The headlight switch on my '91 Westy failed on a trip to eastern Washington last week. Poof! Smell of acrid melted plastic and smoke streaming from the dash. Pulled the requisite fuses immediately, but the switch partially melted, fusing itself in places to the wiring harness molded plastic connector. The switch price was bad enough ($US65), but replacing the wiring harness ($US450 plus a couple of weekends of work - at least?) is out of the question. The obvious solution is to cut the connector plug off the harness and make the connections with individual slip on connectors, crimp-connected (or soldered) to the harness wires (there are only 6 wires or so, even though the switch has close to a dozen terminals). Does anyone know where I can get the necessary connectors? I definitely would prefer to use the correct connectors - ones that fully meet the Bosch/Euro or whatever specifications - since a poorly made connection will only exacerbate the poor switch design and probably cause the darn thing to overheat and fail again quickly. (I do intend to install relays in the near future, but I need to get the lights back on quickly in the meantime so I can drive at night.) Any suggestions on where I can get these connectors (or any other solution to the melted molded connector problem) would be greatly appreciated! Wes Neuenschwander Seattle, WA USA |
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