New interior light switch

[gbb483]

I just spent the day trying to put in an interior light switch. It's a long story, but a PO repurposed that position on the console for a fog light switch. I bought a new interior light switch from Robsport.

After carefully checking the forum, the manuals etc. I thought I had it sorted - but I was getting an unusual interaction between the puddle lights and the switches which implied a link between the left and right sides.

After pulling lots of wires off and back on and finding nothing untoward I eventually pulled my NEW switch apart. At last, the culprit, the contacts within the switch link the left and right sides. Neither of two old switches I have at my disposal have that link.

It's only a relatively inexpensive switch, but I am irked.

[richardthestag]

Sort of feedback that we need, new switch is not the same as OE then.

That said I seem to recall, not going outside now to check, that mk2 stag wiring is purple feed bridged between pins 1 and 2 on the loom side of the switch.

int light.jpg

This would mean that either door opening would only illuminate that puddle, footwell and one half od the t-bar. But the switch being on would light up everything.

Mk1 may well be completely different, certainly is at the courtesy door switch area

edited to add;

pins 1 and 2 are the feed for the switch operation to light everything up with doors closed
pins 7 and 8 take the feed from the mk2 door courtesy switch setup, pin 7 for LH door switch and pin 8 for RH door switch

[gbb483]

The technical section has several posts on the topic. The main point is that the wiring was changed for the mkII's from the switch providing power and the bulbs earthed, to the bulbs being powered and the switch providing an earth. The documentation wasn't changed to reflect that. But if, when you open either of the doors, both puddle lights come on then you have an after market switch.

I pulled apart both my new switch and an old one. The contacts in the old one were much better quality than the new one, as well as not having the left-right short. So I took the new shiny rocker, the old electrical contacts (cleaned up), and the new shiny mounting skirt and made a shiny switch which worked properly.

[Philip Wardle]

I pulled apart both my new switch and an old one. The contacts in the old one were much better quality than the new one, as well as not having the left-right short. So I took the new shiny rocker, the old electrical contacts (cleaned up), and the new shiny mounting skirt and made a shiny switch which worked properly.

Good solution, I took a similar approach with the window swiches.

[jbuckl]

The technical section has several posts on the topic. The main point is that the wiring was changed for the mkII's from the switch providing power and the bulbs earthed, to the bulbs being powered and the switch providing an earth. The documentation wasn't changed to reflect that. But if, when you open either of the doors, both puddle lights come on then you have an after market switch.

I pulled apart both my new switch and an old one. The contacts in the old one were much better quality than the new one, as well as not having the left-right short. So I took the new shiny rocker, the old electrical contacts (cleaned up), and the new shiny mounting skirt and made a shiny switch which worked properly.

The door pin switches also changed in type / operation too didn’t they?

Getting all mk2 interior lamps to work correctly took me a while….

theres a few threads on here about them, which shows we aren’t alone in this topic!

mine do work now, but I always photograph the connections if dis-assembling now…. So easy to muck them up.

[Edders20]

those old switches are good quality and can usually be cleaned up to work better than the new ones. if the outer is faded they will polish up on a buffing wheel with some paint polishing compound.