Stupid door Switch!! $3 Fix!!!

[darkhorse]

As it was 20 degrees in WA state a few weeks ago, I went into my local VW shop (2 Quicks German Auto) and they replaced my entire door lock assembly and driver's window regulator for under $400 out the door.

It was worth it. I tried the cheap fix, didn't work. And I could have done the work my self, but at 20 degrees F on a Saturday when I should be playing daddy... it was money well spent.

michael.[/quote]


I understand & applaud your priorities.

 

[bradkeskey]

Second Dealer Switch, still no worky

Bear with me if this is long, I would really appreciate any help someone might be able to give me with my 1999.5 TDI Jetta with the classic door switch problem. I've ready through every page on this fix and vwvortex, and I'm about to drop it off at the dealer or start it on fire.

Quick History, few years ago I had the door switch problem, somtimes it would lock all four doors from drivers door key, sometimes not. I replaced door switch, all worked perfect after door switch replacement.

One month ago, same problem, intermittent.... I can 'manually' unlock/lock drivers door via key but rest of car will not lock to where it finally stops working, no more cental locking/alarm arming anymore.

Inside car, on door panel, I can lock/unlock all doors electrically. Puddle lights will not light, I have no power there at the bulb (bulb is good). I think this is part of my problem, w/ no power @ this light somehow.

I didn't research enough here to see the radio shack fix, I bought a door switch AGAIN from dealer. I swapped it out, no change, no puddle light work, cannot lock/unlock all doors from outside of car. I cant believe I got a bad switch from dealer, I've checked fuses # F/G above relays, and all fuses on panel. I call dealer and ask for another one, they say it could be other things, but gave me another one. Just put that one in, still dead. At a few points during the swap the alarm armed while doors were open, I could not disengage alarm via door switches and the alarm barked when I tried to start it.

What am I missing? So far I've replaced the door switch 2x w/ new VW part. I have found no frayed wires at door to body, I have checked fuses, I have checked the wiring connector behind hood latch, everything seems fine. I have cleaned up real well the grounds under the battery. It seems I don't have power at the door somewhere for my key activation, and I am about 8 hours into these swaps/investigations and I'm to the point where I am at a loss.

Tell me somehere/something to check, it seems its not the door switch but something else, somebody else hasn't encountered. Is there an alarm 'restart' I need to do???
Brad

 

[wandlc]

Will a door switch from a 2000 NB work in a 2002 Jetta?

Thanks,

Steven

 

[Skidrowe]

Just completed the switch change, Thanks to all!!

Cheers,

Skid

 

[Carphuntin_god]

aNut, Darkhorse and Skid... did you ever confirm if the switch you noticed in the Bentley is a direct replacement for our door switches?

 

[jrip]

For those of you who might wonder. I posted back in August 08 that I installed a Burgess switch and it was working fine. We now have Jan 10 and it is still working fine. The Burgess switch from Allied Electronics is so much better than the Radio Shack switch.

 

[All of Us]

jrip:

What are the specifics on this Burgess switch you are referring to? What is the part number, the price, and general availability? I have used the RS switch to repair my door problem, but if the other one is better and available locally (or without major difficulty) I would certainly like to have the option to use the better one.

Dan

 

[stevneil]

3 cent - 3 minute fix

I took out a can of contact cleaner and went to town on the area below the latch where the micro switch is. While squirting the cleaner; working the latch back and forth, my light started flickering. I kept spraying and working the latch and now I have a fully functional door switch

I concur (again) with wingnut's very practical solutions. Using the spray cleaner method, I have fixed several Mk4 door switches now, and they have been working fine for months.

I have one improvement I can offer. In the picture showing the spray cleaner can, the latch catch is in the door open position. If you rotate it up to the latched position, it gives a much better view and opportunity to direct the spray cleaner.

And just remember to pull the outside door handle and the latch will drop back down to the normal position before closing the door.

I call this the 3 cent, 3 minute fix (play on $3 - 3 hour fix).

