s0jan

Has anyone fabricated or used a universal window switch in place of there broken stock window switch? The stock switch is too expensive to replace and I have been using a small metal rod to open and close my windows.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Get a good used switch - they're not that pricey. If your switch is still in one physical piece, you can take it apart and clean the contacts.

The FD isn't a car you use some ghetto universal switch for the windows on.

Dale

s0jan

Used is even $100.00 Well the problem with mine is that the levers do not make contact any longer.

I was thinking of making something the would be like a light switch with up, down, and neutral positions.

BoostedFd3s

iTrader: (3)

i have a passenger window side switch that i'll sell...pm me if you want it..

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

I don't know precisely what is wrong with your switch, but the plastic leg beneath the physical thumb-switch that is used to operate the driver's side window broke off on my switch. The plastic leg engages a contact slider that controls up and down. To make it operable again, I simply drilled a small hole and then screwed a short, tight-threaded, bolt down through the thumb-switch face and it works as good as new. (You need to separate the face plate from the actual electrical switch to do this) From a durability standpoint, it is better/stronger than new. A little black paint on the bolt makes it almost unnoticeable.

telum01

when i got my FD i had issues with the switches. one of them had broken off inside the switch, just as jd_to_rescue experienced. the previous owner apparently tried to glue it back together, and that broke, too.

i also had dirty contacts inside the switch, which prevented the current from going through the contacts. i took the switch apart (note: very easy to do, but be very very careful you don't lose a spring or one of the tiny metal ***** that are in the switch) and clean the contact plates and everything worked smooth as can be.

i emailed Ray and he sent me a '94 driver-side switch. he assured me it would mate up to my '93 just fine. turns out he was right and now i have an auto-down switch (thanks Ray!) he got me a great price on it, too.

pinkrx7

iTrader: (2)

i just used a dremel to clean the contacts but you can use sand paper..

s0jan

It is the drivers side I need, but thank you for the help guys I will try it.

JD you do not have pictures by chance, do you?

telum01

i used a Q-Tip haha

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

Sorry, I do not. And without a digital camera, it would take me a month of Sundays to figure out how to get it loaded on here. Nevertheless, the project is not that difficult. If you know visually what the back side of the thumb-switch looks like and where the plastic leg is supposed to line-up with the contact slider, you will understand how you want the bolt to pass through the thumb-switch face. Be sure to drill a small hole first to prevent cracking of the thumb-switch. Reem the hole slightly with a contersinking bit and be sure to use a bolt with a countersinking flare at the top (more like a screw but with the blunt end of a bolt to engage the slider). Kind of fussy, delicate work dealing with small plastic parts (reminded me of working on airplane models as a kid), but for an hours work it beats paying Mazda its outrageous sum for a new switch. Also be sure when you pull off the switch face plate that you do not lose the spring loaded plungers that return the thumb-switch to its neutral position. Get it over a nice clear table or working surface when you pull it apart.

Sled Driver

iTrader: (9)

How do you afford gas???

The 94 switch P/N is FD14-66-350C.

It will set you back a whopping $114.80. You get the added bonus of the auto down feature.

Interestingly enough the 93 switch (P/N FD01-66-350C) costs more at $126.85.

Why half *** it? Fix it right, the car is over 14 years old. You expect it to last forever?

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

The problem isn't the $114.00 this month for the switch! It is the $125.00 spent last month on gaskets to fix the exhaust leak, the $105.00 spent the prior month for a replacement car battery, the $100.00 the month before that for the alternator rebuild, the $35.00 before that for sealant to repair the oil pan leak and replace the engine oil and filter, the $40.00 before that for a new check valve, etc., etc., etc. And that's after a long line of major repairs including two rebuilt engines and a rebuilt tranny. There comes a point when restoring some of this stuff to function by simple fixes begins to make sense.

It is also sometimes easier to explain to the spouse.

Sled Driver

iTrader: (9)

Obviously, your way out of your league owning this car. Perhaps you should consider buying a cheaper car (with a warranty)

Once again I reiterate. These cars are over 15 years old.

How many early 90's Honda's, Toyota's & Hyundai's do you see on the road today? Most were given up on years ago as not cost effective to maintain.

You gotta pay to play.

The point is everyone has spent some serious cash to maintain these cars.

I have said numerous times if this was a Hyundai I would have sold the POS years ago, but once repaired & back on the road, all is forgiven.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Nothing personal to anyone in this thread, but I'm with sled driver on this one. I've dumped more money than I care to think about into my FD, alot of it into new interior panels, switches etc. Not having a wife and children helps of course, I figure I had better have the car 100% 'restored' before gettin' hitched

telum01

i have to sneak parts past my wife

trainwreck517

iTrader: (1)

My drive side switch broken recently, the whole little lever just lifted off.. Well since I didn't want to not be able to move my window till I got a replacement.. I just took out the switch panel, and unsolder the wires for the passenger, and driver switch and switched them and soldered them back in. So now I can still move my driver side window up and down. But if I have to move the passenger window I have to lean over and use the passenger side switch.

