by Linoman Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:35 am This past weekend while on a trip to my mother-in-law's I happened to check the vans rear lights; I've got lights, blinkers, & flashers, but no brake lights. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, & thought I would get advice from the experts first to narrow down the search process. As always everyone's help is appreciated. ~Tim
3 posters
Brake lights not working
Linoman- Number of posts : 329
Location : Holland, MI
Registration date : 2010-06-14
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12245
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
1st thing is to go to the brake light switch and see the 2 wires on it, you need 12 volts on one of the wires and when you step on the pedal, that power should come out the other wire. So use a test light or voltmeter to check for power, hook the 2 wires together to bypass the switch and see if the brake lights come on, (that would be a bad switch). So thats where to start,,,,then you can check for bad connections/fuse or other problems once you do that basic test.
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12245
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
,,,,,,,,and while we are talking about brake light switches,,,,,where are they mounted? On the master Cylinder??? In a junction block in the brake line? And what about that mechanical one,,,,,probably for a dual line master cylinder and goes on the brake pedal???? Looks like there is a repair connector on a newer switch to replace worn out original connectors or they just changed the switch to a different one. And what do you use on a Front Disk Conversion?
sasktrini- Number of posts : 2067
Location : Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Registration date : 2008-05-20
Last image is similar to 1967 MC. Others are 61-66, mounted on MC. This switch may be okay, but one complication is that all tail light wiring passes through the turn signal switch wiring. If there is a short there, it can cause all kinds of funny behaviors.
Look for 12V on both sides of MC switch like Donivan said. If good, next stop is turn signal wiring... look for visible shorts. Bulb sockets may be suspiciously dirty as well...
Good luck.
Look for 12V on both sides of MC switch like Donivan said. If good, next stop is turn signal wiring... look for visible shorts. Bulb sockets may be suspiciously dirty as well...
Good luck.
Linoman- Number of posts : 329
Location : Holland, MI
Registration date : 2010-06-14
Thanks guys ~ I'll start at the MC brake switch, and hopefully not need to go any further than that. ~ Tim
Linoman- Number of posts : 329
Location : Holland, MI
Registration date : 2010-06-14
I'm happy to report that I have brake lights again! It was indeed the MC stoplight switch. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
While i was at it I replaced all the bulbs & put gaskets behind the tail lights,hopefully another spot water was getting in is now fixed.
Also discovered the right rear running light isn't working, although I do have blinker,brake & flasher. The voltmeter tells me no power back there, so the issue must be in that tangle of wires up under the dash. This outta be fun, but another day. ~ Tim
While i was at it I replaced all the bulbs & put gaskets behind the tail lights,hopefully another spot water was getting in is now fixed.
Also discovered the right rear running light isn't working, although I do have blinker,brake & flasher. The voltmeter tells me no power back there, so the issue must be in that tangle of wires up under the dash. This outta be fun, but another day. ~ Tim
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12245
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
The juice goes to the left rear tail light, license plate light and right rear tail light,,,,probably a brown wire,,,,,,problem could be the wire that connects the license plate light to the right rear light,,,,,,
