Smoking switch

[74DartSport]

2012 Santa Fe, daughter calls in a panic as smoke is coming from the turn signal switch. She gets it home so I go over. Key on , switch off you can hear the flasher cycling rapidly but no lights. Move lever and signals work. Barely move switch off the detent and flasher gets quiet. Contacts in switch look ok, grease inside is blackened. Degrease, lightly scrape contacts, reassemble and all is good.
I thought that grease was/is nonconductive. Did enough debris from years of movement start it getting conductive enough to carry enough current to trigger the flasher and at the same time start smoking?
Ordered a new switch anyway to install next weekend.

 

[ripcord]

Sounds like you done good. I think your hypothesis sounds quite reasonable. That darkened grease looks contaminated to me.

 

[Mechanician]

Many flashers become fast when a bulb is blown, (to alert you) while the circuit isn't pulling enough amperage / watts.
The grease probably did the opposite of becoming conductive, and added resistance instead.
Resistance = heat, heat adds to the resistance. Sort of a chain reaction may have occurred.

 

[74DartSport]

Many flashers become fast when a bulb is blown, (to alert you) while the circuit isn't pulling enough amperage / watts.
The grease probably did the opposite of becoming conductive, and added resistance instead.
Resistance = heat, heat adds to the resistance. Sort of a chain reaction may have occurred.

Only rapid clicking when centered off. Slightly moving it in either direction it got quiet. Fully over either way lights all functioned normally.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Mechanician]

Missed that. Your "conductive debris" hypothesis makes a lot of sense.