Maglite flickering when turning head, any suggestions?

It seems to be a contact problem where the moving part of the bulb socket binds against the battery connector. I'd like to clean the contacts but don't know how to open it up.

TIA!
Undark

not quite sure what you mean

the bezel threads are not a conducting bridge to the light bulb...theretically that shouldnt be a problem. and maglights bulb tower is isolated from the turning area by around half an inch.

Are you referring to the minimag or the standard mag?

is the bulb tower loose? that may be the problem. check the bulb retaining ring also

I know that the turning head has no electrical contact to the bulb. I am talking about the post in which the bulb is seated. If you remove the head, switch on the light and press this "bulb post" down, the light flickers. The ring that holds the bulb in place is not loose.

Ah, and it is an 3D!

3D?!

I have not figured out how that works, but my 3D flickers too...after I dropped it on an concrete pavement....

as far as I know the metal tab within the bulb post that should be snug against the side of the body is somehow knocked loose, but to extract the switch assembly is a bit of a pain...theres a thread about the disassembly somewhere :thinking:.... something about a set screw under the switch rubber.

To clean the contacts, you'll need to remove the switch/bulb post assembly. First, remove the head, tailcap, and batteries. Then remove the rubber switch cover. Then insert the long end of a 5/64" allen wrench into the hole in the center of the switch button. You are trying to loosen a pointed allen screw at the bottom of the hole. Loosen it several turns, it actually digs into the inside of the aluminum body. The switch may be a little stuck in place. If so, I usually use the wrench as a lever to rock the switch side-to-side to break it loose. Make sure the center button is depressed and the switch should just slide out the bottom of the barrel. If it hangs up, it is usually the button catching on the edge of the switch hole or the allen screw is not retracted enough and digging into the body.

Once the switch is out, you can remove the center post using the same 5/64" allen wrench by unscrewing the little brass roller for the reflector cam. Poor contact may be occuring at either the long metal tab running along the side of the post, or at the center spring loaded contact. If simple cleaning doesn't help, you may need to increase the mechanical force maintaining the connections. You can bend the long tab into more of a curved shape to hold it against the center post better or stretch the spring out to keep the center contact against the bulb better. Since the flickering occurs when you turn the head, the most likely problem is with the long metal tab as the post slides up and down it.

much thanks DonShock :thanks:

I had a 3D acting the same way awhile back. It had a bad ground at the allen screw. All I needed to do was tighten it up a little bit with the allen wrench (like DonShock explained) and all was well again.

Thanks for all tips! This evening I disassembled the whole switch. I polished all surfaces of the bulb post until they were shiny. Afterwards I scrubbed the long metal tab with a screwdriver to improve connectivity. As a last step I bent the tab so that it binds harder against the side of the bulb post.

And guess what, it solved the problem! No more flickering!

Thanks a lot!

One of the easiest ways to clean flat electrical contact surfaces like in the Mag is to use a clean pencil eraser. It's abrasive enough to remove any oxidation but not enough to damage the contact surfaces like a screwdriver might.