Spartan Turn Signal Switch

74 cj5 304, So, all my problems started with my master cylinder creeping to floor. So changed that out, good to go. Then problem with brake light switch getting hot. Put new switch in then turn signals went out and brake lights won't work! Fuse kept blowing at flasher. Took spartan signal switch all a part cleaned everything even the little tiny box, apparently none of that worked, gave up on it and ordered a new Signal Stat 900 and hooked that up, no instructions by the way, so went online hoping to get the right directions. Well, nothing worked, so took dash apart and checked all the inline fuses back there found one that was blown, changed that and everything works great now! The only problem now, is I have to push brake peddle a little extra more to activate brake lights, they do come on though! Any thoughts on this, and I hope this helps with the old Spartan problems, that old piece of crap!

 

Pressure switches these days are junk. I replaced mine 4 or 5 times over the years. Last time it shorted out and boiled the fluid so it had no brakes. I put a mechanical switch on the pedal arm.

 

If you were slightly closer, I'd love to help. Getting pretty good at fixing Spartans. Doesn't sound like the turn signal was the problem though (if you don't want it, LMK...)
Have you done a re-wire? You've got 40 year old stuff in there and AMC's wiring was nothing special. Connectors and sockets corrode, switches wear out, hidden wires get insulation rubbed off, etc, etc. What fuse was blown? Did you find out why it blew? And sound like there could be a tiny air bubble trapped in the switch; especialy if it's a pressure type on the brake line and the contacts are pointing up. I had that problem on an older Jeep that someone had added a 'T' to the line for the switch, even after a good pressure bleed air got trapped in the switch, not enough to affect the pedal but made the brake lights lag.

 

Curious how that caused the problem. Air bubbles might make the pedal squishy, but the laws of physics say the pressure should still be equal in all parts of the system.

 

bad rubbers in the master fluid just leaks around the plunger and the pedal sinks.

should be a mechanical switch in 74

 

the new switch is of lower quality? i used to have troubles with mine cleaning the switch and the pedal where it lives helped some

 

Yeah, it's not a pressure switch, it's the electrical switch with two wires on the brake peddle arm, which is a new switch by the way. The wiring on the Jeep is pretty good condition. Wired up the new Signal Stat switch and it's way better than the old spartan and works great, the signal arm actually stays up on a turn. Every light on the Jeep works perfect now even the back up lights. My only concern is more pressure than what I like to activate the brake lights. Other than that I can't complain! Thanks for the replies, and I will keep looking into it, kind of weird though..

 

i would bet on the replacement switch as the late brake lights.

 

Oh. Well then, it only needs to be adjusted. Tweak it's position slightly, or bend it, or add a shim, whatever, to activate sooner in the process.

Geometry, not physics.

 

Yeah Pete, I think your right! I bought two of them and they're made in Taiwan, maybe better quality than China, but funny thing I put the original switch back in and it works like a champ! I thought I needed to replace the switch, turned out all the problems stemmed from a bad Spartan switch shorting out! All done for now, put Jeep back to bed, bad weather here, all I have is a bikini top!

 

Yeah, Tralehead I never heard of a Siverado Ca. Had to look it up, by Anaheim , Cheers!