B190 Enthusiasts

Hi. On my 1999 190 the body shop reports a toggle switch near the right headlight. Does anyone know if that is a Ford switch or an Airstream switch and what it is for?

I might get a photo of it in the morning. If I do I'll post it.

Thanks for any tips!

Here is a photo of the switch, from the body shop. It doesn't really appear to be a factory Ford installation. It was apparently installed through a hole in the headlight surround. Does anyone recognize this as an Airstream installation? Since my fridge doesn't currently work on 12 volts, I had thought that maybe someone replaced a faulty fridge 12v relay with a switch, but I can't test that theory right now since it's still in the body shop with the chassis battery out. And the headlight surround seems like a weird place to put the switch.

It also occurred to me that it could be related to the security system that a previous owner had installed. The system is still in place but was disabled when I bought it. Maybe this was a "secret" switch to enable or disable the system?

When I get the van back and get home, I'll spend some time tracing the wiring and testing possibilities.

BTW, the body shop got involved after I hit a deer in broad daylight here on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A direct hit just right of center in the grille between the hood and the bumper. We were able to limp into town. Thanks for any ideas!

Sorry about the damage! I don't know what that switch would be...very odd.

Repairs completed. Home again.

The body shop ended up calling Ford about the toggle switch behind the headlight. They were told that it was probably a "poor man's" disable switch. Then, when they were putting things back together, the switch kind of disintegrated internally and would no longer switch back and forth positively. Then the van wouldn't start. So they soldered the switch leads together and it started up fine. So, if I ever wanted to, I guess I could put a switch back in.

I think a previous owner must have had a break-in/theft experience, because they sure added a lot of security features, including an alarm system, this disable switch, and deadbolt/padlock capabilities on the doors. None of it still works, though.