DIY Combination Switch Fix (Headlight Switch) AND Wiper Comb

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DIY Combination Switch Fix (Headlight Switch) AND Wiper Comb

By danomatic93
- Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:40 pm #105056 With age and use the Combination Switch (Headlight switch) will fail to turn on the headlights, sometimes intermittently. It’s annoying and there is a way to fix it.
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VIDEO 1
Quick video:
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1. To start, remove the steering column’s three screws and remove the column. (step 2 in manual image)
2. Turn the steering wheel so that you can remove the two screws holding the Combination switch in. Then unplug the two plugs to remove the switch. (step 3 in manual image)
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3. Remove the two screws on the back of the switch.

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4. Notice that the pin shield is a separate piece from the pin piece underneath. If you hold the pin piece underneath down, you can pull the top shield piece off. Pull from the side with the two screw holes.

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5. Notice the two little white tabs below the pins (seen in image above). They are part of yet another separate white piece. Also, notice that just like the previous step, you can hold down on this new white underneath piece. So, press in these two white tabs while holding the white piece down and pull up on the top pin piece.

Once that top pin part is off, here’s what you’ll see:
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Make sure the contact piece on the left stays in the middle otherwise you’ll lose you blinkers.

Everything is now apart:
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6. Clean the contacts on the underside of the piece with the pins. My tool of choice is a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol. It should look like this after being cleaned:
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7. Lubricate the contacts. Add some dielectric grease to the contacts. You can use some of the grease that’s in the switch or grab a $1 pack of dielectric grease next time you’re at a parts store.

8. Reassemble
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VIDEO 2
Quick video of checking operation of the other side of the Combo Switch. Basically just an inspection and finding the springs, to replace any broken ones, would be quite difficult to find:
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VIDEO 3
Wiper Combo Switch, procedure similar to Headlight Switch, so if you need check out this video for a quick walkthrough:

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Dirty
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Clean
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Last edited by danomatic93 on Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By smokinsoljah420
- Mon Mar 23, 2009 12:56 am #105074 :thumb: nice diy bro!! :woot: ill be doing this to get rid of this damned hatch! lol! :thumb:

By stockd15
- Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:39 pm #105264 awesome diy! When i put my blinker on, it doesnt return to the nuetral position after i have turned. Is there a way to fix that? Sorry to hijack the thread

By danomatic93
- Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:50 am #105563
stockd15 wrote:awesome diy! When i put my blinker on, it doesnt return to the nuetral position after i have turned. Is there a way to fix that? Sorry to hijack the thread


To be honest, I'm not sure. If it's sooo gunked up inside that it won't spring back then maybe that'll help. Either way, it can't hurt to clean it up before problems start to occur.

If you wait too long the internal plastic parts will break. I know, the whole reason I wrote this up was to prevent others from wasting a perfectly good combo switch.

By danomatic93
- Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:46 am #105577 Updated to include the opposite side of the Combo Switch and the Wiper Combo Switch.
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By ohDirka
- Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:30 am #105585 Nice write up :thumb: Changed to sticky :thumb:
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By marvinp8700
- Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:15 pm #105625 Nice diy :thumb:
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By Elpimpo
- Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:46 pm #105631 doin it today
good job

By 1sicksi
- Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:44 pm #111688 just to let u kown i did this and now my swicth works geart....geart wirte up
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By BaTzEG92
- Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:40 am #149058 My headlights generally turn on fine. However, my dash cluster usually has a lengthy delay (sometimes into the tens of minutes) before illuminating. Is this also related to the combo switch? And I'm still experimenting, but it seems as though wiggling the switch arm the right way will make the dash cluster light up.

What's strange is, somehow my alarm is wired into a lot of lights (my fogs, dash cluster, fan cluster, front/rear sidemarkers) and they all blink when my doors are open. So when I open the door, dash cluster lights up, then when I close the door and turn on the combo switch, it won't :?

