Boot light?

[Allan NZ P5b]

My boot light doesn’t work. Positive wiring to lamp holder no earth and no sign of a switch. The diagram shows a switch on the earth side of the lamp. where is the switch and am I looking for a switch like a courtesy light switch if so where dose it sit and how is it activated or is it some other sort of switch and where is it. Thanks in advance

[p5tgc]

The boot lamp is a self contained item, with a mercury tilt switch inside. There is no external switch such as is under the bonnet.

Check Take 5, March 1994 for an article on stripping and cleaning the unit.


regards

[Adrian]

It won't light up unless your side lights are on (But you already knew that didn't you?)!!

Adrian

[Allan NZ P5b]

Thanks will have a look now I know what I am looking for.
Yes Knew it worked with sided lights.
I have 1 in car not working and 1 in donnor car so will have a good look and try to get one working. Don't have Take 5's as not a member yet only just sent away the form last week.
I am a member of local club but it was easier to ask here than pick up the phone.
Thanks for the info

[Allan NZ P5b]

This is the unit from my spare car

When tested lamp stays permanently lit. Even when tilting the unit. Unit in my car won't light at all. They both look the same. Is it the correct unit.
I don’t have access to " Take 5, March 1994 for an article on stripping and cleaning the unit."
if someone could email me a copy or scan and post it here
I would be very grateful as I can't see how to disasemble the unit and don't want to break it

[e-mail]

[Allan NZ P5b]

Is any body working on this? Noby here knows anything about this items refurbishment here in New Zealand

[DanielSheard]

I refurbished a couple of these. The most difficult thing is to get the thing apart. The cap which the bulb fits into is a tight fit on the body part. I filed a groove down one side which released the grip and allowed the top out.

Once you have the thing apart its pretty obvious how it works - there's a mercury reservoir that allows the mercury to run towards some contacts when the switch is tilted up. You'll probably find the mercury and the contacts are mucky. I put some clean new mercury in which I got by breaking a small thermometer and using a syringe to collect it and put it in the switch body. Caution - don't inhale and make very sure you don't spill the mercury. Dispose of any old stuff or unused stuff legally! It's actually quite difficult to syringe the stuff because of its surface tension properties, but if you persevere it can be done.

I rewired the light also so that it takes a feed from the purple "always on" feed near the back seat.

Daniel

[Allan NZ P5b]

Thanks for the help took mine apart and folowed the instructions above. And the instructions from an old Take 5 that was emailed to me. the boot light now works perfectly.
Was quite straight forward with the instructions. I cleaned the murcury by massaging it in a cloth.

Thanks for the help.

[Keith - Portsmouth]

Hi Allan, I am now going through the same exercise, but cannot see how to get the plastic capsule apart to get at the mercury. Do you still have the email of the take5 article you can perhaps send me?

Keith

[Allan NZ P5b]

Yes I have the article, email me with your email or change it to not hidden, or send me a private measage with it in and I will forward it to you.
I suspect your issue with the bonnet light switch may be the same.

[Keith - Portsmouth]

Oops sorry Allan. My email address is now not hidden.
Thanks for your help. Keith.

[Keith - Portsmouth]

Thanks for emailing that article to me Allan. I too can now report that my boot light now works perfectly. Thanks again.
Keith.

[RichardF]

My first look at the boot light mercury switch led me to believe that I could not dismantle it. Now thanks to these pages I realize it can be. I have since dismantled both contact ends and, using a household thermometer, refilled it. Filling via the large orifice saves attempting to use a syringe. It now works great. Thanks guys.

RichardF

[Deleted]

Allan

Could you email me a copy of the article also please? Also, my boot lamp unit is missing the lamp. I assume it is reasonably easy to replace (in NZ) from Repco - is that the case?

thanks
Woolfie

[Phil Nottingham]

The lamp is a standard BA9s SCC 5 or 6w bulb same as the front sidelight if its still got the original units behind the lens

[Deleted]

Thanks Phil. I got a BA9s bulb yesterday, but they don't have them in 5 or 6W, only in 2 or 4. Maybe the numbers are different here? Anyway, the light isn't working.

So, does anyone have the Take5 article they could email to me? (Or is it bc I have the wrong wattage bulb - I wouldn't have thought so)?

cheers

[Deleted]

;)Any wattage bulb should work - there are even halogen types which I think are imported from Ozzy land. 4W sems to be the highest here as well unless you go for halogen which coms in 21w

Its the mercury that has oxidised so it needs replacing or cleaning. It can be accessed by carefully pulling apart the two halves of te switch body to reveal the palstic container.


I have not got a scanner so I cannot send you the article

[Keith - Portsmouth]

Woolfie, I've just emailed the article to you.

[Allan NZ P5b]

Sorry Wolfie been away skiing didn't see your message.
No I couldn't find anything at Repco to do the job that is why I fixed mine up.
If you still need any help let me know. But Kieth appears to have emailed you what I received and forwarded to him

Regards

[Deleted]

Keith - thanks for the article. Very much appreciated.

Allan - hope you enjoyed the skiing (and that you did it in the Sth Island!).

I've read the article, and I do have a question for those that have done the repair outlined in take5. That is, the unit doesn't look like it is designed to pull apart, so once you have, does it go back together ok or do you need to tape it or glue it?

[RichardF]

I have dismantled the switch from both ends. I did this because initially I only thought the small contact would pull out. Further effort allowed me to open the larger one which is easier to re-fill by. Additionally, it does go back together without the need for tape or glue.
I did try to clean the old mercury by rolling in a tissue - which works to some extent. However, it then had an intermittent open circuit, so I used a household thermometer in the end for my source of fresh clean mercury.

RichardF
Southampton

[Allan NZ P5b]

It can take a bit of pulling and twisting to get the unit apart. Take your time and it will come apart and I just pushed mine back together, it was a tight fit, if you have a lose fit a bit of solder would probably hold it.

Regards

P.S. No unfortunately we were skiing the north island but was still a lot of fun. south Island next year. But is only the 4th season for the girls 9 and 12 so they have only now mastered all blue runs and chairs and "T" bars by themselves. I had new ski's this season so that was cool.

[Deleted]

OK, thanks guys. I'll give it a go.

[Allan NZ P5b]

For future use here are the instructions I was emailed