It's weird. You wouldn't think that silicone would screw up a switch.
Dielectric grease is silicone based and it is good for electrical
contacts.
I wonder if it's the case of the silicone mixing with the old Castrol
and that makes the goo that screws up the switch.
Well, I put a fifty year old original brake switch back in and it was
definitely "bone dry". So I'm curious to see how long it lasts.
I hate having to rig the mechanical switch by the pedals.
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Clarici [mailto:spritenut@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 11:12 PM
To: Dean Hedin
Cc: 'Greg Higgins'; 'Greg Higgins'; spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] brake light switch
On 7/7/2010 10:17 PM, Dean Hedin wrote:
> What an interesting coincidence.
> I'll run with what I got until it fails and then I'll give this a shot:
>
> Painless P/N 80171
NO NO NO!!!!!
THOSE were the silicone proof switches I bought.
2 of them, not cheap and I called him when the first one failed within a
month, he said he would replace it. The 2nd one leaked out of the
plastic/bake-o-lite stuff around the metal part.
I opened up the first failed switch, the contacts were coated in a
*silicone* like slime thus making them not make contact, sort of like
the regular $5 pressure switches, just a metal contact no different then
any other but the gullible people will buy into the marketing, hell, I
did but I learned real fast.
My A40 went thru many switches and I just can not fabricate a mechanical
switch as the pedal and master are in a straight vertical line and there
is no room. I have tried a Jag switch with an offset lever but still no
good.
I am thinking the old original pressure switches, if never removed from
the car when silicone was added, retain a spot of Castrol brake fluid in
them and this keeps the silicone away from the contacts.
I have had a couple where the original Lucas switch lasted a year or so,
others a month at best. The ones that did not last had a 100% new brake
system, pipes and all. And I hear of pressure switches lasting years
with silicone, how come not mine?
--
Frank Clarici
Toms River, NJ
Lots of Sprites
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