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74SovereignInt. · 10-07-2002, 08:19 PM

Ok, looking for another part. I need four rotary switches for my overhead lights. Radio Shack says " not one they can get, RV place says " uh uh", recommended an A/S dealer. I'm sure these have broken in the past so where have you found them. Thanks for your help.

airstreamcaravel · 10-07-2002, 08:22 PM

From previous thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forum...t=light+switch

Hope this helps!

DMC

68 Overlander · 10-07-2002, 09:48 PM

If you have trouble finding the three way swiches, let me know.
Randy

3Ms75Argosy · 10-07-2002, 09:53 PM

Hi, I'm replacing my three way "circle" overhead lights from my 75 Argosy TT. Two work for sure, one is sporatic in nature - it sometimes comes on, sometimes not. WD 40 may clean the contacts. Is this what you are looking for? They're available for a nominal charge. I'd post pictures, but the trailer is not at my house currently. I'll visit it soon this week though.
Marc

davidz71 · 10-07-2002, 10:10 PM

Ace Fogdale Airstream in Iowa as well as Inland RV in CA. has them if they are the same as found on the '77 Sovereigns and Excellas. I believe that Brett (thenewkid) mentioned that they are available in Home Depot (or was it Lowes?).

3Ms75Argosy · 10-07-2002, 10:18 PM

David,
I'm glad you found some sources. I'm replacing mine with some halogen 12V lights - I'll post when done. Good luck!
Marc

TheBigRedTruck · 10-08-2002, 01:37 AM

I dont know about halogen 12V lights they might make to much heat, might get to hot!!!!!! just my 2cents.......

smily · 10-08-2002, 06:02 AM

Are you going to replace the whole fixture?

Probably way too hot for existing lens and probably to hot for skin.

My 4 cents.

Smily

niftypkg · 10-08-2002, 10:55 AM

FIX THEM, Take them apart, write down the wiring sequence., Clean them and replace. Easy to do.
Tom

3Ms75Argosy · 10-08-2002, 11:10 AM

Sorry I didn't make myself clear - I'm replacing the WHOLE light assembly with some IKEA lights, similar to what Uwe has done previously (search for 12v link). I'll post when I'm done. My test run with the lights went well - very little heat - and the lights will be spaced back from the skin with ventilation room. Thanks for the $.

Marc

uwe · 10-08-2002, 04:19 PM

My 1971 has 3 ceiling light fixtures. It had the square light covers ( all 3 broken) and the rotary 3-wayplus off switches. The switches and lamp holders a re fine, but I could find neither the knobs for the tiny tread on the end of the switches, nor the correct fitting lenses. I removed the fixtures and installed 12V Halogen lights (NON) from Ikea. Nice light - cooler than the 4 bulbs were, and very very unobtrusive.
So if any one needs these fixtures, they're cluttering my toolbox right now........

Chuck · 10-09-2002, 10:11 AM

Local A/S dealer had the switches for 10 bucks each, and the parts person herself admitted (volunteered, actually) that they were a bit pricey for what they were. But you know..."factory part'. Anyway, I checked HD for something similar, and they had nothing, so I figured I'd just get the "unusual" switches from the dealer. 20 bucks isn't the end of the world....(needed 2).

A little while later, I was going through Lowe's, and just happened by a rack of assorted switches, and they had 3-position rotary switches that looked exactly like what I bought from AS....for 3 bucks. had the same number of wires, was the same size and shape, and the label said "off-on-on-on". might be worth checking out.

uwe · 10-09-2002, 11:06 AM

Hi Chuck,

What kind of switches were they? Got any pics?
I was searching high and low, because I wanted to use the original lights at first.I even bought the replacement lenses from InlandRV, but the shafts on all three of my switches were too short - could not mount the lenses. Andy was kind enough to take them back, because I could not make them work in my trailer. The switches work fine, but they are too short for the replacement lenses.

Chuck · 10-09-2002, 11:39 AM

Uwe, that's odd...why didn't you get switches to match from Andy? If my local dealer had them, surely he does too. I know, they're "highway robbery" prices, but hey... (no offense at all toward Andy; factory-parts=$$$$) we're still only talkin' a few bucks.

I don't have any pics handy, but I'll take some and post them. Andy's lenses look great, and I must say, in light of all the "dissing" there has been lately about $$$, these were a BARGAIN.

I wonder about AS's record keeping. My local dealer said that there were 2 kinds of switches in this era: long and short. Mine should be the "long ones". so I said, "ok, send me those". Well, what I got were quite a bit longer than what I originally had, and didn't have the same knobs on them. so I guess maybe I had the "short" one's. not worth worrying about..I just installed what they sent me, and they work; they just stick out lower than the original. (What I saw in lowe's looked exactly like what the dealer sent me). Another time, I asked the parts people there if they had tail-light replacements. They looked it up in their book, and presented me with what looked like the fixture for the "porch light" that is outside the front door. It has the same lense as the tail light, but the housing has a flange around it, through which the fixture is riveted to the skin of the trailer. With that flange, it will not fit in the tail-light housing. They double checked, and even called the factory, and confirmed that this was the correct light. It is not.

uwe · 10-09-2002, 12:11 PM

Chuck,
I checked for switches, and yes, Andy had them, but we were not sure if they would be any longer than my existing ones, and three of them were an additional cost I did not want to commit to, especially since I never liked the lights that well to begin with. So I went the way of halogen lights.
Now I am glad i did. The light is very pleasant, and the fixtures are tiny, using less than half the energy of the old ones. My inquiry into your findings is for information purposes, as I plan on getting a second Airstream next year, and who knows, I might be in the same position again. i am thinking of getting a very small unit, like a Bambi or something in the sub 20foot range. Just a bed'n breakfast on wheels.
Thanks for taking the time to answer!

davidz71 · 10-09-2002, 01:53 PM

Chuck,
A Freightliner 18 wheeler tractor passed me the other day and I noticed that the clear flood/backup lights on the back of his cab looked very much like my flood light between my entrance door and the front of the trailer. I wonder?

Chuck · 10-09-2002, 02:00 PM

yeah, probably is the same thing. it is a "signal-stat" part. you can get a "chromed" housing, or a black one. black is pretty common on truck-bodies.

I even downloaded their catalog off the web, and while there are a couple that look like they "might" be the right part...can't tell for sure. And A/S obviously doesn't know what the correct part is....Andy knows, and he has them in stock. I just haven't felt like coughing up the doh-re-mi yet.

But it should be something that you could get at your local NAPA....if we only knew the right part number.....

Chuck · 10-15-2002, 03:20 PM

Ok, here's a shot of the Andy-Special replacement light lense...with the switch that the local dealer sent me. The switch was missing when I aquired the trailer, replaced with some hokey toggle-switch that wasn't even a 3 position switch.....

Chuck · 10-15-2002, 03:22 PM

this one had the big round knob on it. The other fixture was intact when I bought it, but I broke it when I removed the knob. So I've got 2 fixtures that look like the pic in the last message, and one that looks like this:

davidz71 · 10-15-2002, 06:08 PM

Chuck,
Been there, done that. My '77 Excella had the 3 position toggle on the front light just like your first picture. The one in the kitchen just before the AC, the one next to the twin bed and the last one near the bathroom are all like the second picture except the bed area lens does not have a fan in it. I bought the rotary switch and 2 round knobs from Ace Fogdale Airstream in Iowa at the time.