Hope it works for you.

 

[darkhorse]

aNut, Darkhorse and Skid... did you ever confirm if the switch you noticed in the Bentley is a direct replacement for our door switches?

No, it's gotten too cold to try taking things apart.

 

[darkhorse]

I concur (again) with wingnut's very practical solutions. Using the spray cleaner method, I have fixed several Mk4 door switches now, and they have been working fine for months.
I call this the 3 cent, 3 minute fix (play on $3 - 3 hour fix).

Hope it works for you.

My first 2 attempts didn't work but I'll try again when things warm up around here.

 

[stevneil]

Darkhorse, I used a spray cleaner that is very aggressive on grease and grime. Closest thing I can equate to off-the-shelf products would be carburetor cleaner or maybe non-chlorinated brake cleaner. Seems to be much stronger than electrical contact cleaner at removing petroleum-based grime. Work the latch back and forth after a couple of seconds of spray. When the switch starts to work, the light on the door (assuming the bulb is not burned out) will start to flicker on and off. You're done when it stays on all the time with the door open and the latch.

Following the cleaner spray with compressed air is not a bad idea but I didn't need to do that.

Keep in mind that this approach only cleans the gunk on the switch plunger. It doesn't clean the actual contacts inside the switch.

My three vehicles' problem was gunk around the plunger. My vehicles are 2002/2003 vintage with 100k to 150k miles to give you an idea of how long it took for them to quit working.

If no luck on your door switch with only spray cleaner, there is a good chance that the grime got into the switch or something else went wrong that will require a new switch or complete latch assembly.

 

[79TA7.6]

This last summer I hosed my door switch with about half a can. It did not seem to do anything. About a month later my light would come on about every tenth time opening the door. Now it seems to be working almost all the time. I have not done anymore cleaning to it. Once it warms up again I will spray it with the rest of the can. I can not do it when the windows have to be rolled up or my wife would kill me for trying to kill her and the kids from the fumes.

stevneil, what is the name of the cleaner you used? It sounds pretty nasty. Did you get any on the paint or anywhere else on the car besides the switch? I am just wandering what it might have done to the other parts of the car.

 

[DBDieseler]

Taking out more of the guesswork...

I replaced my broken switch with the Burgess one last week. I have a little more to add to what jrip and zwickau have said already, and I hope this makes the installation a snap for others.
The Burgess switch is taller, has the wires on the opposite end, and the mounting holes are exactly 2mm further down than the original switch's plastic tabs:

These issues are easily addressed...the height difference is not even an issue, in fact, as there is plenty of room in that direction. The different wiring end issue can be address by making a notch about 4mm deep so the wires aren't smashed against that plastic piece. The notch I made is actually more like 8mm though, as I cut before really measuring:

To keep the button on the switch in the same place as the original, I enlarged one hole directly downward, and the other down and at an angle (to accommodate the wider mounting holes):

I used some 2-56 sheet metal screws and hex nuts for Radioshack, which each cost $1.99 for a package of 25 or so. I positioned the switch, and operated the latching mechanism several times while monitoring the switch with a multimeter to make sure it was working. Then I put some Loctite on the threads, and a small dab of super glue on the head to keep things from shifting. I don't know if the glue is actually necessary, but I figure it is cheap insurance. Here is my finished assembly:

I forgot to get spade terminales for a quick replacement the next time I have a failure, so hopefully this fix lasts a while. Also, I concur with what others have said: this cam-driven pushbutton operation is really stupid. If you watch it in action it looks like a whack-a-mole game where the mallet is swinging sideways instead of up and down.

Having fixed my passenger's door that thought it was constantly open, I now realize that my driver's switch has failed, too. However it just thinks the door is always closed, so I probably will let it be for a while.

 

[Vince Waldon]

Great update to the thread.. in particular, thanks for the pictures!

