I finished putting in my engine a week or so ago and wanted to add some of the wire loom to dress it up a little. I pulled off the ambient(sp) switch and when I went to plug it back in the little prongs that you push the plug on to pushed the switch in the a/c box. The piece that screws on th outside of the a/c box is still there just the prongs and whatever that are attached to went inside the box. I guess I had a faulty switch b/c it was brand new and had ony been plugged in once. This is the switch on the passengers side of the a/c box. I can order a new one about $30 but I am curious if it will hurt to leave the old one in there. I had just about rather be cained as to pull the a/c box again. The last time it went in one of the studs broke half off and it is tough to get it started. What do you think, will it hurt just to leave it there? All that flows through there is air I think. But I am not an a/c man at all.

If the Terminals pushed inside the Cover its Not just Air in there. It will be Moist air as in Condensation when the AC is on. Also you cannot see what the wires inside the Cover are doing and what they could possibly touch with Vibration ( such as Metal ), I would replace the switch just to be safe.

No wires went in. I still have the wires and the plug(femal end). It was just the the two blades(male) and the round part of the switch that is attached to the blades, which is about the size of two nickles stacked on top of each other.

The ambient temperature switch was used on the A/C system to cut off the A/C when there was freezing temperature. If you live in Florida like me, don't worry about it. If you live in a freezing part of the country and you use your windshield defroster then you will want to replace it. I did not install the ambient switch on my A/C system, and one of the years (maybe 67), if I remember correctly, didn't even use the ambient temperature switch. It's your call.