taillight vs. brake light

72hurricane88 · Post by **72hurricane88** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:24 pm

My brake lights werent working so yesterday i went and got a new brake light switch and replaced the old one but i still dont have brake lights. i put a test light on it and i got power when the button's pushed in but no lights. the bulbs are good, as i have blinkers and tail lights when the headlights are on...just no brake lights...any ideas?

hardtailjohn · Post by **hardtailjohn** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:50 pm

Sounds to me like you have a bad ground. It's grounding back through the tail lights when you have the switch pulled, making a complete circuit.
Good luck...
JH

72hurricane88 · Post by **72hurricane88** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:45 pm

where does it ground at? I checked the wires behind the switch and they're okay...i also dont have a right blinker in the front or on the cluster, but i got one in the back...

hardtailjohn · Post by **hardtailjohn** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:23 pm

I think there's a wiring diagram in some of the stuff on the main page here on the site.
JH

kid · Post by **kid** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:09 pm

Make sure the light assembly grounds to the body or frame close to the light.

Make sure the wires are good. As I have a 350 I can only give you general knowledge. THe brake signal passes through the turn signal switch. If the turn signals are off the signal goes uninterupted to the brake bulb. If the turn signal is set to flash the brake light signal gets broken into the flash pattern. Turn signals and brakes use the same element on the bulb. Otherwise you would not see the turn signal flash while the brakes were on.

72hurricane88 · Post by **72hurricane88** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 2:19 pm

so i traced wires and looked behind the tail light and everything and there's no place on the wire that looks like it could be shorted...the bulb was stuck in the socket so when i tried to turn it, the bulb came out of the little copper thing so i know i gotta get a new bulb now...I checked for power at the back of the socket with a test light and i dont have anything but that may change when i get a new bulb?

at the same time, i dont have back up lights...it sounds like a fuse but the brakes and back up lamps are on the same circuit as the instrument panel and its still working...any more ideas?

Big D's 69 · Post by **Big D's 69** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:39 pm

The worst part of anything electrical. Chasing Gremlins can drive a man crazy.

72hurricane88 · Post by **72hurricane88** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:52 pm

you aint lying...i took out the brake switch and put it back in, now it has power all the time...still no brake lights tho..I gotta get this done asap, i had a couple of close calls with a diesel today cause of it, and i wouldnt drive it but its my only vehicle and i gotta get to/from school

19674x4 · Post by **19674x4** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:37 pm

i'm in the same boat, got pulled over by the cops today for not having brake lights.

flyboy2610 · Post by **flyboy2610** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:14 pm

72hurricane88 wrote:i put a test light on it and i got power when the button's pushed in but no lights.

Do you have power to the lights when the button is OUT? The switch is on when the button is out, and off when the button is in.

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taillight vs. brake light

taillight vs. brake light

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