Hazard Light Switch Location

[Gold Wing Motors]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen.
I have a 1967 230 Sl that I am restoring. A friend of mine took it apart and I am putting it back together. I have the fun part of the project!
This car was taken apart down to the bone Not a bolt or a nut was left on it. All the body work was done and lots of rust was repair.
The problem is that I cant find any ware were was the hazard switch installed from factory.
There is no hole next to the steering column were most of the hazard switch are installed.
Does any one knows were this switch is mounted?
I think it goes some ware under the dash! But I cant figure it out.
Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely
Alex

[114015]

Hello Alex,
Nothing easier than that.

See attached.


Personally, I did not want to threaten my juvenile dashboard on my '64 SL.
So I placed the hazard light switch and relay somehow hidden but still detectable under the dash on the far left side just below and behind the lower leather trim of the dash (underneath the fresh air vent - so to speak). This is also the shortest distance to the wiring harness end that plugs to the old (round) turnsignal relay. I replaced that one with the Mercedes /8  hazard light turnsignal relay.
Sorry, haven't got a pic of that.

Will get one this weekend.

Best,

Achim

[cfm65@me.com]

Alex,
The early cars did not have a hazard switch as standard equipment. I was led to believe that it was an easy way to see if a 280SL was an early or later model.
Achim, in the post above, does not say so directly, but if you read between the lines it is quite clear that his car was not equiped with a hazard switch or the correct turn signal relay.
The standard position on the later 280SL is uncomfortably close to the steering column and really seems as if very little thought went into the positioning of the switch,  more like an after thought.
Regards
Chris

[Gold Wing Motors]

Thank you for the information.
But the funny part is that the original wiring harness has the connector and relay.
I guess I will have to find a suitable location were to install it.
Sincerely
Alex

[mbpaul]

I have a 1966 230SL that I bought new in Feb. 1966.  The picture shows where the hazard light switch is located in my car.  Poor location.  Almost impossible to get to even if you can remember it is there.  I have no idea when it might have been changed; just know where mine is at.

[sandcrab59]

When I purchased my 280SL in 2004, I was informed that the ER switch was placed for the first time in the latest 280SL's.
Therefore 230, 250 and early 280sl's never had that switch.
Tom

[mbpaul]

I think what you were told is not correct.  My 1966 230SL has had one since new.  Maybe not in a dashboard location but it for sure had one when delivered and it is still there.  It is a USA model.  Perhaps other country deliveries did not have them this early.

[Jordan]

Alex, I don't believe it gets mounted but gets tucked under the drivers side dash.  I have a late '66 230SL euro delivery and my dash looks identical to yours (see below).  The second picture shows where my hazard switch is located.  It is wired into the wiring harness so I do not doubt it is original to the car.  Why it was never mounted I don't know.

[sandcrab59]

I keep forgetting to mention my 280SL is a euro.
So maybe they were not on euro cars until late 280SL's.
Not sure.
Ask Achim, he is very informative.114015
Tom

[Garry]

Mine is a late ’65 Euro delivery and no hazard switch nor wiring in the car.

[Tyler S]

Early (US cars only) did not have a factory hazard switch until 230sl (vin 12497?). After that an intermediate harness (see pic) was used for a few years until the system was incorporated into the factory harness for all markets. Cars that were imported may have been required to have the upgrade to be registered in the states. Hence a hole was not always drilled into the dash and the switch was instead mounted somewhere else. This is why we see variants of years with different setups. Some were factory, some not. The sub-harness with switch ties in between the body and indicator stalk handshake connector. This sub-harness is also missing/deletes the wire for flash to pass.

[mbpaul]

I disagree with when USA cars had hazard lights first installed.  My 1966 230SL, built in 1965, has hazard lights.  I have owned it since new and they were there when I bought the car.  From they way the switch is mounted, this installation does not seem to be the best.  Hard to know the switch is even there and even if you know about it, very hard to turn on.  I have seen other 230SL of this era with with slightly different installations.

[mbpaul]

In fact, in the Pagoda Notes Model Year Changes, it says "12497  8/9/65  US cars get an emergency flasher system".  And a little later on, "13324  9/22/65 US cars get a label on the emergency flasher system".  My car, 13398, was evidently built just after the label was first installed.  However, in place where it is located, it is almost impossible to read this label so I really wonder what difference it made.

[Tyler S]

Paul, Is why I had vin in parentheses with question mark. I'll change my post above to reflect

[66andBlue]

Early (US cars only) did not have a factory hazard switch until 250sl (vin 2980?). ....

I believe this is incorrect.
My 1966 230SL (017524), when sold by the dealer in San Francisco had the hazard switch with the correct small knob for a 230SL and the red label around it, just like mbpaul's.
Mercedes even had option codes starting in 1967 (but whether they were used for W113 cars is unclear) for such hazard warning lights:

315  from 01.02.1967  to 31.08.1969    " HAZARD WARNING LIGHT, U.S. VERSION (WITHOUT HEADLAMP SYSTEM)"
463  from 01.05.1967  to 31.08.1969     HAZARD WARNING LIGHT WITH HEADLAMP SYSTEM

[badali]

My car is 13302 and here is where my switch is mounted...  Its not the best picture...

[mbpaul]

So it would appear that sometime between when it was first installed in 13324 and 17524, the location was moved to the dashboard.That would be between September 1965 and June 1966.

[Tyler S]

Brad, Is your car a Euro import or a US model?

[66andBlue]

....the picture shows where the hazard light switch is located in my car.  Poor location.  ...

Paul,
is there a hole in the center of the switch?  Can you poke and check please?

[mbpaul]

It does not appear to have a hole but the center has a white spot that seems like it might be for a light.  If you look at my photo and badali's photo, you can see the white spot in both photos.  The flashers do work now but there is no light at this white spot with the flasher on.  If there ever was one, it might be burned out now.

[badali]

Tyler,
My car us a US model sold new in California.

[66andBlue]

It does not appear to have a hole but the center has a white spot that seems like it might be for a light.  .....

If I understand you correctly then the white "spot" could be transparent to let light through in case there was a bulb behind?
I was told that these early knobs were also used for other models.
The knob on my 230SL clearly had no white center spot and was solid in the center.
Just trying to figure out how many different knobs there were for this application

[Jonny B]

The knob for the flasher in my early 250 SL has no hole or white dot.

The knob with the light in my car is for the heater blower, but there is a hole where the small piece of translucent plastic fits. The light is mounted in the body of the switch and the plastic serves as sort of a "light pipe"

[mbpaul]

I just speculated that the white dot might have been for a light but I have no idea why it is there.  With the switch's mounting location, it is almost impossible to see the knob anyway.  You almost have to be outside the car with the door open and on your knees to see it.

And it is a different kind of knob than the heater blower knob.

[waltklatt]

There is a technical bulletin that included a template card that shows the correct location for the hole.

Walter