Did this exact job this weekend with that exact waterproof switch and had to mod things exactly the same way you did. Kinda grinds my gears that we have to slot out the metal mounting plate... now that I have an OEM switch I'm gonna measure it and see if I can find a version with holes *not* 2mm out.

For those of you in Canada Allied will ship that switch across the border one at a time if need be, and Active Electronics carries a nice kit of 2-56 hardware for about 5 bucks.

One additional detail that may confuse some folks... the Burgess switch comes with three wires: red/blue/yellow. As luck would have it the wires coming out of the housing are red and blue and those are the ones you need from the new switch... you can cut off the the yellow wire. I cut it to about an inch and then sealed the end with tape.

 

[stevneil]

stevneil, what is the name of the cleaner you used? It sounds pretty nasty. Did you get any on the paint or anywhere else on the car besides the switch? I am just wandering what it might have done to the other parts of the car.

3M Scotch 1626 - a white spirit and acetone blend.

Application: Ideal for dissolving greases, oils, resins and tar everywhere on electrical equipment, switches, safety cut-outs, motors and generators. May corrode plastics.

I didn't notice any problems on the factory paint I could see but it mainly drips to the bottom of the inside of the door I imagine. Plastics are always vulnerable to chemicals so drying it with compressed air to reduce the dwell time would be recommended (desert Arizona is a blast furnace most of the year so I didn't bother.)

 

[79TA7.6]

3M Scotch 1626 - a white spirit and acetone blend.

Application: Ideal for dissolving greases, oils, resins and tar everywhere on electrical equipment, switches, safety cut-outs, motors and generators. May corrode plastics.

I didn't notice any problems on the factory paint I could see but it mainly drips to the bottom of the inside of the door I imagine. Plastics are always vulnerable to chemicals so drying it with compressed air to reduce the dwell time would be recommended (desert Arizona is a blast furnace most of the year so I didn't bother.)

I have been looking online and can not seem to find a local distributor for this. Did you find it at an auto parts store or an electrical shop? I would like to try this on my car when it warms up so I would like to start looking now. The way it looks I might have to look for a while.

 

[stevneil]

I have been looking online and can not seem to find a local distributor for this. Did you find it at an auto parts store or an electrical shop?

Yeah, I just looked and don't see it for sale on Google Shopping, and the only links on Google are not in North America.

My can came a friend's biz off a shelf full of aerosol cans.

I mentioned earlier that it seemed similar to carburetor cleaner; it smells similar. I looked at my can of Gunk carb cleaner and it has tolulene and acetone. Sounds similar. Mineral spirits is probably less aggressive so Scotch 1626 is probably the dumb luck best thing I could have used, but I don't know where to buy it either.

Researching the chemicals online, I found DeoxIT GOLD contains mineral spirits but not acetone. Citrus Solvent is interesting because it says it can replace solvents like mineral spirits and acetone. De-Solv-It is something we can find in most any grocery store. May be a problem for electrical conductivity but if I try it and it doesn't work, I can always wash it out with something more agressive and evaporative like 1626 or carb cleaner.

Hope it warms up soon!

 

[l_c]

Re: cleaners

I see that 3M also now offers these "Novec" spray products ...

http://www.newark.com/jsp/content/printCatalog.jsp?display=single&cat=c127&page=2092

They might be good ... Larry.

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

For those of you who might wonder. I posted back in August 08 that I installed a Burgess switch and it was working fine. We now have Jan 10 and it is still working fine. The Burgess switch from Allied Electronics is so much better than the Radio Shack switch.

What is the exact name and part number of this Burgess switch? I can't find it on Allied's Web site.

Thanks.

 

[Vince Waldon]

Burgess sub-minature switch part number V4NS-UL

Allied stock # 804-0028

Holler if you still can't find it on Allied's web site and I'll dig thru my browser's cache for a link or two.

