Re: IML: I "Fixed" the Fan but BROKE the Switch!

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

Don't do anymore to your switch, and DO NOT throw it away yet. It may be rebuildable!

You are going to hate me for this, but that switch is worth more than its weight in gold. You might get lucky and find one on Ebay, but I believe that everyone else is looking for that, too. 

Part of the reason that the fan wouldn't come on is because the main contact is mounted in plastic. Eventually the contact pulls away from it's mating contact due to heat, and changes in the plastic due to stress, and then it fails to connect when the buttons are pushed. I suspect that you have created some kind of short in the switch, causing the fan to be on all the time. As you say, this is okay due to your fan speed control being operational. 

The most difficult part of the whole thing is the vacuum portion, but now that has been damaged. Believe it or not, YOU STILL MAY be able to send that switch out to be rebuilt. J.C. Auto does them. Check their web site. If you try to do more with it, you may cause it to become non-rebuildable.

Paul W.


In an email dated 18/9/2005 10:36:30 pm GMT Daylight time, "Jon Ricketson" <jcricketson@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

>So, today I worked on my '66 Crown Coupe and, while trying to figure out why 
>my heater/AC fan would not run, I figured out that the switch with the 5 
>buttons in it was faulty. ?This part is pretty complex - with several vacuum 
>hoses plugged into it, and 4 or 5 electrical wires attached to it. ?The push 
>buttons were engaging the vacuum switches correctly and were turning the AC 
>Compresser Clutch on and off correctly, but were NOT sending any power to 
>the fan via the fan speed switch. ?The fan speed switch is working fine so I 
>know the problem is in the 5 button switch. ?I confirmed this by doing some 
>continuity testing with an ohm meter. ?Spraying lots of electrical cleaner 
>into the small openings in the switch provided inconsistent results. ?
>Anyway, connecting one of the wires to the hot lead on the switch resulted 
>in the fan running always - even when the OFF button is pushed. ?And the fan 
>speed switch works. ?For now, I can live with this. ?At least I now get heat 
>and AC!!
>
>That's the good news.
>
>The VERY BAD NEWS is that I broke 3 of the vacuum hose connectors off of the 
>5 button switch housing. ?These cannot be glued back on - they are so small 
>and brittle. ?So now I am searching for a new 5 button switch with good 
>vacuum hose connectors. ?I don't find this part on my parts list and the 
>only numbers I could read - stamped with red ink on the switch - are 
>2DB--84. ?I could not read the two -- numbers/letters.
>
>Can anyone help me out with the part number or, even better, where I can get 
>a new/used one?
>
>Please!!
>
>Thanks,
>Jon
>'66 Crown Coupe
>
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