Anyone fixed a broken battery microswitch?

[stargirl3]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, so please forgive any wrongdoings. 

Last week, my trusty old Rebel T3i didn't turn it on. I Googled around and learned about the microswitch, and after poking it with a pencil, the camera turned on. It worked fine the next night. Over the course of the week, it's done different things. One morning, I thought it was working fine, but the photos didn't save to my card. Sometimes when I try to turn it on, the little red light flashes. A few times, the viewfinder worked but wouldn't actually take any shots. Now it's just dead, and I might cry. I'm in Ecuador until April, so I can't just hop over to Target and grab an upgrade.

The switch seems very flimsy. I can push it down with a pencil, but even when pressed down, the camera doesn't turn on. I've seen a lot of info about the switch, but none on how to fix it. Can anyone help?

[ebiggs1]

Not wanting to make you cry but I fear the facts are not positive.  You are unlikely to fix or repair the switch yourself. Secondly the T3i may not be a good candidate for Canon repair either. It could exceed the value of a T3i but that you won't know unless you contact Canon.

The one thing you could try is a small drop of WD40 on the switch.

[stargirl3]

Yeah, Canon told me they no longer have the resources to fix it. There's a shop a couple hours from me that might be able to do something, so I'll look into that. 

[ebiggs1]

Give the "small drop" of WD40 a try.  It may not help but hey go for it.

[stargirl3]

What's the goal there? The switch seems to move fine.

[ebiggs1]

Well if it moves freely than the WD40 won't help. I garnered from your replies it was sticking.

[stargirl3]

Do you have a similar camera? Could you post a pic of the switch? It must be missing a tiny piece, but I don't know how it's supposed to look.

Thank you so much for your help.

[ebiggs1]

When I was active in the business I had many Rebels ( a dozen or so) and the T3i was one of them.  I no longer have any Rebels since I retired I sold or gave them away. If you find the repair cost run more than $200 I suggest you buy a used T3i.  That is about what I see them going for so don't spend that much. I don't know how much it costs to replace that switch but I suspect the lions share is labor. It might not even be the switch.

Might be a good time to upgrade. Canon has made some very nice new featuer sets in the newer Rebels.

[stargirl3]

Thanks, man. I might give this repair shop a go or see if he's selling any good used cameras. I can't spend my 6 months in Ecuador without a good camera!

[ebiggs1]

"I can't spend my 6 months in Ecuador without a good camera!"

I feel for you.  Are you a missionary?