Headlight Switch (Get you home bodge)

[rollercoaster]

Last night my Main and Dipped beam stopped working and I have read up some past posts to diagnose it.
As the fan and hooter are working its not the ignition switch, and there is power to X on back of lights switch terminal, so my guess is its the switch, it is suspect anyway as in the dark wanting to get home I pulled the dash pod off and wiggled the wires at the back and the switch, it flashed the lights on a couple of times then gave out entirely.
What I am wondering if anyone knows, is if there is a get you home bodge sticking a wire in the x hole and jumping across to leave main beam on in another hole in the connection block.
Thought this might be useful as these switches do seem to give up and its not always going to be a convenient moment!
Also interested in what damage could be caused, my guess is worst case blow a fuse, but maybe someone might suggest that it could damage the ignition switch which is harder to get to so maybe avoid messing about..
I am getting a new switch posted, hope thats the solution.

[kevtherev]

did you wiggle the earth wires on the earth crown next to the fuse box?

[rollercoaster]

No I didnt,
read that could be a problem but thought I had followed diagnostically the right track..
I will clean the earths up too while I am sorting it out.
Thanks

[syncron ice]

The easiest get you home bodge is to use the dip/indicator arm pulled upwards but can annoy oncoming drivers. Don't exert too much pressure in case you break it!

My problem turned out to be the switch. I bought one from JK but two of the spade connectors are wrong on the one they advertise. Got full refund anyway.

I dismantled my switch and cleaned all components and it's now fine.

A word of warning, there are a lot of parts in the switch, lots of little ball bearings and springs and they 'bedoyng' everywhere. Open it in a deep tupperware box or the like, clean all the contacts and spend the next hour solving the puzzle of putting it back together.

Tony

[Aidan]

what part number switch have you got - I have new genuine late ones in stock for not a lot of money, early style then Brickie has them

[pocolow]

I had exactly the same problem with my lights a couple of months ago, which was the switch. Got a new one from Brickwerks, an easy 5 min job to fit the new one.

Mark

[rollercoaster]

Thanks Aidan, the part number is 321 941 531 D
I emailed Brickwerks to see what they thought, as it cold have been odd as its a south african,
Michael there said it was an ordinary one so I ordered it.
I hadnt thought that you sold parts like that, I will check you next time.

From the lack of responses like "a bent paper clip stuck in the x hole feeding power to y"
I guess its a bit more complicated than that..

[rollercoaster]

Happily it was the switch and a replacement seems to have cured the fault.