FLANGE indeed. If my car didn't already have a name that's what it would be called.
More comical attempts and fixing stuff. The last two days have mainly been focused on trying to remove the light switch from the dash so I can have a look at the back of it. A quick peek underneath with me head on the floor seemed to reveal only a couple of connectors where there should be many. This is the chap in question
It's got a little button in the side you depress so that the plastic knob can slide off and you can remove the switch backwards through the dash. Poking the button and pulling the knob (ffs) did nothing, this was my fancy set-up I was using to keep the shaft (ffs) still while I tugged the end (with the hand that is holding the camera)
This didn't work. At all. After much frustration I decided my approach was a little too soft, so I took a blade to the bastard. Which left me with this
Very satisfying. I need a new one of those now I suppose. Anyway, this is what I found
grrr! That's an 8-way connector thingy with only 2 wires connected. Two of those aren't actually needed (unless you've got a Herald estate) but that still leaves 4 unaccounted for connectors. Helpfully they are numbered so I can see what is supposed to go where, and I've already located one errant wire in the rat's nest of electrical shite under the dash. The others might take a bit more finding.
Now, a quick question. I need to attach some spade connectors to the end of these wires but I don't have a super crimping tool like GarethJ. Any tips on how to get a high quality crimp using something else? I'm probably going to go at it with a pair of pliers and see if that does owt, but any actual advice would be welcome.
Also I found out I only have £5 in the world so this is going to have to come to a standstill until I get some money which wont be for a couple of weeks. ANNOYING.