it WAS the kickdown...

[timandbim]

in an ongoing crusade to get the engine codes out of my new car that I don't know very well, i went to the dealer today to get a new kickdown switch i had ordered as the old one looked like a ball of rust.

at first i thought i'd been given the wrong part because i didn't think the black plastic thing i had been given could possibly have turned into the crusty blob that was underneath the pedal, no matter how many winter boots had salted it... it didn't seem possible.

anyway... with surprisingly little effort i got the old one out and the new one in and hey presto i'm getting the '1221' i've been hoping for.

the second i got on the onramp i discovered the floor for the very first time and laughed all the way home. **** that was fun.

i'm assuming, as nothing blew up or fell to pieces (my head spun a bit) that i am ok leaving it screwed all the way into the floor. i kind of like it low down like that :)

now i just have to find the wire that connects to the switch... i'm guessing it comes up from underneath the carpet somewhere... anyone know?

[timandbim]

wtf? highbeam switch?

[icesoft]

Must be an old design, mine looks like this:

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/e34/kickdownswitch.jpg

[JD525IA]

how much for a switch?

The wire comes from the immediate area right around where the switch screws into. It is a single wire with a tongue terminal on it. The other half of the circuit is the actual body of the switch via the bolt threads.

JD

[timandbim]

i think my post was misleading... the photo i posted is of what was in there before i replaced it. the new one is like yours - thanks for posting the photo.

my guess: father thinks "holy crab! my teenage son gets his license tomorrow and he's going to wrap my car around a pole!" so he gets an idea, goes to the garage where he keeps all the old parts from his '81 ford ranger, takes out the old floor-highbeam switch and it fits the kick-down hole, but is higher than the previous switch, so the pedal doesn't go so far down. his son runs him over in the driveway the next day... and the car is driven slowly for the next few years.... (until yesterday)

i think the father was wise, judging by the dents...

[timandbim]

and $5.03 each for the little dashboard bulbs... bought 3 for now just to keep me going... wtf is the 3 cents for?

thanks for the tip.... i think i'll have to pull up the carpet to find it... i'm just so happy i can do the stomp test now.

[timandbim]

i have the carpet up on the drivers side and there is no wire anywhere. zilch! does anyone know where the lead originates from?

[Macv]

I have an extra kickdown switch wired on my dash with the NOS logo on it.

[timandbim]

maybe this is related to my other problem in the same area of the car. ('what does this red button do?')
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35817
it would be a pretty dumb place to put a kickdown switch as you'd have to take your eyes off the road to flick it, or have a really accurate left foot.
sorry for the double-post, i'm getting a bit anxious with all these other wires and switches and battery drain... must admit sadly the kickdown switch is less of a priority.

[///Sniper535]

I bought a "new" kickdown switch from the dealer and it looked like the first pic posted. I have one that looks like that one in the second pic, did i get the wrong part?

[timandbim]

I bought a "new" kickdown switch from the dealer and it looked like the first pic posted. I have one that looks like that one in the second pic, did i get the wrong part?

in the end i 'decided' (guessed) it (first pic) is a stopper for the pedal on manual cars as i couldn't find a jack for the lead but it seemed to be a stock part. maybe someone with a manual transmission can confirm this. anway, i remember my dealer almost ordered a different part and it took him awhile to find the right one, so i'm guessing you have the wrong part.

[///Sniper535]

fudge