$3.50 replacement rear brake switch '94 r1100rs (does anyone care?)

It takes me a while to clue in. I have had a series of cascading problems (well - maybe not cascading). ABS problem (the blinking lights - code 6 - the relay) but i didn't believe it. So i routed the blue wire from the alternator to pin 15 and YAY! Seems to have temporarily or partly cleared up the ABS blinking lights issue.

In my roundabout problem solving I wondered why the rear brake light was so hard to get out. IT WAS ON ALL THE TIME AND HAD MELTED THE HOLDER.

So I went after the rear brake light switch and it is a bit confusing because the switch works in reverse. When the brake pedal is up the circuit is open. When you depress the pedal the circuit closes and the brake light goes on.

I needed to replace the switch - $75 and three weeks from Germany (I didn't want to do that). INSTEAD, I removed the rivets from the brass mounting plate and was going to cut it open (the plunger was missing - the switch was always closed - light always on). but pieces were missing. I found replacement microswitch at a local electronics supply (SPDT - single pole double throw) and it had three contacts two of them were as you would suspect - press the switch and the circuit closes - but the third contac is the opposite. That is what I needed.

I found some 2mm bolts and bolted it to the backer plate and soldered the switch wires on and DONE!

Works perfectly.

If there is interest i can post pictures.

Of course we care! Necessity is the mother of invention, etc...
And goodonya for the alternative fix!

jimnto said:

If there is interest i can post pictures.

Click to expand...

Yes, please.

BC1100S said:

Yes, please.

Click to expand...

My gosh - I don't have notifications set up right. Here is the switch i bought for under $4.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6F4pQ3r5Ug6Wlc4VHpNaWRoQkk/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6F4pQ3r5Ug6NkVqZUJnQnFBUUU/view?usp=sharing

jimnto said:

My gosh - I don't have notifications set up right. Here is the switch i bought for under $4.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6F4pQ3r5Ug6Wlc4VHpNaWRoQkk/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6F4pQ3r5Ug6NkVqZUJnQnFBUUU/view?usp=sharing

Click to expand...

Wasn't sure I could bring them out of GoogleDome
OM

jimnto said:

INSTEAD, I removed the rivets from the brass mounting plate and was going to cut it open (the plunger was missing - the switch was always closed - light always on). but pieces were missing. I found replacement microswitch at a local electronics supply (SPDT - single pole double throw) and it had three contacts two of them were as you would suspect - press the switch and the circuit closes - but the third contac is the opposite. That is what I needed.

Click to expand...

Is the switch weatherproof? Have you had it in the rain yet?

Reminds me.....

of years ago when I was driving a 733i. The fan switch was on the back of a printed circut board. As I recall, BMW wanted me to buy the entire heating/air conditioning panel which was close to $500. The tech at the time unsoldered the "expensive German switch" and handed it to me with the words "go to Radio Shack and find one just like it". There was a really cool Spanish guy at the store who seemed to have a memory like an encyclopedia and said "I know right where this switch is". At the time I probably paid about $3.00 for it and ran it back to the tech. He installed it in the board, reasembled it and charged me $75.00. (The trials and tribulations of someone driving a car that is too expensive for him).