And speaking of the turn signal not returning, there are certain occasions where I'll go pretty much lock to lock, and my signal will change direction. By that I mean, suppose my right signal is on, I'm making a sharp right into a parking lot and have to make an immediate left, upon turning to the left my signal will turn off and then reverse so that I'm signaling left. And no, I'm not just hitting it as I spin the wheel :lol:

Ahhh my hatch :D

By danomatic93
- Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:16 am #149078
BaTzEG92 wrote:My headlights generally turn on fine. However, my dash cluster usually has a lengthy delay (sometimes into the tens of minutes) before illuminating. Is this also related to the combo switch? And I'm still experimenting, but it seems as though wiggling the switch arm the right way will make the dash cluster light up.

What's strange is, somehow my alarm is wired into a lot of lights (my fogs, dash cluster, fan cluster, front/rear sidemarkers) and they all blink when my doors are open. So when I open the door, dash cluster lights up, then when I close the door and turn on the combo switch, it won't :?

And speaking of the turn signal not returning, there are certain occasions where I'll go pretty much lock to lock, and my signal will change direction. By that I mean, suppose my right signal is on, I'm making a sharp right into a parking lot and have to make an immediate left, upon turning to the left my signal will turn off and then reverse so that I'm signaling left. And no, I'm not just hitting it as I spin the wheel :lol:

Ahhh my hatch :D


Wow, you have some fun and frustrating issues. When the cluster doesn't illuminate, do any of the other dash lights illuminate or do the headlights or parking lights illuminate?

And as for the blinker, pull it apart and check that the innards look alright.
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By BurqueB16
- Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:43 am #160973 great write up :thumb: im going to be doing this soon since my windshield wiper combo switch was broke off when the thieves stole the radio :thumbdown: :thumbdown:
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By BaTzEG92
- Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:10 am #160979
danomatic93 wrote:Wow, you have some fun and frustrating issues. When the cluster doesn't illuminate, do any of the other dash lights illuminate or do the headlights or parking lights illuminate?

And as for the blinker, pull it apart and check that the innards look alright.


Wow, I never received notification that you replied to this thread, hopefully you still see this Danomatic. I'm sorry for the huge delay.

When the cluster doesn't illuminate, neither do my tail lights nor foglights. As another piece of information, when I first got the car, NO lights would turn on, including my headlights. I took it back to the guy I bought it from (car audio/electronics installer) and he somehow wired it so the headlights turn on when I turn on the combo switch (but nothing else does). If memory serves me, he said something about the system not getting a full 12 volts.

Now that it's getting darker earlier, I'm starting to worry about my tail lights not coming on; I can live without the dash for my first few minutes of driving. Do my problems have a common factor? Or rather, do the sidemarkers/tail lights/fogs/dash all meet in some common electrical line that I could re-route like the previous owner did for my headlights?

Thanks :-)

By danomatic93
- Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:08 am #161615
BaTzEG92 wrote:
danomatic93 wrote:Wow, you have some fun and frustrating issues. When the cluster doesn't illuminate, do any of the other dash lights illuminate or do the headlights or parking lights illuminate?

And as for the blinker, pull it apart and check that the innards look alright.


Wow, I never received notification that you replied to this thread, hopefully you still see this Danomatic. I'm sorry for the huge delay.

When the cluster doesn't illuminate, neither do my tail lights nor foglights. As another piece of information, when I first got the car, NO lights would turn on, including my headlights. I took it back to the guy I bought it from (car audio/electronics installer) and he somehow wired it so the headlights turn on when I turn on the combo switch (but nothing else does). If memory serves me, he said something about the system not getting a full 12 volts.

Now that it's getting darker earlier, I'm starting to worry about my tail lights not coming on; I can live without the dash for my first few minutes of driving. Do my problems have a common factor? Or rather, do the sidemarkers/tail lights/fogs/dash all meet in some common electrical line that I could re-route like the previous owner did for my headlights?

Thanks :-)


Without looking at how he "rewired" stuff I can't fully help you. My assumption is that he hacked it up. All I know is that with stock wiring there is a common fuse for dash lights and license plate lights.
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