I have a 1996 XJS and the drivers side window switch is starting to fail. I took it apart and there is some black corrosion on the contacts. I am attaching a picture after spraying it down with contact cleaner.

In the past, I used some sandpaper, or some abrasive, to clean off that black corrosion. Big mistake. The switch worked great, but removing a protective layer only accelerated the return of the corrosion. I had to buy a new switch.

Any tips on cleaning this up the right way? Thanks.

 

Ok, I used a pencil eraser and the black stuff is off....however now I think the protective coating has been rubbed away over time. What is the best solution here? I know buying a new one is the easy answer.

How about electroplating?

 

Vee,

What about painting the contact areas with some conductive electrical paint? That should achieve the conductivity that you need and hopefully seal the bare metal surfaces from further corrosion?

Paul

 

I'm not sure the paint would last long against the spring loaded friction contacts.

I ended up applying a thin layer of solder and we'll see how long that lasts....

 

When mine got to that I point I swapped it for a lesser-used one, ie the passenger's.

 

Well I put the soldered switches back in….I did the passengers side while I was doing these. The roof switch looked fine.

Ill see how long these last and report back. If I don’t, that means they’re still working.