Every day is an adventure with these cars Just drove the Dolomite. Choke isn't set up properly so I sat at the side of the road for a minute or 2 letting it warm up so it would idle, I let it idle to low and it cut out, turned off the wipers, indicator and lights to start it back up and when I looked down there was smoke Only a tiny puff coming out of the steering cowling.
Started the car back up, turned everything on and off a few times, no smoke, everything works. Carryed on with my journey when I got behind a car at a set of traffic lights and noticed my head lights were off, even though they were switched on. If I indicated the lights would come back on! Wobbling the stalk around will turn them on and off. I think I've sold my only spare stalk
Most switches are, even if not "by the book". Remove the stalk, work out where the play or bad contacts are that are causing it , and suss out a way to make it work again.
Adam, check out Richard Old's latest article in the current D.M. He had the same problem with his daughters car and managed to sort it out with good results.
MC
Matt Cotton
TDC Oxfordshire Area Organiser.
TDC/TSSC group meeting - 3rd Tuesday of the month
As Matt Cotton picked up it looks like the same problem as we had with my daughters car and as Matt indicated the switch has worked without any further problems since and the car is used every day so it has been used.
I had this with my old Sprint, the lights went out and some of the magic smoke escaped from the wiring. When i pulled it apart someone had soldered it to repair it before so I suspect it can be done that way. Because an old repair had failed again I changed the stalk in mine.
You've probably just melted the switch due to the crappy wiring design - the current to power the lights goes through the switch.
I've melted two switches in the past. I changed the wiring to include two relays (one for dipped and one for main), which took the current, leaving the switch with the simple job of switching the relays on and off. No problems after that.
Hi Adam, You might like to try the following. With the column covers off the bits you need to look at are right in front of you for this one. First thing, have a look at the thick blue wire right on top. Just check the connection is O.K. there and that the copper rivet running through the plastic is not loose or that the plastic has melted. If it has ......then its gonna be a new switch. You can carefully solder the wire though, if it has been coming out of the crimp.
Now locate the Blue wire with the red tracer. This is the one that goes to the dipped headlights. Same here on crimp connections.
Now the contacts you need to locate are really difficult to get to but worth a try.
This is where you disconnect he battery and remove the lighting stalk. 2 screws will do it but don't remove it from the harness. If you now look under where the blue wire is connected from the left hand side you will see a curved BeCu spring and a set of contacts. It helps if you have the indicator indicating left and the headlamp in the Main Beam position.
Now your job is to get a very small fine file between these contacts and clean them.
Good luck; (in)accessibility is the problem.
But no problem for a gentleman of you calibre !
Now the smoke. Probably caused by the contacts going high resistance and getting hot and burning the PVC wiring until they finally went completely O/C. But just as a check clean the 2 indicator contacts as they can get oil /grease on them from the column top bush. And you get just a whiff of smoke when you indicate left.
Hi Adam. I have had no end of electrical problems which I am presently putting right. My advice is to do what I have done - bite the bullet and buy a new switch and also wire in some relays as has already been suggested unsing soldered connectors or a 'proper' crimper. Luckily, new swicthes are still available for Dollys - many classic car owners aren't so lucky. OK so they are a bit pricey but no more than a couple of tanks of petrol, or a couple of take-aways. Or half the price a main dealer charges for an oil and filter change on a modern. That way you will have reliability for the next 30 years.
I have experienced a total lights out on a bike down unlit country lanes and it ain't funny. IMHO its just not worth the risk trying to repair, especially if wife and kids are in transit etc etc.
Those are the words of someone who doesn't know adam 'The cost of a couple of tanks of fuel or take aways' A free switch is still too much for Adam.
And why buy new when there are plenty of people on here who will offer a good usable second hand one for cheap which may not last 30 yeasr but no one expects any of Adams cars to last that long anyhow
Just drove the Dolomite. Choke isn't set up properly so I sat at the side of the road for a minute or 2 letting it warm up so it would idle, I let it idle to low and it cut out, turned off the wipers, indicator and lights to start it back up and when I looked down there was smoke 
