I’ve been living with my overhead console having problems for quite a while now, and finally decided it was time to put an end to that.
The passenger side map light didn’t work at all. The lens on driver side rattled around and had to be pushed in really far to turn it on. Also, the sunglasses holder broke recently where the door wouldn’t latch shut.
To start, the silver part is the sub-assembly that holds the lamps, switches, and wiring. The parts that it screws into had cracked apart.
I gently removed it and the crackled parts that the screws go into. (Sorry I didn’t get pics while they were still broken)
I used JB plastic weld (the kind that comes in the syringes). Glued the pieces back into place as well as I could, then cut little pieces of straw to slide down over them for structural support. Once they had a little time to cure, I added more of the JB around the bases of the straws to add more strength.
On one of them, the inside of the screw hole was totally shot, so I filled it with the JB, let it cure, and then carefully drilled a small pilot hole into it. The screw holds nice and firm in there now.
I bought a new light/switch harness online (could have just gotten a switch to replace the bad one, but didn’t feel like dealing with searching for it). It was a little expensive at $40, but it is a real Mopar part. After installing it, the light lenses had some free play that would allow them to rattle while going over bumps. I used some leftover tool box lining material and super-glued it to the tips of the switches. Creates a nice padding for the inside of the lamp lenses to ride against. It cut way down on the rattling, and everything feels nice and smooth when you switch them on and off.
Last thing, I replaced my broken sunglasses holder. I got the part off of Amazon. Brand is Day One. I think it was about $12. The color is almost a perfect match. You have to be really studying it to see any difference.
So, with the parts and adhesive, I’ve got about $60 into it, but could’ve been way less if I took the time to search for a switch and wired it in myself. It’s funny how much satisfaction you get from having this thing working right when you’ve lived with it being in crap condition for a long time!
The passenger side map light didn’t work at all. The lens on driver side rattled around and had to be pushed in really far to turn it on. Also, the sunglasses holder broke recently where the door wouldn’t latch shut.
To start, the silver part is the sub-assembly that holds the lamps, switches, and wiring. The parts that it screws into had cracked apart.
I gently removed it and the crackled parts that the screws go into. (Sorry I didn’t get pics while they were still broken)
I used JB plastic weld (the kind that comes in the syringes). Glued the pieces back into place as well as I could, then cut little pieces of straw to slide down over them for structural support. Once they had a little time to cure, I added more of the JB around the bases of the straws to add more strength.
On one of them, the inside of the screw hole was totally shot, so I filled it with the JB, let it cure, and then carefully drilled a small pilot hole into it. The screw holds nice and firm in there now.
I bought a new light/switch harness online (could have just gotten a switch to replace the bad one, but didn’t feel like dealing with searching for it). It was a little expensive at $40, but it is a real Mopar part. After installing it, the light lenses had some free play that would allow them to rattle while going over bumps. I used some leftover tool box lining material and super-glued it to the tips of the switches. Creates a nice padding for the inside of the lamp lenses to ride against. It cut way down on the rattling, and everything feels nice and smooth when you switch them on and off.
Last thing, I replaced my broken sunglasses holder. I got the part off of Amazon. Brand is Day One. I think it was about $12. The color is almost a perfect match. You have to be really studying it to see any difference.
So, with the parts and adhesive, I’ve got about $60 into it, but could’ve been way less if I took the time to search for a switch and wired it in myself. It’s funny how much satisfaction you get from having this thing working right when you’ve lived with it being in crap condition for a long time!
