where to get really detailed part info

I'm searching for oddball parts to fit my project, and am very frustrated that most suppliers and manufacturers don't give the info of the product on there websites. They just tell you it fits a 2002 camry.

Anybody know of a general parts supplier or website that gives all teh information (dimensions, threads, etc) of parts.

Just in case the GRM braintrust can help me with this particular problem, this is what I'm looking for

a brake light switch. My problem is I need the threads to be m12 x 1.5 and for the circuit to be open when the button is pushed in. Nobody lists the threads on the info page for the switch.

Why not just change the mounting of it so you can use any old momentary switch?

In a futile gesture over the same frustration, I pestered rockauto.com a little while back with the idea that since they seem popular with the DIY crowd, perhaps they'd be well placed to take measurements on each SKU as they passed through their warehouse. I don't think I managed to get the message up the chain past the customer service rep who didn't get it and just told me that where he is they don't actually see the parts...

I'm not at all certain it'd be worth their time, but I do half-wonder whether someone could make themselves a little niche if they were able to work out a deal with some warehouse to get that access and run such a database. Lengths, widths, heights, diameters, travel, rate, bolt pattern... It's an absurd amount of info, but it would be incredibly useful to this vanishingly small segment of the population

http://www.colehersee.com/home/grid/cat/151/

Good luck finding them in metric though. Could you re-tap the hole for fractional threads?

I'd have to remove a ton of stuff and be plastic man to get at this thing with a tap, in fact, I think I'd either have to cut a hole in the dash area or the floor to do it.

The only this I can suggest is the jy or the parts counter - some stuff is around (centric brake parts are usually dimensioned) and some is not.

Instead of trying to find car specific parts, you could search in the electronic supplier catalogs for the correct types and ratings you need. I searched for momentary SPST switches and got quite a few matches including this...
Momentary push button switch from allied electric, may not be the exact ratings, but some other searching will get you what you need.

Google "M12x1.5" "Brake switch":

Find lots of related info for part numbers that match:

http://www.auto1688.com/ebasic/18318/product-121882.html http://seekpart24.com/audi/100-4a-c4-90/s4-v8-quattro-4315/brake-light-switch-102248

Follow just one of the part numbers and google it specifically: "4A0 945 515 A"

http://www.micksgarage.com/switches-sensors/brake-light-switch/audi/a6/a6/1994-1997/2.0-16v-quattro/4655/

This particular switch has both normally closed AND normally open connections, so you can't go wrong...just pick the side you need and if you screwed up, put the wires on the other side!

In other words, a good place to get really detailed part information is....on the internet! (starting with Google and chasing down the rabbit hole...)

Bryce

The big books behind the NAPA counter. Seriously good resource for this exact thing, with pictures and specs of every variation of this kind of part. I think they're available online, someone posted the link here a while back. Check balkamp.com.

Keith Tanner wrote: The big books behind the NAPA counter. Seriously good resource for this exact thing, with pictures and specs of every variation of this kind of part. I think they're available online, someone posted the link here a while back. Check balkamp.com.

^^^this^^^

you can download the Echelin electrical catalog and find what you want from the comfort of wherever you do your computer stuff..

Just so you guys know, I started with the .pdf Napa (Echelin) catalogs, they don't seem to include brake switches. They are handy books, which is why I have saved them to my computer, but they're not all encompassing.

Bryce

echlin's catalogs have been getting dumber every year. go into a privately owned napa and try to find an illustrated catalog from around 2003.

I've always had good luck digging thru the catalogs at any parts store. It's just getting harder and harder to find auto parts stores with catalogs (or people that know what they are!)

RV or truck suppliers might also be a source? They use a lot of universal and odd ball stuff.

belteshazzar wrote: echlin's catalogs have been getting dumber every year. go into a privately owned napa and try to find an illustrated catalog from around 2003.

True, sometimes our local guys will pull out the "old books". You want to approach the old guy at the counter, not the young kid

That switch look suspiciously "Toyota" to me. Bring some calipers and a thread pitch gauge to O'Reilly's and look through the boxes. They have books behind the counter too.

I spent about an hour digging through the oreillys switches, then there catalogues, the ones they had didn't have the thread info.

wellsve.com

it's Wells Vehicle Electronics. they supply parts to AutoZone and a couple other parts stores. You'd have to look up by year,make,model, etc.. but it does give measurements like thread pitch, total length of part, etc.

Did the Audi switch work for you?

Bryce