best servo brake light switch to buy?

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J

John Goldie

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Posts
26
Location
California
Been having trouble with the series 2a brake light switch (servo mount) - switch removed from the truck and on a meter makes contact only about 60% of the time - its a new lucas part too...... Took one apart, fresh contacts, just crappy contact..... have read the posts to insert a relay to lower current in loop... curious which is the best replacement part to order and from who? on my 4th switch to boot!

Thanks!
Cali Bugeye
 
I went through the same pain several years ago I think this was the final working one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVE...hash=item4cf3411a1c:m:mGo1piHPuHZNUsYG5o8vzqA

Expensive but at least it works. If fitting a relay I'd be tempted to try adding a snubber capacitor and resistor to try and reduce arcing. All the switches I had fail were dues to arc pitting on the contact material. I'm assuming that this is caused by the fact that when you're trailing the brakes the contact is "half on" there is no hysteresis in those switches at all...

D
 
Thanks - I located a 575166 in So Cal and on the meter it tripped as expected on every push. Have installed it and so far so good. Thanks for the advise and comments!
John
 
Is it the one that screws into the top of the brake pedal tower? Bearmach one works fine for me adjusted so it comes on with an inch of pedal travel
 
Hi - This is the one with the switch under the hood, next to the master cylinder...... There is less travel there, and I think it is harder to adjust. The quality of some replacement switches have been a problem. I bought 3 different ones, and two would fail intermittently out of the box on a meter with just depressing the button. It is also a normally open switch and closes when the trigger is inserted (pressed)....... FYI JG
 
I've had two intermotor ones and both failed ended up soldering a fly lead back onto the original as the only reason I had replaced it was due to the tag snapping off..
 
Greetings - the Brake light saga continues, works for a while then stops. It is not coming loose. Good news switch Intermoter 575166 is still good on the meter. I did note it can get hot when on for long periods - so thinking to switch to low current loop and insert a relay soon as suggested. I also inspected the inside flap (569584) - is there any adjust to be made to this to make it more reliable operation? The bracket seem fine and cotter pins present - wondering if the flap needs more bend? Thanks in advance for any advise on this.
 
Good question - here is what I was doing, with the brake pedal not pushed, I would screw in the switch until the meter sound indicating it had made contact then back off 1/2 turn so the beep would go off and then tighten the lock nut. Then press the pedal to hear that when it was pressed the meter would sound. With that done, then hook back up the leads and see how long it would last.

I have noted the switch can get warm when the lamps are on for a long period. That was surprising as yes it is the full current in the loop (2 lamps), but since the lamps are bright, the resistive drop and resulting power is low in the switch..... so I might change it to a relay and low current loop in switch as other suggested.

Curious to hear how you or others adjust the switch to the proper position...... Also does the flap lever (under the switch) need adjustment? I am wondering if after so many years it is not in the spec shape that it should be. Anyone with advise on that part also.

Thanks in advance! - JG
 
Mines the newer type switch but adjusting to pedal position will be similar. first I did as you did and wound it in till light shone (I parked vehicle against a wall so could see the reflected light) then progressively wound it back until I arrived at the position given in the manual (which is about 1" of pedal travel.) If its not adjusted right then it does burn the switch out apparantly which is why i feel a lot of the replacement ones get bad press., people swapping them without reading the manual
 
There should be two potential threaded holes in the bracket in which the switch can be positioned.
I can't remember if its the top or bottom threaded hole which gets more leverage movement from the pedal flap. Might be worth looking if not done already.
 
