@#$%ing Dimmer Relay Tried to Kill Me |
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@#$%ing Dimmer Relay Tried to Kill Me |
bbrock |
Oct 21 2021, 09:59 AM
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#1
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 5,269 Joined: 17-February 17 From: Montana Member No.: 20,845 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
Two weeks ago I was coming home after dark at the end of a long 250 mile round trip through SW Montana for work. [Side note: if you pull up to a Montana rancher's house in a 914, he WILL get a kick out of it.] I noticed my lights were occasionally having trouble switching between dim and bright which required a double pull on he switch, but it wasn't consistent. I made a note to myself to look into it. I then crested a fairly remote and very dark mountain pass and dimmed my lights for an oncoming car. Then as I headed down the back side at 70+ mph into a sweeper on the descent, I tugged the switch to go back to brights. Instead of brights, I got total blackness... on a pitch black night in the middle of a curve on a remote mountain pass at high speed (IMG:style_emoticons/default/yikes.gif) I hit the brakes to scrub speed while feeling for the shoulder and flicking that dimmer switch with furry. After a half dozen tugs, the brights popped on. [side question: anyone know how to clean shit out of brick weave vinyl? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) ] Needless to say, I was not happy.
I finally got a chance to dig into the problem and started with the relay. This is not a 50 year old part. It was purchased new from Pelican less than a year ago as part of my bare metal restoration, and has seen less than 5 hours of service. Popping the cover off quickly revealed what shit build quality these new relays are despite being rather spendy. The relay pulls a thin metal finger into a 2-part (plastic and brass) rocker mechanism with two valleys and a splitter tooth between. Each cycle of the relay is supposed to position the splitter so the finger slides into the other valley on the next cycle. But the build tolerances were crap and there was so much float in the relay plate that the metal finger didn't line up consistently with the splitters. Often it wouldn't switch positions and sometimes it would miss the brass part of the splitter completely and get hung up on the plastic. When that happens, it's lights out! I was able to use a pair of needle nose pliers to squeeze the notches that guide the relay plate closed a little more to reduce the slop in the plate travel, and bend the tang holding the metal finger so it consistently engaged the brass splitter. After that, I was able to reliably cycle between bright and dim with no blackouts. The only question I have is if there are new replacements that are good quality and reliable. I think I paid $40 for this one and it tried to kill me. Most importantly, I wanted to warn people to beware of faulty dimmers. A jinky dimmer relay can go from just annoying to potentially deadly very fast! |
altitude411 |
Oct 22 2021, 10:52 PM
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#2
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I drove my 6 into a tree Group: Members Posts: 1,306 Joined: 21-September 14 From: montana Member No.: 17,932 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
If that modified relay has survived two tours down "your" road, then it has been Montana tested tough and is truly good to go.
I was driving the six to Billings early one morning, following behind a pickup on the interstate and right about at the Bear Canyon exit (he) swerved to the left about a cars width. I was running the "warm hue dining mood lights" of coarse (well before LED invention). I followed suit because, well... because ??? Out of the corner of my eye the "warm hue' was just enough to faintly illuminate a moose with its front feet over the white line of the highway as I passed by at about knee cap high. I thought, was that a moo... nah. On my way home that evening that moose was piled up on the west bound lane. Sometimes it's better not knowing?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) Anyway, glad your putting miles on that beautifully restored car. Don't bend it up Brent. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) |
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