 

[shifty47]

wow sweet fix!@

 

[John B.]

http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=8040028

 

[Greaseburger]

I ordered 2 of the Allied switches and after a few days did not see any movement in the shipping status, I called them and the sales person said they were backordered til sometime in march but she found me a comparable burgess switch that requires soldering and offered to send it free, and have it here before the weekend, now that's customer service

 

[r72gsaol]

Newark has the Burgess switch in stock for $6.25.

http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=51P3632&CMP=AFC-GB100000001

 

[Carphuntin_god]

just figured out... think my switch is more of a problem now than I thought. I think it's leaving the interior lights on when I close teh door. Couldn't figure out what ran my battery down after only a day and a half of sitting.


Also...I'd think long and hard about spraying carb cleaner in there where you can't clean it off quick. That crap eats many plastics.

I'd love to find someone who got VW to pony up for this as a "known issue." we find that tracking number and we can make them screw with it.

 

[qmark]

can u replace the front door switch with the rear one,or is it door specific to the front drivers'.....???

 

[r72gsaol]

Just did the Burgess switch replacement. Works great!

 

[wkobe]

Im also having a switch problem when i crack my door open the light comes on but if i actually fully open the door the light does not come on 2004 jetta

 

[elandem]

Could stupid $3 switch cause battery drain?

I have a 99 New Beetle 1.8 Turbo

I have been fighting an intermittent battery drain and am curious as to whether this switch could be the problem. Another forum suggested it, but wanted a 2nd opinion.

Symptoms:
Battery has parasitic drain (about 2 days if not started).
Drivers side door lock works sometimes with remote. If I press unlock, then lock it will work every time.
Last night I made special note that the door light and interior lights do not come on when I open the passenger door. However, if I unlocked, waited for it to auto-lock again, then unlocked and opened, the lights did come on.
I was able to lock door with it open (this explains why I accidentally locked my keys in the car recently)
Now, this morning, the door and interior lights DO come on when I open the driver door.

Before anything else, I will use the contact spray method to see if that will resolve something.

Frankly, this little locking problem doesn't annoy me enough to tear into my door. I can always press unlock then lock on the remote and it works 100% of the time. What I'm really trying to resolve is my battery drain issue. If this is possibly the culprit, is there a connector on a door wiring harness that I can disconnect from the door lock mechanism to temporarily disable and determine if the drain stops?

About at my wits end on this battery problem. I have determined which circuit from the battery causes it, but have yet to isolate the single specific item that causes it.

Thanks and I really appreciate the info on this thread.

Richey
Sherman, TX

 

[bbk]

I have a related problem.

I have a problem where I cant use the boot handle to open the boot. I have to use the key all the time.
My rear window washer broke and soaked the lock and then I got the problem. So some electrics got soaked and damaged. Having said that, I can still unlock and lock the car from the boot lock and the key, and also close the sunroof from it aswell. So those electrics for that arent damaged.

This is the thing that I think the microswitch Im about to talk about "lives"

From reading up it seems to be down to a bad microswitch inside the lock pictured.
Im just wondering, does that microswitch effect the motor that opens the boot lid in any way?

The exact motor I mean is when you press the button at the boot handle a motor runs and unlocks the boot, then stops and resets.
In my car it used to do all that very quick. Then it got to the point where it would open fine but then take about 3 or 4 seconds to reset, then after a couple of weeks of that it died.

I was determined to fix it today and I assumed the water soaked the motor that opens the boot. Indeed that motor was fecked to high heaven and I got a replacement down at breakers yard from a Seat Leon but thats not all.

I plugged the new one in and it now opens the boot lid fine, but it doesnt reset. I found a 12v motor from my shed and connected it to the plug and it kept going. So, I think what happened with the old motor is that one day it opened the boot, didnt stop trying to turn and ended up burning itself out.

Im assuming that the microswitch in the lock itself has something to do with the motor stopping and resetting.
I also have no light on the dash to say the boot is open, although I dont really mind about that Im just wondering will fixing one problem fix the other.

The new motor is unplugged at the moment untill I can try and fix it.

I hope someone can shed some light on it. Its only a small problem but im in that mood that it has to be fixed

Regards
bbk