A big thank you to to those of you who helped me with my stuck switches - even though you didn't know you were helping. I'm referring to the numerous posts that have been written concerning freeing up stuck switches, how to go about it and what to use. Very soon after I bought my wing (gently used), the cruise control on/off switch stuck in the on position. I tried using a bit of WD40 to free it up (after all, my redneck manual says "if it doesn't move and should, use WD40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use duct tape), but that of course didn't work. After fooling with it for a while, I decided that since it was stuck in the 'on' position and was working fine, I probably should just leave well enough alone. I have to admit, it bugged me a bit, but it wasn't particularly worrisome, so I ignored it.
About 2 weeks ago I stopped by the bank on the way to work. Since I was just stopping for a minute or so, I turned on the hazard lights and left the bike sitting at the edge of the drive way while I used the ATM. You know what's coming next, right? Yeah, my hazards got stuck on, so I had to ride the rest of the way to work and then back home again with them flashing. After pushing the switch (over and over and over and over and over again) it finally popped out and turned the lights off.
About this time I should say that my OCD just doesn't let me leave well enough alone. Since there is a switch on the dash, it MUST work. So after reading everything I could on this and other forums, I decided to tackle fixing these switches (hazard and cruise on/off) myself. Having done so, I have a couple of tips that I would like to pass along.
First off, leave the WD40 on the shelf. Although it will help free up the switch, it is NOT the best agent for doing so. WD40 is a marginal lubricant and can actually be quite destructive when in contact with certain materials. Electrical contact cleaner is a much better alternative in my opinion - especially when I tell you about what I found inside one of the switches.
Let's talk about the inside of the switches for a minute. The cruise switch is difficult to get to. The hazard switch on the other hand is much easier to extract, so that is where I started. Now before we go any further, I'm going to say that you don't really need to disassemble the switch as I did. However, in order for me to understand how the switch worked and therefore the best way to fix it, I took it apart to see the 'guts'. Getting the switch out is a matter of pulling the left hand storage pocket, removing the trim strip, pulling out a socket head bolt on the far left and then popping the facia (or bezel, whichever you prefer to call it) out. On the backside of the facia, there is a plastic cover that can be pulled off which exposes the back of the switches and associated wiring. This is as far as you need to disassemble in order to free a stuck switch. As I wrote earlier, I went further - but only to see what I was dealing with. By the way, you will note at this point that the button that you push on labeled with the Hazard emblem is NOT the switch. It is just a button with something of an extension that pushes on the switch actuator. It is very obvious when examining the switch that spraying WD40 or electrical cleaner (I used CRC from Pep Boys) or bug spray or hair spray or whatever else from the OUTSIDE of the facia will do nothing - other than get the wiring wet
In order to get the contact cleaner into an area where it will do the most good, you have to at least remove the facia from the bike.
If you do wish to take the switch apart, proceed at your own risk. There is a smallish spring inside (about the size of the springs used in retractable ball point pens) that can and will go boinging away never to be found again unless you are very careful. The switch will separate in two by gently prying four locking latches, two on each side of the switch. When you open the switch, you will find a brass 'wig-wag', basically a very small pin shaped like a 'Z'. When the button on the switch is pushed, the wig-wag moves to one side in a channel on the actuator. This keeps the actuator spring from pushing the actuator back out. When the actuator is pushed again, the wig-wag swings the other way which allows the actuator to pop back out. I probably didn't explain that very well, but the main point is that the switch is full if dielectric grease from when the switch was built. This grease (as does all grease eventually) dries up and instead of lubricating the insides of the switch, it ends up gluing everything together, including the little wig-wag. This is what keeps the switch from popping back out when it is pressed. After taking the switch apart, I hosed all of the parts off with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner, which removed all of the hardened grease. I did not replace the grease, although you can purchase this product at Radio Shack or the auto parts store. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten some grease and relubricated the inside of the switch. If nothing else, it would protect the metal contacts from corrosion. Hind sight . . .
