Please Help- My Jet III M won't turn on!

[JonM]

I have tried reading through past threads about issues that people have experienced with the Jet III M, so please forgive me if I have overlooked something.

About ten minutes ago, I was playing with my Jet III M, turning it on and off, when all of a sudden it stopped turning on. :mecry: At first, I figured it was a dead battery, so I replaced it but to no avail. I then tried cleaning the threads with a piece of cotton, but again this was not effective. It still is refusing to turn on. Should I use alcohol to get rid off all of the lube? I notcied when I got it that the lube seemed a little thick and grimy. Should I dissasemble the tailcap (which I'm not sure how to do BTW) to look for broken components?

Any help at all would be appreciated, including links to other threads in which this problem is discussed. I'm hoping that whatever it is its some kind of minor human error type thing- I'd rather feel dumb :duh2: but have the light work than to have it stay broken.

Thanks,
JonM
P.S. Has anyone ever utilized JetBeam's warranty? If so, was the process relatively painless?

 

[Glock27]

Take off your tailcap leaving the battery(s) in place. Jumper from bottom battery negative to un-anodized metal on end of battery tube. If it lights the problem is in your switch. If that doesn't work, clean the contact pads on the back of the head.
G27

 

[JonM]

Thank you for your rapid response! Using a paper clip to complete a circuit from the battery, I was able to make the light turn on. This indicates that the problem is in the switch as you said.

I guess I'm going to have to take the switch apart. I am a little mechanically challenged and new to lights in general, so would anyone care to guide me through this likely to be simple process? Also, what should I be looking out for, a broken tail contact (whatever that looks like)? Finally, are there any easy fixes for a switch or am I going to have to look into getting a new one?

 

[Glock27]

Try using a Q-Tip with some alcohol and clean the ring inside the tailcap that mates with the battery tube. Clean the center spring where it contacts the battery.

If you have a DMM, you can check continuity through your switch.
G27

 

[JonM]

Do you think some strong mouthwash would work in the place of the rubbing alcohol? don't seem to have any on hand right now. Also, I would assume that it would be a no go to clean the cap with soap and water, correct?

 

[Glock27]

I wouldn't use anything water based. Nail polish remover would work. Try rubbing with bare dry Q-Tip and check for residue.
G27

 

[JonM]

So I went out and bought some rubbing alcohol and used a q tip to clean the tail cap with. It didn't seem to work. I do see that there is still some residue visible around the contact area, but it seems impossible to clean out. Would it be bad for the tail cap to submerge the entire thing in a glass full of rubbing alcohol for a little while? Or would doing that just make things worst?

 

[1 what]

Hi JonM.
I wouldn't dunk the tail cap in alcohol.
I found JetBeam to be very helpful when I contacted them about 12 months ago. If you purchased your light from one of the CPF friendly stores they would be my first point of contact if you don't feel confident in pulling the cap apart....Also disassembly will almost certainy void your waranty.

 

[JonM]

Thank you for your input. As an experiment, I screwed a 6P clone's (cabela) tailcap onto the Jet. Even though it didn't fit quite right, it actually works just fine on it- the light turns every time. This tells me that the problem is 100% in the tailcap. It is looking like my best course of action would be to contact Jetbeam or Bug Out Gear for a replacement tailcap, or possibly trying to find one off the Marketplace. Does anybody know any retail sources for Jetbeam tailcaps by any chance?

 

[1 what]

I purchased 1 direct from JetBeam for a modest price (in order to modify it for a bike light) about a year ago.