DeTomaso Mailing List: June 2000, Message #166

Jimmy (newguy?  don't recognize the e-mail address; if so, welcome aboard!) 
wrote:

>Hey guys. I'm installing the factory rotory wiper switch on my '72 Pantera.  
The car came with an aftermarket switch installed.  Can someone tell me which 
color wires go to which number blades on the switch??   Also, I have 5 wires 
and only 4 blades on the switch. Lucas.

>>>HAH!  This is a sneaky one!

I am fortunate enough to have in front of me:

1)  A collection of Pantera wiring diagrams from the POCA store, and

2)  An original rotary washer/wiper switch.

The diagrams include a drawing of the back side of the dashboard and 
instrument console, showing (somewhat poorly, but better than nothing) the 
routing of every single wire to every gauge, instrument and switch.

There are SIX wires which attach to the switch: orange, blue, green, brown 
and white.

When looking at the diagram, and at the switch, apparently when the switch is 
in its proper location, the terminals are located at the 1, 4, 7 and 10 
o'clock positions.  Again, this orientation is when looking at the switch 
from the BACK side.

The diagram says the blue wire goes to 1 o'clock, the brown wire to 4 
o'clock, white wire to 7 o'clock and orange wire to 10 o'clock.

Okay, so what do you do with the green wire???

A-ha!  This is the sneaky part!  If you look carefully on the back side of 
the switch, there's a green hoozit mounted on the back of the shaft, with a 
black wire (the mysterious sixth wire) that extends to and is soldered to one 
of the terminals (seven o'clock).  On the other side of this green hoozit is 
a teeny, tiny screw, on the side.  There's a hole on the face of it--you 
insert the green wire into that hole and tighten down the screw to secure it. 
 Is that sneaky or what???

Note:  All the above is educated conjecture, based on my analysis of the 
wiring diagrams.  Since I no longer have this switch in my car (converted to 
a late dash with rocker switches) I have no way of KNOWING if this is 
correct.  Somebody with a switch actually mounted in a car can hopefully 
confirm or deny what I've written here.

Hope this was helpful, and I also hope it shows the tremendous value in 
having a full array of POCA wiring diagrams at your disposal...

(Not to mention a spare bedroom jammed literally to the ceiling with spare 
parts to use as visual aids!)  :>)

Cheers!

Mike