Another guy with no brake lights
 

I know there is another thread going on about a gentleman whose brake lights arent working. We seem to be in a similar position, but I have trouble shooted a little bit farther and still have no lights - and am getting confused about how that could be....

Symptoms;
NO BRAKE LIGHTS
I do have hazard, turn, reverse and running lights in the rear.

I've checked the fuse box on the side of the dash, all fuses were fine.
I've switched bulbs around a few times, all filaments look good, they burn for everything but brake lights.
I've changed out the brake light switch.
I am getting, it seems, no power to the rear wire which I attribute to brake lights (there are 3 going into the socket, black(ground), green and black/yellow. Green seems to be hazards, turns, ect. SO black/yellow I would think is brake.

Here is the positivly weird thing -

I figured with a test light and a length of wire, I could trouble shoot all of thise by just running the wire from a positive lead up front, to splicing it up into the black/yellow "brake" wire right before it goes into the light socket.

But even when I do that, it fails to light up the bulb. The ground is good, its been tested. I have a 14 gauge wire going from the positive terminal on the battery all the way to the yellow/black wire, and still it wont light up the battery? When I try to do that, I do hear almost what sounds like a "turn signal click" from under the hood.

What does this mean? What else can it be?
Bulbs for some reason work for all functions except brakes? Sockets? But if it were sockets or bulbs, why am I not getting the test light to light up every time I try the wires at the tailight?

There has to be something I am not getting. Another fuse, or switch, or imput that effects the illumination of the brake lights, or that the yellow/black wire is for nothing and all functions run off the green wire.

I downloaded the user manual, and have found almost nothing of use, save that the brake light switch pins 5,6 are reserved for brake lights.

OK, so at least I just got the straight wire from the positive battery terminal to the black/yellow rear tailight to illuminate the bulb. So the part that didn't make sense, now makes sense...and my issue is somewhere between the battery and where the wires go into the socket....

Does your third eye work? If it does, chances are your problem is in the multifunction switch. (turnsignal switch.) as the brakes and turn signals use the same filament.

I'm not sure what you mean by 3rd eye. The lights above the rear window do not work.


I'm actually now close to knocking this problem out. I will try and post what I have done in steps, so that people in the future using the search feature can see what I did.

A few minute ago I was able to eliminate bulbs and sockets as a problem by straight wiring from the positive battery terminal to the black/yellow wire going into the driver side socket. That lit the bulb up.

Now, just a second ago I was able to activate the brake lights using the brake pedal by straight wiring from the battery positive terminal to the 6th pin going into the brake light switch.

So now obviously, the problem is located somewhere between the positive batery terminal and the just before you get to the brake light switch. Either a short, or a blown fuse I don't know about, or if it goes through the turn signal switch before getting to the brake light switch, that could be it.


HeyYou, what do you think now? I am tempted to solve the problem by straight wiring, with a 15 inline fuse just to be safe. I've checked all the fuses in the box twice now and they look fine, so I think its a short or in the turn signal switch....why would they even wire through the turn signal switch?

Looks like there is only one power input to the brake lamp switch, pin 1 on the connector, Pink wire with Dark Blue trace. Gets power from fuse 20 in the fuse block on the side of the dash, 15A fuse. Is that one good? Check continuity from the fuse, to the switch.

Third eye is indeed the CHMSTL. (center high mount stop lamp.....) If it ain't workin' either, I think you are definitely on the right track there.

Thats all correct, pink wire with blue trace. I have it listed as socket#20 as well, and the fuse, a 15a, looks fine. Socket #20 is live. So that now means the problem is between the fuse and the switch. Is that just wiring, or do you know of something (turn light switch, maybe) in between?

Connector 231 and 241.... I think one of them actually plugs into the fuse block...... Best thing I can suggest unfortunately, is contort yourself around, break out the arm with three elbows, and see if you can trace the wire. :D