door switches

[sseaman]

Are the door switches that trigger the dome lights and dummy dash lights standard on toyotas? i have one the po must have tried to fix and lost parts, i would like to replace. if anyone has one that they want to get rid of i am interested.

thanks

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

On a related note, I'm about to replace 3 of mine and I cannot for the life of me get the spade connector to release from the switch. Anyone have any tips?

To keep this on topic, I was actually looking at the switches on my dad's 100 this weekend and they looked almost identical. Similar enough to be swapped at least. Didn't have time to pull one and check though. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a common interchangeable switch.

Thanks

 

[sseaman]

I used some wd40 and lubed the switches as i had only the drivers door working. I also noticed the rear hatch when open will trigger the dash light but will not trigger the dome light, is this normal?

 

[thekirk]

Those switches are a pain in the ass. Your best bet, from my experience, is just to bite the bullet, order new ones, and replace all four of the bastards.

My alarm was having issues due to the switches shorting out. Which was really annoying, having the locks engage in mid-curve. First time it did that, it was very startling. I tried cleaning, I tried rebuilding, I tried electrical contact cleaner, and about a half-a-dozen other things. I then said to hell with it, and bought all new, replaced them. Two years of trouble-free operation. And, the bad thing is, the old ones still look good, on the inside. Something obviously isn't within spec, though, because, with them installed, it's possible to get the doors to unlock by jumping up and down on the running boards, making the vehicle shake.

Having been down this road, I'd advocate spending the thirty-forty bucks, and replace all of them. If one is going, they all are. The worst one on mine was the passenger side rear door, which probably sees the least use, so it isn't a wear issue. I think...

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

The rear hatch should trigger the dome lights. At least it does in my '94.

Did lubing the switches get them to work? Mine move freely, but don't close the circuit to operate the dome light.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I would say it's definately NOT a wear issue. My driver's door works the best, and the rest are intermittent. Unfortunately, it's not a $40 issue, but rather a $160 issue because the switches are ~$40 a piece. If it were only $40 for 4 new ones, I'd be all over it.

 

[sseaman]

yes lubing helped mine, also the rear drivers door is the one thats missing parts i think someone tried to fix and failed in the past

 

[robchad]

I had to fix all mine, i found that it was generally an issue with contact there was none being made , so after fixing that they all work fine.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

robchad, how did you "fix" yours?

 

[lowtops]

sseaman,
Here is the write-up I did on door switches:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=62795

If this doesn't work for you, I think I have two extra switches that have been reconditioned. PM me and we can work something out.

PS- I think these switches are used extensively by Toyota. They look identical to the door switches that were on my wife's 2001 IS300.

 

[thekirk]

Arya, where the heck are you buying them? When I ordered mine, it was like ten-twelve bucks a switch.

I'll look at my reciepts, again, and see what they were.

Refurbishment was something I tried before spending the money, but even being excruciatingly careful doing it, they still had the short. I concluded that there was something with the coating on the contacts that wore off. Either that, or the truck just wanted to be sporting some new parts...

 

[sseaman]

i may go to the local pull-a-parts and see what i can get off of another yota, they charge $1 admission and are real cheap for the parts, i may see how many i can get

 

[othater]

I took mine apart and cleaned the contacts, been working for almost two years. just be careful, the plastic is brittle (spelling).

 

[ginericLC]

I might have some. Shoot me a PM if you need one and I'll check my parts stash to see what I have. I'm not going out tonight it is too dark out in the desert. My parts hoard trailer is parked in the desert behind our house.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Arya, where the heck are you buying them? When I ordered mine, it was like ten-twelve bucks a switch.

I'll look at my reciepts, again, and see what they were.

Refurbishment was something I tried before spending the money, but even being excruciatingly careful doing it, they still had the short. I concluded that there was something with the coating on the contacts that wore off. Either that, or the truck just wanted to be sporting some new parts...

I swear that's what Dan quoted me. Maybe I'm remembering in correctly.

Yup, I'm wrong. Saw in another thread where they're somewhere around $10-13 Doh! I just paid $40 for 3 used ones and a new "collar" for my steering column.