So, my back-up light switch has not worked properly for about 20 years and hence, was disconnected years ago. I removed the switch a few weeks ago to either gash it or try to repair it. A new switch is about $60-70 US. Tack on the exchange rate and shipping costs for delivery to the Great White North and it's closer to $100 Cdn. With nothing to lose, I chose to attempt a repair and save $100.

The problem with my switch was excessive play in the actuating lever plate on the back of the switch. This caused the back-up lights to remain lit in the forward gears.

My initial method of repair was to re-stake the end of the shaft that the lever was attached in order to remove the unwanted slack. To do this, I needed to remove the "lid" that has the two terminal connections. Using a slotted screwdriver, gently pry the three locking tabs away from the lid. The metal is not brittle so this was easy to do. See pic below.



Now, lift the lid from the housing. Here's whats inside:




And here are the individual parts - gasket, spring, brass contactor, rotating assembly connected to lever plate with a brass shaft:




In my attempt to re-stake the shaft at the lever plate end, I broke a small piece off the end of the shaft that was previously staked during manufacture. That nixed the primary method of repair. Welding and brazing was not an option because I figured there would be too much heat and it would damage the rotating assembly in the switch housing. Out with the solder! A solder gun may not work so I opted for my propane torch and applied enough heat to get the metal to melt the solder. Voila, it worked!




Disregard the blob of solder to the right as my skills are a little shaky here. Now, reassembly and testing:










The lever plate only needs to sweep through a few degrees of rotation to make contact. Ther isn't any play whatsoever now. And now for verification. Works perfect:




Hope this helps some of you out there and save a few bucks in a hobby that can already be expensive to make repairs.

 

Hi r,
Nice repair!!!
I notice that there was no sealer on the electrical connections and on the lid to housing joint in your first photo. Was there?
If not, is it possible that the sealer had come off at some point and that contributed to the situation you found?
Perhaps you should put some sealer on it now to protect your repair?
Regards,
Alan

 

 

Absolutely!!

P.S. Nice work. Most folks would pay the money for a new part that will likely not last 5 years. The original parts for our cars were very well made; but nothing lasts forever. Usually, there is some type of mechanical fault, corroded terminals, etc. that can be easily remedied. And, that part will last another 20+ years. [And save $100, to boot...]

 

Alan 71, yes, there was sealer but I had already removed it before taking the pics. I didn't put any new sealer on the switch before re-installing just in case I had to remove it again if it didn't work. My car only gets wet when I wash it or get caught in the rain on a cruise night which is a rare event. So, I may not reseal the seal and just put faith in the round gasket seal between the lid and housing. If the common problem with these switches is excessive play due to wear in the lever plate then it would not be necessary to take apart the switch and Just solder like I did. A five minute fix to save $60.

 

If GM bothered to put sealer on the switch THEY designed...it needs it.

Believe me...they wouldn't spend a penny more than was required.