My friend’s car was having problems with the headlights and tail-lights/driving lights. The head lights would be on, but the tail lights would be out, or the tail lights would be on but the head lights were off. When the tail lights were out, so were the dash lights. I researched the cause of this problem a bit and it turns out that the combo switch, or combination switch, on the steering wheel could be a likely troublemaker. This switch can also cause the blinker not to work, or to work intermittently and it can also cause problems with the high beams being stuck on, high beams not working or high beams and low beams being on at the same time.
I removed the steering wheel and detached the combo switch and popped open the side that’s used to control the headlights, tail lights/parking lights/dash lights aka running lights and discovered the contacts were in extremely bad shape. I was able to sand the contacts down a bit and get them back to a very shiny surface. I started with 600-800 grit sandpaper, then went to 1000, then 1500. I finished the contacts with 4000 grit sandpaper which gave them a nice smooth surface finish. The combo switch is working great now. Check out the video I made below which shows how to repair your Honda Accord Combo Switch. This particular vehicle is a 87 4 door sedan but it should work for models between 1984 and 1989 with minor variations.
This video is also useful if your windshield wiper combo switch is giving you problems. While I don’t open up the windshield wiper combination switch in this video, the procedure is the same up until the part where you clean the switch contacts. As usual take the switch apart slowly to make sure no important parts fall out and you should be okay. The video is extremely detail in the removal of the switch and the re-assembly, including how to torque the steering wheel and disconnect a car battery.
I hope you find this video useful, if you do, please leave a comment here or on YouTube to let me know if you used it and how it worked out for you.
6 responses to 84 to 89 Honda Accord Combo Switch Repair
Owned 1987 honda accord. have light problems
thank you for the video save me money. $500 dollar. every thing works now. thanks
My headlight/turn signal switch on my 1987 Honda Accord was defective; finally found a replacement part at a reasonable price on E-Bay. However, when I called the local Honda service dealer, they said they could not work on it for at least a few weeks, if at all. My local backyard mechanic friend said he did not want to work on it either. They all seem to be reluctant to work on a 26 year old vehicle.
After watching this video, I feel confident that I can do it myself. I don’t see anything that I cannot do, especially since I am only changing the switch stem and not the entire assembly.
Thanks for the detailed step-by-step instructions.
Honda Accord Combination Switch Removal, Repair and Replacement
Good luck with your project, please let us know how it turns out!
!987 honda accord whiper switch doesn’t work. Pluged in a working switch, still no work.So where do I start looking. It has to be before the switch?????Please help. I need to get out of town and on the road by 7-15-14
The 87 Accord has two fuse boxes, one is located in the drivers side dashboard, and the other is under the hood near the battery. Make sure that there are no blown fuses and replace any that are blown open. If you don’t have any luck there, there is a windshield wiper relay behind the dashboard under the steering wheel but it’s hard to describe where it is exactly but it sits in between the fuel cutoff relay and the turn signal relay. If you turn the blinker on, you’ll hear the turn signal relay clicking and the wiper relay is right next to that. The Haynes manual shows the location as well. Good luck with it.
Honda Accord Combination Switch Removal, Repair and Replacement
Well, I did it – BUT there were some unexpected complications.
#1) The most difficult, time consuming step was the removal and re-installation of the horn assembly from the steering wheel. The screws are at an angle that made every screwdriver too short or too long. I finally worked it out by using a phillips head drill bit with a long shank.
2) I just wanted to replace the headlight/turn signal stem so I removed the old one and then discovered that the replacement was a bit wider and would not fit. So, using a Dremel tool with a grinder head, I shaved a bit of plastic off the tabs until I could squeeze the stem assembly into place.
3) When I put it all back together, the headlights would not come on and the 4-way flashers would not go off. This meant that I had to take it all apart again. The horn assembly removal was quicker this time. I discovered that the hold-down plate for the stem was upside down and the little toggle tail that engages the sliding contact switch was not in the correct position. Fixed that and then tried to figure out the flasher malfunction – I had not used the flashers since owning this vehicle. The problem was that I did not know how to turn them off, the switch is not a back & forth toggle – it is a slider.
I am thankful that there was an actual problem with the headlight switch installation. I would have been very angry with myself if I took the entire steering wheel apart again because I did not know how to turn off the flashers.
One other note: there is a small ball bearing held in place by a spring on the right side of the stem assembly. It is almost impossible to install the stem with the ball in place – unless you hold a magnet against the plastic frame to hold the ball in place while you slip the stem assembly into position.
Honda Accord Combination Switch Removal, Repair and Replacement
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