to note the exact alignment on the white piece for reassembly later. This picture can be used as a reference with the switch in the off position but I would highly recommend that you repeat the procedure.
Remove the white piece and set the bearings and springs aside.
Now you should be able to better diagnose the switch. You can now check continuity between the plug and each of the 3 contacts on the switch itself and see where the issue is. At the same time clean the contacts and add some fresh dielectric grease.
Once cleaned up you should be getting continuity for all 3 wires. If not, then keep digging. In my case I had to keep digging!
There is enough slack on the wire going into the headlight stalk so that you can push it in a bit then grab the plastic shell and push it up a quarter inch or so moving the circular pad with the contact along with it. Then pull the plastic shell back down so you can see how the 3 wires are attached. You can see in mine that the red wire was not attached at all as the solder joint broke.
I took out my soldering iron and reattached the wire. While I was at it, I reflowed the other 2 wires to be sure they were secure. I then verified everything with the multimeter.
Next was to ensure all contacts were clean and new grease applied. I used 800 grit sandpaper to lightly clean the contacts (probably overkill as contact cleaner would be enough). Be very gently as you would not want to break a contact.
Carefully reassemble in reverse order. Note the alignment of the white piece and carefully place the springs and bearings in place before snapping on the gray retainer clip. I suppose the springs could be replaced with one from a pen if they are lost but I did not measure!
In the end I did not replace the pin that holds the cover on. I find it stays on fine without it. It might come off in a collision but the headlight switch would be the least of my worries at that point. I think a very small screw from a toy or electronic device would be ideal.
I hope that someone will one day find this useful. I did not look at the wiper switch but I would imagine it would be a very similar repair. As always comments/questions and any additional information for this repair would be welcome. I’m sure I’ve left a few holes…
Thanks so much for documenting this! I've never had to go that deep into a switch. I would say that this is not going to be a common thing with the wire broken off the solder joint. But this is good to know to get in there and clean contacts.
I agree with Dale that this is not going to be very common but as these cars age it is something to think about. The reason I say that is that I've started restoring stereo equipment as one of my hobbies over the last year or so. I've learned that as amplifiers and receivers past the 20 year mark can start to develop issues with capacitors and even solder joints affecting the sound quality (Carvers are notorious for this). So we need to start recapping the boards and reflowing some of the connections. Then magically they start working again and sound like new.
So with the electronics in the FD living in a much more hostile environment as opposed to a living room these issues will start to creep up as they are almost 30 years old now. The instrument cluster is one area that is well documented but I'm starting to think about what might break next and are there any parts left to replace it? In the case of the headlight switch we can still buy a complete assembly but I'm not sure in another 10 years. . .
My reflex to repairing anything on the FD is to go find a replacement part and I'm trying to rewire my brain to see if there is a way to repair it first as finding parts is getting harder!
This is great! My headlight switch in my FD didn’t work either. My parking lights would come but the headlights wouldn’t pop up or come on. My switch was also to blame. Buying a new combo switch from Mazda would have been $600 so instead I wired my headlight circuit to the parking light circuit. So when I flip the switch to parking lights, the headlights also come on. If I had come up with a solution to properly disassemble the switch like this, this would be a better fix. When I eventually get back I’ll use this to rectify my repair correctly.
This is great! My headlight switch in my FD didn’t work either. My parking lights would come but the headlights wouldn’t pop up or come on. My switch was also to blame. Buying a new combo switch from Mazda would have been $600 so instead I wired my headlight circuit to the parking light circuit. So when I flip the switch to parking lights, the headlights also come on. If I had come up with a solution to properly disassemble the switch like this, this would be a better fix. When I eventually get back I’ll use this to rectify my repair correctly.
matt
Hopefully your issue is similar as it pretty simple to fix once it is apart. Best part it does not cost anything!
I do have an extra combo switch with a working headlight switch if anyone needs any parts. The lettering is a bit faded but it works. My original plan was to cut the 3 wires and just swap the stalk before I figured out how to repair it.
10-25-21, 10:34 AM
