small victories

I just wanted to share with the group, since my wife couldn't care less. The right turn signal didn't work on my E30 when I bought it last week. The bulbs were all good and the 4-ways worked, so that ruled out everything but the switch. Tonight I pulled the steering wheel, the lower column plastic, and the switch. Visual inspection showed nothing wrong, wires all looked good and connections were tight and solid. So I sprayed the crap outta the board inside the switch with a 5 year old can of electrical contact cleaner and let it dry. Checked function and wow, it works! It's little victories like this that I bought this car for, to have a project to work on.

congrats. Patience and a fortuitous can of electrical contact cleaner, and you saved yourself from tracking down electrical gremlins, which can drive anyone nuts. Being a follower of The Lord of Darkness, I can appreciate your victory.

Thanks. I'm sure there's going to be some real electrical fun down the road, there's lots of disconnected wires underhood and a few under the dash, and I'd really like to get the radio working out of more than one speaker - Watkins Glen is about an hour drive from home and I'd live to have some music when I take the car there for HPDE.

In reply to pigeon: Fond memories of Watkins Glen. Went there for the five hour enduro back in '78. Very pretty area. Hope to get back there this autumn.

One of the miatae I brought home for cheap would only let its turn signals blink turning in one direction. I found out there was a flasher relay that tends to go bad over time, but with a few minutes and a soldering iron as was well in the world again.

Its sweet when things work the way they were meant to.

I didn't even know such a product existed. And I've got the exact same problem with my E28. Only now I'll be giving the gung-ho spray-can approach a shot, before moving on to anything more time-consuming.

Luke wrote: I didn't even know such a product existed. And I've got the exact same problem with my E28. Only now I'll be giving the gung-ho spray-can approach a shot, before moving on to anything more time-consuming.

This stuff is supposed to be the best, at around $15 for a good sized can at your local musician supply big box store (guitar center/musicians' friend):

I had some really crappy Radio Shack stuff, but it did the job.

I didn't know either. Is that good on headlight connections where the headlights have dimmed due to low voltage I'm guessing that is caused by oxidation of connectors?

My mother in law's car headlights have dimmed to the point that I don't feel comfortable driving it after dark. I'm betting I'd have to hit the switch too.

Dim headlights are usually grounding issues.

CRC makes a pretty good contact cleaner - mass airflow sensor cleaner can be substituted as well.

One thing to consider before hosing away - the cleaner offers the possibility of rendering plastic trim completely fubar, so watch where you're hosing.

Pigeon said: "Honey look! I fixed in an hour and didn't have to pay a mechanic $75 for that hour. You owe me cash or the sexual equivalent".

Maybe that's what you meant.

pigeon wrote: Thanks. I'm sure there's going to be some real electrical fun down the road, there's lots of disconnected wires underhood and a few under the dash, and I'd really like to get the radio working out of more than one speaker - Watkins Glen is about an hour drive from home and I'd live to have some music when I take the car there for HPDE.

ROFL! As a former BMW guy, I feel your pain. My buddies in my BMWCCA chapter would often joke that the only reason nobody makes jokes about German wiring was because the British actually tried to build cars.