The toggle switches that turn on my exterior load lights and the horse compartment lights are not working.
If I just flip the toggle switch, No light. If I wiggle and play with it, the light will come on. I probably need to take the switch apart and clean the corrosion out of it. These are the switches located on the exterior back of the trailer near the tail lights. They have a rubber cover over them, but appartently they have leaked or some how let the switch corrode.
Posted 2009-05-13 11:31 PM (#104881 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Expert
Posts: 1871 Location: NY
What I would do before you start, is go on line and find a switch that matches the one you have, if it is like a switch in a home then it will need to be replaced
Posted 2009-05-14 8:31 AM (#104901 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
They are built for use in a trailer. They sit in a depression, so they don't get bumped, they have an integrated rubber cover that supposedly keeps water out. The rubber cover moves with the switch. They are not a home switch.
Posted 2009-05-14 9:54 AM (#104911 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Sometimes by just using the swirches they will clean themselves...... I had one that was acting silly, the rubber boot over the toggle would screw off, gave it a shot of WD40 and it worked fine. On another one I just flipped it on and of about 4 dozen times and it went back to working fine, that was a couple of years ago. It had started to corrode, by using it, it cleaned itself...
Posted 2009-05-14 10:14 AM (#104915 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Veteran
Posts: 236 Location: Little town in Pa
I would have to replace the exterior light switch on my horse trailer about every other year for the same reason. Then I just rewired it and put the light switch on the inside of the rear tack compartment.
Left side of this page at the top, Automotive Switches, 12 Volt Relays, and Flashers, then in the middle of that page.... Marine Switches Switches designed to be used in boating and marine applications, or wherever a switch may be exposed to extreme environmental conditions.
Posted 2009-06-15 12:23 PM (#106477 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Regular
Posts: 57 Location: Red Wing, MN
ok, hopefully this isn't a dumb question but I'm "electric toggle switch" challenged. :) I need to replace the same toggle switch on my trailer (the one located outside to turn on the loading lights) because mine isn't working. I removed the existing one thinking it would be easy to replace but mine doesn't have any type of plug in on the back like you see on the link above. It just has it wires coming out, which of course connected to the trailer wiring. where can I get that kind of replacement toggle?
Posted 2009-06-16 6:42 AM (#106517 - in reply to #104880) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Florida
I would call the trailer manufacturer. Cherokee sent us 2 or three when we bought our trailer to help solve a defective switch issue. Still have one or two someplace (cause I hate to throw things away)
Posted 2009-06-16 6:56 AM (#106518 - in reply to #106477) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Expert
Posts: 1416 Location: sc
Originally written by ArabHorseLover on 2009-06-15 12:23 PM
ok, hopefully this isn't a dumb question but I'm "electric toggle switch" challenged. :) I need to replace the same toggle switch on my trailer (the one located outside to turn on the loading lights) because mine isn't working. I removed the existing one thinking it would be easy to replace but mine doesn't have any type of plug in on the back like you see on the link above. It just has it wires coming out, which of course connected to the trailer wiring. where can I get that kind of replacement toggle?
Cut the wires and replace it with whatever type switch is convenient.
Posted 2009-06-16 8:06 AM (#106523 - in reply to #106517) Subject: RE: Exterior light switches
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
My switches had a rubber nipple that covered the switch. So there was no way to clean the switch with out removing the switch. The rubber nipple was secured on the back side of the aluminum skin.
The inside wall of the trailer was riveted in place, so I had to drill out the rivets, remove the inner skin, remove the switch and throughly clean it, replaced the switch and secured the skin with screws where the rivets had been. Everything works fine now. But it took a hour or so to do.
Exterior light switches
