Well, my truck wouldn't pass its inspection without the reverse lights
working everytime and I was told by the repair shop that the switch would
definitely need replacing however they said they couldn't even get one from
their distributors, unless it was for a standard tranny, go figure. So I
went to a local parts "franchise" and they said they could get me one but
not for at least two weeks. Meanwhile the original repair shop scraped my
old sticker off of the window due to it being outdated then said they
couldn't fix it. SO...there I am going to work without an inspection tag in
my window, good thing I work at night. Well, I got tailed across town by the
fuzz and I figured he noticed my missing tag and when he pulled into the
bank behind me I thought I was all done, he took off! Well that was close
enough for me so I decided to climb under the truck to have a look(in a
snowbank no less) and noticed that the switch did have screws holding its
two halves together, which if I remember correctly someone on here had said
it did. So I said hell with it and grabbed some frozen tools and commenced
to removing the switch. Got it out after about two hours due to my fingers
getting constantly frozen and took the switch apart. Anyway, to make a long
story a little longer there was a buncha hardened grease all over the inside
of the switch and the two contacts that were on the plastic arm were stuck
inside it with only one making any contact on anything, the springs under
the contacts wouldn't even "spring" due to being plugged with the grease, so
in the end, I cleaned it out really good, applied new electrical grease, put
it back in and everything works perfect. Took it back and it passed its
inspection with flying colors(and reverse lights) and the tech even wanted
to buy it off of me...I told him maybe in springtime, he was amazed at its
condition for an '87, boy what little he knows! Well, I saved over $250 and
got my inspection all legal, at least for another year, Merry X-mas to me!