This isn't really a repair, more of a band aid till you get a new switch.

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

I have owned a 3rd Gen RX-7 since August of 1992. My car is very clean and I am doing just fine thank you. Between the two cars that I have owned, I have put over 300,000 miles on the odometer. I have probably seen these cars through far more than you have. Nor do I own the car to keep as a garage queen. I still insist on exploring ways to make things work and a lot of times they work better than original. In the process I have extended the life of turbos and fuel rails and other components. And, yes, at some point you do need to make sense about what you spend on these cars.

By the way, I also own two FCs--one being driven by my nephew and the other a project car I hope to go club racing with some day. My daily driver is a 1999 Toyota Landcruiser. My house sits on prime real estate in north Scottsdale-- probably pushing 7 figures.

So who's league are we in now??

Montego

iTrader: (1)

ooh window switch... mine just broke. I tried fixing it only to have it break again at the stress points. Bah I'll just buy new. Especially since they are only about $100.

Sled Driver

iTrader: (9)

My league would rather spend the $114 & 5 minutes of my time replacing the switch. In lieu of wasting an afternoon fabricating a Mickey mouse fix.

Your argument is weak, especially after impressing all of us with your wealth profile.

TMadlem84

To add fuel to the fire...

If you home cost 7 figures, yet 3 straight months of $100 dollar repairs to the car has you looking at cheap fixes... you either A) overspent on the house, & are "in debt up to your eyeballs" or B) full of crap

I'm 22, married, single income, & just purchased a new house & car, & 'normal' income for my age... yet I wouldn't be doing a hack-job on my 7 to save $100. If I can't afford the part, it stays broke... then again... I can't afford a million dollar house either....

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

. . . And why is that?

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

I'm not the one who wanted to get in to this "league bit". That aside, this all started with me offering a simple solution that I devised for the switch. It was not a hack job and it is fairly simple to do. I love all of you purists who get on here and can only see a solution one way (i.e., one man's modified airbox is a purist's hack job). Okay, if your only solution is what can be bought from the dealer or an aftermarket supplier, then you are free to spend your money. I was merely pointing out that not everyone rationalizes expenditures on these cars the way that you do. I presume that financial reason enters into the heads of most owners at some point. You are obviously the exception. Remember, this is only a car. I have owned one as long as anyone. I love the car as much as anyone. Inevitably, however, we are all going to face the day when we may need to move on to something else.

TMadlem84

Why can't I afford a million dollar house? Did you read my post...

A) 22... which implies I'm new to the industry, meaning low value
B) Married @ 22...
C) Making a 'normal' income for my age & skill level
D) Not a trust fund baby
E) All of the above

Which one is it? This should be a tough one...

telum01

how did this whole thing turn on JD? he wasn't even the OP, he just offered up his advice on a way to solve the problem. his reasoning (the list of prices for parts and such) was simple and to the point. how is it wrong for him to find ways of fixing a problem for a much cheaper price? before you turn on me (i won't care if you do, but...) to a point i do happen to agree with Sled in his opinion of taking care of the car in a certain way. that said, it's not your car, it's his car, he can do whatever the hell he wants with it. if he wants to pull out the steering wheel and use a trashcan lid instead, that's his choice. maybe he likes the feel of the trashcan lid better.

i'm not a purist, but i'm not against their opinions, either. to each his own. if Mazda had designed the car right the first time, these cars wouldn't have half the issues they have. so why bother replacing broken parts with the same parts? why not find something better? from what i can tell, JD is looking for ways to improve the car overall.

instead of everyone bickering, why not try to have a civilized discussion about a way to fix the OP's problem instead of discussing how JD's financial situation makes him worthy of owning a 15 yr old Mazda? if you guys are so much better than him, go buy a Ferrari and let everyone know you're the hot shot.

and with that little bit of venting out of the way, i'm done with this thread.

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

^^Thanks for the props telum01!! But I also do not care if they turn on me either, frankly. I'm a big boy and fully used to the zealotry on this forum. That said, my final word on this subject as well is this:

Whatever motivated me to pull the switch apart after it stopped functioning in my car (cheapskate, sleuth, innovator, crackpot, dumbass [fill in the blank as you like]), I am here to report that the 'guts' of the window switch are high quality and will long outlast the life of these cars (even the 14+ years they have been around). The trip tab, however, is of the crappiest plastic fabrication you will ever find--not unlike the cheap quality of most of the other interior plastic parts. In essence, you are spending $114.00 to replace a cents worth of poor quality plastic crap and long-term not getting anything better. Now if Mazda wanted to sell the trip tabs separately or even the face plate with tabs as a replacement part for a few bucks, I would be all for that. That would only makes sense and be a fair deal. But good luck with Mazda being fair on that front.

By the way, no hard feelings guys.