The Putnicki Switch

[PanGasket]

 

[Woods74]

Ah that explains it, it's a German car out of warranty. Comes with the territory. :cheers:

 

[67Dart273]

In the Navy we called this kind of thing a "Kludge circuit"

 

[74Dusted]

The Putnicki Switch may be a joke, but something similar really does exist inside many 1980's Dodges.

In the 80's, Dodge installed a small switch alongside the Odometer, on the back of the cluster, after X amount of miles the odometer would trip the switch, turning on the Check Engine Light.

The "fix" when it would be taken in for maintenance, was to pull the cluster out, reset the switch and the customer would be back again the next time "something was wrong" with the vehicle (next time the odometer flipped the switch)

 

[bluetrane]

80's Isuzu pick ups had an o2 sensor light like that. after I think 60 k or so it would pop the light on. you took out the cluster flipped or moved something and waited 60k to do it again. easy money

 

[ILLDuster74]

The Putnicki Switch may be a joke, but something similar really does exist inside many 1980's Dodges.

In the 80's, Dodge installed a small switch alongside the Odometer, on the back of the cluster, after X amount of miles the odometer would trip the switch, turning on the Check Engine Light.

The "fix" when it would be taken in for maintenance, was to pull the cluster out, reset the switch and the customer would be back again the next time "something was wrong" with the vehicle (next time the odometer flipped the switch)

Most of the 80's Chryslers I've owned the dash didn't work anyways. Esp in the lebarons.