In alt.home.repair on Sat, 21 May 2005 22:21:14 GMT Bennett Price
posted:

I'm no expert but I'd remove all the grease from the copper contacts,
(use alcohol, kerosene, gasoline, paint thinner, whatever, electrical
contact cleaner in a spray can but not WD40, even soap and water).
Grease (white) should go on the mechanical detents but not on the
copper contacts; they should remain dry.

The thing is, it was made with lots of grease, a half a sewing
thimble-full or more spread out over the contacts.

What is all that grease there for? Don't I need it? -- I see that
George answered this. I think my tube of Schwinn grease was made
maybe 40 years ago. No silicone. But I don't mind getting some
silicone grease now. Better than spending 150 dollars.

Both my friend, who works on cars a lot, and the Chrysler parts guy
said that a junkyard switch would likely be a problem. Unless I can
find one from a low mileage car. Maybe.

One might think the Chrysler parts guy wanted to make a sale, but I
was pretty clear when I heard the price that I wasn't buying yet. And
still he didn't mind getting me the control panel, which I wanted to
see since there were two prices and I wanted to be sure which price my
style was, or putting the panel back in stock. He said a few years
ago they sold 50 of these a week, and that they started with one speed
bad but ended with all the speeds not working. He may have been
exaggerating about 50 a week, but je was very nice and I don't think
he was lying about anything including the junkyard ones.

Perhaps you can somehow bend the wiper a bit so it makes firmer
contact with all the positions (and the second in particular.)

I'll look at that.

Tomorrow I will test the switch with a load instead of a meter.

meirman wrote:
Can I regrease my electric switch? And if so, what should I use to
remove the old grease? And more importantly, what sort of grease
should I then use to regrease this 12 volt switch?

I have white grease, lithium grease, ball joint etc. grease (in a
grease gun), some wheel bearing grease, "bicycle" grease in a tube by
Schwinn, and maybe one more kind. I even have Crisco. Or I can
buy something new.
....

Meirman
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