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ES2 light switch

Submitted by christopher_shepperd on Wed, 09/01/2019
Forums
Electrical

The light switch on my 1957 ES2 has been playing up for ages.  I ran into thick fog a couple of weeks ago but it would not give me a headlight.  It appears to be a 3 position switch: sidelights, headlights and off in the middle.  It sits on the headlamp housing and is in the middle of a plate held on by 4 screws.

Could the experts please advise me the best source for a replacement and its part number.

...................Chris

Submitted by philip_ham on Wed, 09/01/2019

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Christopher,

If the switch is the same as on my 1955 ES2 then the electrical contacts are made by a spring assisted roller, with power going into the centre of a rotor and then being distributed by the roller to various brass pillars around the outside.  This can be dismantled and cleaned as the contacts are likely to be dirty after 60 years.  Beware there is a small spring in the mechanism, so dismantle over a clean cloth.

Philip

Submitted by Xanna_jeannett… on Wed, 09/01/2019

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hello  your replacement switch is a Lucas U38  the same as the 1954 Featherbed Dominator,  and there are  NO screws it's a Spring clip  and a bugger to get on so have fun with it  yours  Anna J

Submitted by christopher_shepperd on Sun, 20/01/2019

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Done it now.  I had to dispense with sidelights because I could only get a reliable live from deep down in the terminal but the headlamp terminal was good.  I never use sidelights anyway.  On a modern bike, you don't even get the option.  It's headlamps on full time so unless there's some legal reason for having them, I will leave things as they are now.

Submitted by george_phillips on Sun, 20/01/2019

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One thing that confused me, Chris, is that you said ".....off in the middle." My '55 ES2 - which I suspect has the same switch - is Off, Side, Main.

George

Submitted by christopher_shepperd on Mon, 21/01/2019

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Sorry about that, George.  Because it never worked properly and the markings have worn off/faded, I assumed it was the same as my AJS of a similar age.  It now seems that fully left is off, not left for sidelights, middle for off and right for headlights as on the AJS.  I had assumed that Lucas would have supplied the same part for many brands but not in this case.  The part number as mentioned by Anna above is hard to find.  I will check the auto jumble at Shepton Mallet show in a couple of weeks.  Are you going?  If so, I can be found at the Bridport club stand.  Look for my little Puch SGS 250.

 



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