am sick of this, the switch has died again, replaced this bastard about 4yrs ago and just today found out i had no brake lights

pulled the switch out tonight, took it apart and found out why it wasn't working - the contacts aren't moving far enough to physically touch and close the circuit

i was able to fix this by inserting a piece of brass shim that made the contacts physically closer and so were able to close and so complete the circuit

my b**ch is that these things are a faulty design and that there should be a rectified design released by ford correcting the original problem and we should all get these free from ford

am sick of having to correct these faults

another one is the famous yellow headlights common to e series falcon - it's a disgrace that these haven't been recalled by ford and replaced by headlights that don't have this problem

now someone tell me there's been a revised switch design and they've fixed this problem!

nope it's a crap design, get over it and replace it... I've just done mine for the 3rd time in 10 years!!

if too many people think like this then nothing ever gets changed .. am going to email ford and complain about this crap design

i know i wont get anyway joy but t least the bastards'll know people aren't happy with this crap

these things are made in mexico, i wonder how many models they fit? ... i bet they make a killing on on this little gem of a dud product

am thinking of updating to a 2003-04 BA futura, i hope this piece of crap isn't used in these models too

Maybe they'll recall a 10 year old car
Get an ED, our brake light switches hardly ever fail.

don't want the car recalled, just want a properly designed stop light switch

a new set of non yellowing headlights would also be nice tho

and while we're at it, a full refund of what it cost me to do up my head after their crappy head gasket s**t itself would also be appropriate

I retrofitted my manual pedal box with an EA bracket and I am going to this switch as mechanically it is so much better. I tow alot and the amount of switches I have been through makes this necessary for me.

gee so many complain about this. My mum had her EL for 6 years and never did one.

yeahive also gone thru 3 in 9 years, the last night the switch actually stayed in the on position so i had brake lights 24/7!

Yea. Tis strange. I've had EL's now for 6 years (so its 8yo) and never had to replace a break switch. But the 11yo EF I have did its first one a few years back. I replaced it with an 8yo switch, and its been fine.

I think you guys are either having bad luck, or doing something wrong.

Yellowing/foggy headlights are caused by using non UV cut globes after the original factory ones failed. Use the proper globes.

And its a Ford. One must expect to change a headgasket every now and then. Just like a holden owner must replace his rear tires every 10,000km or rebuild his engine when a gudgeon pin snaps.

I'd done 3 or 4 in the 9 years i had my EF, the last one was a yankee made job and out lasted them all.
Another problem i have struck in 3 different cars was the bushes, they were grabbing the switch and stopping the pedal from activating it, i took them out and bingo, brake lights worked fine.

[quote="arm79"]
I think you guys are either having bad luck, or doing something wrong.

Yellowing/foggy headlights are caused by using non UV cut globes after the original factory ones failed. Use the proper globes.

And its a Ford. One must expect to change a headgasket every now and then. quote]

how can you do something wrong with a brake light switch, it either works or it doesn't

interesting idea that the bush might be interfearing with it, will check that out a bit more

when i pulled out the 1st one i found it covered in this oily substance, i've still got it, i think i might check it out see if i can get it working again

and on headlights, i've only ever used uv cut globes so that's that idea shot down in flames - the previous owner (2 owner car) had never changed them either but still the headlights were really yellow when i bought the car

there's plenty of fords drivng around that don't need the head gaskets changing, the problem was corrected in the AUs far as i know, so ford knew it was a problem but did sfa about fixing it for owners of the ef and el models - they just made a killing on selling AU style gaskets to the poor owners (it's not the only faulty part that was corrected in AUs, the thermostat was too, no doubt there's more)

Never had any of these problems in the old EL.

As for the switch, is it a genuine one you get from ford, or is it a copy by a third party?

it's ford switch, stamped with ford and original part number e73b-13480, replacement part number is e73z-13480 - box says assembled in mexico - there are stickers on the box that cover other writing - you can safely bet it also fits other models

switch has ~2mm travel to activated it, that ain't much, and that travel is fixed and can't be altered - tho i might see if i can change that, after all i managed to pull it apart (the one in my car - i still have the original switch) and reassembled it last night

if it hada been a copy i woulda been surprised if it didn't have the faults of the original

There is a plate that runs horizontally along the switch, push either end of that plate and the lights come on

I bent both ends of the plate up a few mm so it made better contact.
Worked fine and never replaced another one as long as I had the car

I've been through 3, mate with his XH had to replace one a month after getting the car. There like $8.00 a pop, but there a prick to fit I find, fidly and anoiying,thats the bit that I hate the most!