Idiots Guide to Sensor Switches

[Askari]

Can someone give me a quick idiots guide to cleaning the door sensor switches in my gen 5 - the ignition ring light and one of the red door lights have stopped working and I suspect the sensor switches are the culprit. Can you take them out and clean them?

p.s. I'm happy to admit to being the idiot, not suggesting anyone else is.

[dublet]

The black rubber just pops off, then there is a bolt, IIRC. It's a very simple pin on a spring type sensor. Just be careful the spring doesn't go AWOL.

[carlasumm]

as dubs has said peel back the rubber boot at the bottom this will reveal a 10mm bolt undo this and you can pull the switch out slightly once out get a can of wd40 and spay it down the side of the sprung loaded pin and then rapidly push in and out several times this will help clean up the contact inside you wont be able to pull it right out as it is joined inside the car by a white connector block and the only way to get to this is take the bottom interior panel out by the rear passenger seat once you have pushed it in and out a few times make sure the metal surface is clear and reattach it to the car and if its working your lights should come on if not you can get replacement switches from mr t for these or see if someone has a know working second hand one its easier to cut and just solder the wires together and then heat shrink tube it rather than taking the panel out to get to the plug

[ams]

Can you post up a pic of the switch - just wondering of a g7 one is the same

[Askari]

Can you post up a pic of the switch - just wondering of a g7 one is the same

I will do when I get into it - which is going to be the weekend.

[_Chris_]

The switches drive all lights together, including the dash warning. If only 2 of these have stopped it's not the switches.

[carlasumm]

here you go some pictures of the switch he might need it should light up the red light on your doors interior light in the middle of the roof if you have it set on door open and open door light on the dash

Edited 14 January 2014 by carlasumm

[ams]

if thats with the rubber off it looks similar

[Askari]

The switches drive all lights together, including the dash warning. If only 2 of these have stopped it's not the switches.

I reckon I must have a combination of issues then - on the passenger side, the door light and the courtesy light either work or they don't - and when I push the switch it feels 'rough' - diagnosis = switch needs cleaning and lubricating; on the driver's side the door light works most of the time but the ignition ring light only works some of the time, therefore initial diagnosis = switch plus poor wiring connection in ignition light.

Plan = clean the switches and see what difference that makes before doing anything else.

Thanks for the help.

[ams]

if you can come over on saturday - you can try a gen7 switch to see if cures the problem

[Askari]

if you can come over on saturday - you can try a gen7 switch to see if cures the problem

sounds good, thanks, I'll pop over on Saturday morning. See you then & thanks.

[Askari]

Just to finish the thread, I had both switches out last night - fortunately there was enough slack in the wire just to pull the white connector block out without having to disassemble all the trim. Both responded to treatment with WD40 - but one still felt a bit rough so I replaced it with one of two spares from TCB which cost £5 each (so I've got another spare in reserve for the future).

Thanks for the tutorial.

Edited 17 January 2014 by Askari

[fumbduck]

Gen 6 switches also are a direct replacement .