For the cruise on/off switch, l did not take the switch completely out of the bike, nor did I take it apart. These switches are not sealed, so once the switch is exposed so that you can get the straw on the aerosol can up against the openings of the switch, it's a quick few shots of the cleaner to free them up. Hose the switch down while repeatedly pushing the switch on and off. It took all of 10 minutes to do the cruise control switch, including opening up the right hand housing.
I hope this info helps someone down the road. There's no need to live with stuck switches :bday:
About 2 weeks ago I stopped by the bank on the way to work. Since I was just stopping for a minute or so, I turned on the hazard lights and left the bike sitting at the edge of the drive way while I used the ATM. You know what's coming next, right? Yeah, my hazards got stuck on, so I had to ride the rest of the way to work and then back home again with them flashing. After pushing the switch (over and over and over and over and over again) it finally popped out and turned the lights off.
About this time I should say that my OCD just doesn't let me leave well enough alone. Since there is a switch on the dash, it MUST work. So after reading everything I could on this and other forums, I decided to tackle fixing these switches (hazard and cruise on/off) myself. Having done so, I have a couple of tips that I would like to pass along.
First off, leave the WD40 on the shelf. Although it will help free up the switch, it is NOT the best agent for doing so. WD40 is a marginal lubricant and can actually be quite destructive when in contact with certain materials. Electrical contact cleaner is a much better alternative in my opinion - especially when I tell you about what I found inside one of the switches.
Let's talk about the inside of the switches for a minute. The cruise switch is difficult to get to. The hazard switch on the other hand is much easier to extract, so that is where I started. Now before we go any further, I'm going to say that you don't really need to disassemble the switch as I did. However, in order for me to understand how the switch worked and therefore the best way to fix it, I took it apart to see the 'guts'. Getting the switch out is a matter of pulling the left hand storage pocket, removing the trim strip, pulling out a socket head bolt on the far left and then popping the facia (or bezel, whichever you prefer to call it) out. On the backside of the facia, there is a plastic cover that can be pulled off which exposes the back of the switches and associated wiring. This is as far as you need to disassemble in order to free a stuck switch. As I wrote earlier, I went further - but only to see what I was dealing with. By the way, you will note at this point that the button that you push on labeled with the Hazard emblem is NOT the switch. It is just a button with something of an extension that pushes on the switch actuator. It is very obvious when examining the switch that spraying WD40 or electrical cleaner (I used CRC from Pep Boys) or bug spray or hair spray or whatever else from the OUTSIDE of the facia will do nothing - other than get the wiring wet
In order to get the contact cleaner into an area where it will do the most good, you have to at least remove the facia from the bike.If you do wish to take the switch apart, proceed at your own risk. There is a smallish spring inside (about the size of the springs used in retractable ball point pens) that can and will go boinging away never to be found again unless you are very careful. The switch will separate in two by gently prying four locking latches, two on each side of the switch. When you open the switch, you will find a brass 'wig-wag', basically a very small pin shaped like a 'Z'. When the button on the switch is pushed, the wig-wag moves to one side in a channel on the actuator. This keeps the actuator spring from pushing the actuator back out. When the actuator is pushed again, the wig-wag swings the other way which allows the actuator to pop back out. I probably didn't explain that very well, but the main point is that the switch is full if dielectric grease from when the switch was built. This grease (as does all grease eventually) dries up and instead of lubricating the insides of the switch, it ends up gluing everything together, including the little wig-wag. This is what keeps the switch from popping back out when it is pressed. After taking the switch apart, I hosed all of the parts off with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner, which removed all of the hardened grease. I did not replace the grease, although you can purchase this product at Radio Shack or the auto parts store. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten some grease and relubricated the inside of the switch. If nothing else, it would protect the metal contacts from corrosion. Hind sight . . .
For the cruise on/off switch, l did not take the switch completely out of the bike, nor did I take it apart. These switches are not sealed, so once the switch is exposed so that you can get the straw on the aerosol can up against the openings of the switch, it's a quick few shots of the cleaner to free them up. Hose the switch down while repeatedly pushing the switch on and off. It took all of 10 minutes to do the cruise control switch, including opening up the right hand housing.
I hope this info helps someone down the road. There's no need to live with stuck switches :bday:
