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Heater Switch Refurbish

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ndnchf View Drop Down
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    Posted: 09 Sep. 2018 at 5:08pm
I just finished refurbishing my heater switch and took photos along the way. Maybe this will help someone else. 



The heater blower hasn't worked since I got my jeep last year. So I finally decided to investigate. The lighted switch seemed to work and lights up, but it felt very gritty to rotate. I found one of the switch wires broken - Ahh Haa, that's it. Pulled the switch from the dash and bypassed it to test the blower motor - it worked! So I needed to fix the broken wire and deal with the switch. A check of Walck's site shows a new switch for about $10, that's good. Then I started looking at the old switch and it looked like it could be taken apart. Knowing I could get a new one, I decided to tear into this one and see if it could be repaired.

First off was to remove the rusty wire bale. Then the guts pulled out. To my surprise there was a large pile of metal grindings inside. Some brass, some ferrous. After removing in inner brass sleeve, I could see why it felt so gritty. The grit had got into the sleeve chewing it up a bit.




I cleaned everything with electrical contact cleaner. I smoothed up the brass sleeve with 400 sandpaper and oil. All the corroded electrical contacts were cleaned until bright. The variable resister coils had pieces of metal grit embedded between some of the coils. I was able to remove them with a sharp needle. I checked the coil resistance at various places around the coil. It varied from 0 to 2 ohms. 




I cleaned the rust off the switch cases and painted it. The wire bale was almost rusted through, so I made a new one from music wire. Using just the lightest smidgen of dialectric grease on the contacts, it was reassembled. I put it back in the dash and tried it out. It works great and the light works.





1948 CJ2A - It goes nowhere fast, but anywhere slow.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DonH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep. 2018 at 9:19pm
Excellent work!

DonH
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote timcj2a Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep. 2018 at 6:07am
Nice job Steve and thanks for passing this along.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EMyers Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep. 2018 at 7:02am
That must have been very satisfying! Nicely done
Little (and big) successes like this are why restoring an old jeep is so appealing. 
I just have to finish 972 of them yet...

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https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/46-cj2a-18450_topic41246_page1.html


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ndnchf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep. 2018 at 12:20pm
Thanks guys, hopefully this will help someone else down the road.  But its good to know an inexpensive replacement is available.  It is satisfying to be able to refresh the original switch.  The only problem I have is the fan blade sounds like its hitting something in the heater.  I get an occasional "tink" "tink" sound from it.  It may be the motor bearings are worn allowing the blade to get off axis, or something is loose.  I don't feel like pulling the heater right now, so I'll live with it.  I'll only have a bikini top on it in the winter, so the heater won't be much help except to help keep my feet warm! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ndnchf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2020 at 11:38am
I'm dredging up my old heater switch discussion to make an update for future reference.  I just refurbed the heater itself and had an issue with the switch after reinstalling it.
Heater refurb discussion:
It turns out it was me, not the switch.  But here's an explanation.
 
One note about the original heater control switch.  I refurbed this switch a couple years ago and it worked fine.  But when I reinstalled the heater last night, the light bulb would not go out in the off position.  I took the switch out and apart a few times trying to figure out why.  Then testing it just hanging below the dash, the light would not come on.  I was l like WTH?  Grrrrr.  After a good hour of fussing with it, I finally figured out what was going on.  The switch is more complicated than it seems.
 
First off the input power has to go to right side terminal when looking at it from the rear.  This allows the bulb to turn off in the off position.  Connecting it to the left terminal, applies power to the bulb constantly, no matter the knob position.
 
2nd - the heater motor has a ground wire that needs to be connected to the body somewhere.  I had done this and assumed that was all that was needed.  Nope - the bulb in the switch uses input power, but to complete its circuit, the switch body must be grounded to the body also. In this case, it needs clean contact at the hole in the dash.  That's why the bulb wouldn't come on when hanging below the dash. After cleaning the surface around the hole and reinstalling the switch, it worked just fine.
 
Sheesh, I spent a good hour chasing my tail last night!  But I learned and lot and its all good now.  
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jeeper50 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2020 at 2:47pm
Originally posted by ndnchf ndnchf wrote:

Thanks guys, hopefully this will help someone else down the road.  But its good to know an inexpensive replacement is available.  It is satisfying to be able to refresh the original switch.  The only problem I have is the fan blade sounds like its hitting something in the heater.  I get an occasional "tink" "tink" sound from it.  It may be the motor bearings are worn allowing the blade to get off axis, or something is loose.  I don't feel like pulling the heater right now, so I'll live with it.  I'll only have a bikini top on it in the winter, so the heater won't be much help except to help keep my feet warm! 

My harrison was making that same noise and I removed it and found lots of sticks and leaves from getting sucked up into the heater from the front side (no inlet screen) from having parked the jeep outside for a while. 

Even though I would seldom use the heater in GA, except on snow or icy road conditions when it was fun to be out in the cold with only a summertop on it


Edited by jeeper50 - 21 May 2020 at 2:51pm

Belleview ol skool winch soon.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote otto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2020 at 4:34pm
Ndnchf, thanks for posting this tutorial. My jeep seems to have the same switch and I’ve been scared of removing the knob for fear of breaking it. How did you remove the knob?  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ndnchf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2020 at 4:54pm
Originally posted by otto otto wrote:

Ndnchf, thanks for posting this tutorial. My jeep seems to have the same switch and I’ve been scared of removing the knob for fear of breaking it. How did you remove the knob?  
 
The white plastic knob just pulls straight off. Its only a friction fit.  The bulb is a bayonet mount. Push in and turn CCW to remove. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ndnchf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2020 at 4:56pm
Originally posted by jeeper50 jeeper50 wrote:


My harrison was making that same noise and I removed it and found lots of sticks and leaves from getting sucked up into the heater from the front side (no inlet screen) from having parked the jeep outside for a while. 
 
 
Mine doesn't have that problem, it just draws air up from the bottom through the core.  There is no outside air intake.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jeeper50 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2020 at 1:01am
It does not have outside air intake, It's just all the friggen leaves that fall on everything in the fall and the wind does the rest when you park your jeep outside. 

Belleview ol skool winch soon.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 3-48s Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2020 at 4:32pm
Originally posted by ndnchf ndnchf wrote:

I just finished refurbishing my heater switch and took photos along the way. Maybe this will help someone else. 



The heater blower hasn't worked since I got my jeep last year. So I finally decided to investigate. The lighted switch seemed to work and lights up, but it felt very gritty to rotate. I found one of the switch wires broken - Ahh Haa, that's it. Pulled the switch from the dash and bypassed it to test the blower motor - it worked! So I needed to fix the broken wire and deal with the switch. A check of Walck's site shows a new switch for about $10, that's good. Then I started looking at the old switch and it looked like it could be taken apart. Knowing I could get a new one, I decided to tear into this one and see if it could be repaired.

First off was to remove the rusty wire bale. Then the guts pulled out. To my surprise there was a large pile of metal grindings inside. Some brass, some ferrous. After removing in inner brass sleeve, I could see why it felt so gritty. The grit had got into the sleeve chewing it up a bit.




I cleaned everything with electrical contact cleaner. I smoothed up the brass sleeve with 400 sandpaper and oil. All the corroded electrical contacts were cleaned until bright. The variable resister coils had pieces of metal grit embedded between some of the coils. I was able to remove them with a sharp needle. I checked the coil resistance at various places around the coil. It varied from 0 to 2 ohms. 




I cleaned the rust off the switch cases and painted it. The wire bale was almost rusted through, so I made a new one from music wire. Using just the lightest smidgen of dialectric grease on the contacts, it was reassembled. I put it back in the dash and tried it out. It works great and the light works.







Nice job there!
Here is a new one w/ dash clamp, in the original box from ARK-LES.

1945 CJ2A #10536
1948 CJ2A #176528 "Elmer"
1948 CJ2A #155970 "Gray Mule"
1948 CJ2A #155365 "Old Yeller" (GONE)
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