Switched!

It started out so easy. The Bronco's turn signal switch was starting to get sloppy, would not stay engaged and was hard to engage. It was only a matter of time before it failed entirely. So last Thursday, I went to a local auto parts store to buy a new one. Like a lot of newer vehicles, the Bronco's turn signal switch also controls the headlight high/low beams, hazard lights and for 1984/85 the horn is also sounded by pushing on the end of the stalk. The horn feature never seemed to be one of Ford's better ideas. At the auto parts store, the counter person looked up the part for my year and model of vehicle. "We can order it" she said. "OK, when will it be here?" "It should be here by 530 this evening". "That sounds good. You will call"? "Yes we will call you when it is in".

 

So I paid what I thought was a premium price(it was cheaper to mail order) and waited for the call from them that it was in. Since I did not receive any call, I went to the store on Friday morning and picked up the new switch. Back home, after removing two screws that hold the plastic cowl around the steering column, two screws that hold the switch to the column and unplug two six-pin connectors, I removed the old switch. In a few minutes, I reversed the process and installed the new switch. Then I tested the functions: right/left turn signal, CHECK. High/low beams, CHECK. Hazard lights, CHECK. Horn? NO HORN! What is going on? Is this the right model? I removed the new switch and reinstall the old.

 

Back to the store with the new switch in hand and I explain the issue that the horn won't work with the new switch. "Yes, the switch is the correct one. We will have to order you a new one or you can drive to Silverdale, they have one in stock.". So off I go to Silverdale and exchange the switch for another. I did not get around to working on it again until Monday morning. This time I got my original 1984 Ford Bronco II Electrical Troubleshooting Manual and followed the test procedure to make sure that the horn feature in the switch worked. With my cheapo multimeter, I check that the horn circuit in the switched worked. Yes it did. So I remove the old switch and install the new. Then I tested it and the horn works! Great except now the hazard lights don't work! So I remove the switch and  test the hazard light switch in accordance with the manual and find the switch faulty. It also was stuck and would not pull out very far. Grrr! Back to the auto parts store. This time the parts person can only order in a different switch that actually cost less so I got some money back. So again, the conversation goes like this: "We can order it" she said. "OK, when will it be here?" "It should be here by 530 this evening". "That sounds good. You will call"? "Yes we will call you when it is in".

 

So after I did not receive a call Monday night, I went to the store Tuesday morning and got the third new switch. It was the same brand, but this time it was a different model built in Taiwan instead of USA where the other two were manufactured. The Taiwan model had a one year warranty, the ones built in the US had a lifetime warranty. I took the switch home and this time, I checked all twelve functions of the switch before I installed it. Everything tested OK and after I installed it, everything worked.

 

I am surprised at the failure rate of these units. I usually expect a new part to function and sure don't think I have to test it before I install it. I think they need to tighten their Quality Control.

 The switch from Taiwan that works well.

Testing the switch thoroughly before installing it.