Greetings again - brake lights seem to work for a while then act up, Curious on the threaded holes noted above. The switch screws into a threaded hole which I though is the main adjustment (with a locking nut). That plate does have four small bolts that holds it in place, it appears to me they are more of the tighten and hold in place vs an adjustment bolt. Under the plate is a spring like lever which appears to make contact with the top of the pedal arm when pushed. I suspect over the year this has lost some spring and may be out of shape causing the switch to sometime not activate (close)...... I dont see any adjustment on the brake pedal arm or tower..... Curious on the comment above about the threaded holes or what the shape of the spring level should be. any additional comments would be great! I did not locate any detailed drawings of this yet in the parts books I have. Any additional advise would be super on adjusting the switch for reliable activation. Tomorrow I will get a meter out and check for activation, I believe the switch is good, but an adjustment is off. Cheers
 
I should mention, this is a series 2a with the servo assisted brake light switch under the hood. (drawing in Series 3 manual - 86.65.51, on page 86-32 (section 7). Cheers!
 
I'm not aware that there is any adjustment of the 'flap' but it may be worth trying to lubricate best as possible through access points. The movement of said flap seems tiny and I shared your thoughts initially. Only an 'old stock' Lucas switch fixed the problem for me. New lucas worked only for a short while and then would either stay on permanently or not com on at all. I did consider a hydraulic pressure switch at one point until I sorted the issue. I adjusted mine by standing my small steps at the rear of the Landy with a sheet of kitchen foil taped to them so I could see reflections.
It's all a bit of a game! I still have a little mis-trust of them and frequently test they are working ok
 
Thanks for the additional comments..... I have played around with the flap, and still have the issues of the brake lights working then not. Testing of the switch indicates that it is the fault as it acts up easily. I have tried contact lubricate in it also..... The switch by itself can act up with just a button push on a beep meter...... out of the truck...... I can get it to work for a few days, but then it goers out again. New plan is to switch to a switch off the top of the pedal under the dash - working on a bracket for that now. Will keep you all posted. I might put a in cabin lamp feedback light also.
 
Working Stop Lights !! - finally reliable stop lights, but I abandoned the OEM method and placed a new direct contact switch to the break pedal in the cabin. I used a Series (non servo plastic switch - 13H3735LG) - this one is OFF with plunger in, and ON when it is out. The OEM switch was opposite, ON when plunger IN. The bugger on that switch is after buying about 4 of them of various vintage, they would fail a test on a meter on the shop bench! So that was even with low current, not a heat issue, not a pedal adjustment issue, just unreliable crap switch. The new switch would pass the trigger / meter test every time. I built a bracket for it and have adjustments to align it to the pedal with the proper throw. When the pedal is pressed, the switch plunger comes out and the lights are going on. At first I suspected the flap / spring at the top of the pedal tower was flattened, but since the new switches would fail on the meter, I just don't see them as robust. Even if I have to replace the switch more often, these are a few dollars, vs the brass ones in the $25-$15 range..... In case. anyone else runs into a bad lot of switches...... (tried Lucas and others as well)
B'Regards;
John
 
I went through 2 Intermotor ones - each lasted about 3 weeks. Finally got an OEM one in a Landrover box and so far - touchwood - it continues to work well.
The position of the switch is a pain as, if you reach into the engine bay on that side for any reason, the tsgs end up getting "flattened".
 
To all -
I must say it is refreshing to read all of this after so much suffering I've been through on this issue. I won't share my drama as it is identical to a combination of everything above. I will say, that needing an inspection this week, I was determined to fix the brake light switch, and on a whim, I swapped in the old one that did not work, and it works perfectly. That is perfectly enough to get me through inspection this week. My plan is to buy a couple of back-up switches (ridiculous of course), and then install the under dash pedal switch. I bought all the hardware for that last year on Ebay, and I'll make that my back-up system with a switch-over place under the bonnet to flip the two leads to the auxilliary contacts.
Thank you all for your comments which validate what I've been discovering the hard way over the past year since I got my Series IIA. I wrote an article in the JUL '19 issue of Classic Land Rover mentioning this switch. You can read the article here:
http://mikeshawtoday.com/extras/ClassicLandRover_JUL_2019_ApartmentLiving.pdf
Thanks all!
Mike
 
When I eventually found an old stock Lucas brand that was made correctly, I bought a spare in case of future need. Typically it's been fine since but always good to squirrel away these things. @ObiWanKenobi - I enjoy reading your publications - great looking Landy you have there too :)
 
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