Brake Lights Breaking Me!

Banana Bender

Registered User
They don't work, though the upper one (in rear glass) works. Reverse lights don't work either. The regular rear lights, however, do work. :confused: I checked the bulbs, they're OK. Anybody have any ideas?
 
Brake lamps: If your turn signal, parking and center brake lamps work, I'd suggest replacing the multi-function (turn signals, wipers, hazards, etc.) switch. First try turning the hazard lights on and off a few times and see if that helps to clean the contacts inside the switch.

Reversing lamps: Your problem could be caused by the backup lamp switch on a manual transmission, the backup/neutral safety switch on an automatic, or a bad ground. If you don't have 12 volts at either of the two wires to the reversing lamps while in reverse gear and the ignition key in RUN, then check the backup switch. If you have 12 volts at one of the wires, then check for a faulty ground.
 
J.D. said:
Brake lamps: If your turn signal, parking and center brake lamps work, I'd suggest replacing the multi-function (turn signals, wipers, hazards, etc.) switch. First try turning the hazard lights on and off a few times and see if that helps to clean the contacts inside the switch.

Thank you for your answer, J.D. Alas, I only told half the story in my poorly written post. Parking lights work, but blinkers (and hazards) don't--they haven't been for a while :( . Not even the turn signal lights on the instrument panel work. I went to Ford about this a while back. They told me the whole steering column switch assembly could be faulty, so I replaced it (with a junked part), to no avail. So blinkers haven't been working. Now, some time later, the brake lights have joined the blinkers' party and stopped work. Are these unrelated phenomena?

Reversing lamps: Your problem could be caused by the backup lamp switch on a manual transmission, the backup/neutral safety switch on an automatic, or a bad ground. If you don't have 12 volts at either of the two wires to the reversing lamps while in reverse gear and the ignition key in RUN, then check the backup switch. If you have 12 volts at one of the wires, then check for a faulty ground.

I'll look into this. Thank you. I fear my car needs an electrical exorcism!

For the record, it's an 89 SC.
 
1) Check the 10 Amp "TURN SIG" fuse in the fuse box under the dash.
2) If the horn doesn't work then check the 20 Amp "HORN/HAZ" fuse in the fuse box under the hood.
3) If the center brake light works but the other two don't, then replace the multi-function switch. You can check the various switches in the multi-function switch with an ohmmeter before buying a new one.
4) Replace the flasher unit.
 
J.D. said:
1) Check the 10 Amp "TURN SIG" fuse in the fuse box under the dash.
2) If the horn doesn't work then check the 20 Amp "HORN/HAZ" fuse in the fuse box under the hood.
3) If the center brake light works but the other two don't, then replace the multi-function switch. You can check the various switches in the multi-function switch with an ohmmeter before buying a new one.
4) Replace the flasher unit.

Amazing! When I fist read your suggestion 3, above, I was a little mystified. I didn't think that switch had anything to do with the brake lights. Anyway, today I put the old switch back in, and lo and behold all barke lights now work. :) Thanks!

Re: flasher. It's under the dash to right of the column. If memory serves, it's a box about 3x2 and can be opened to reveal a circuit board etc. Is that the one? In the past, I changed that one with a junked one, but blinker still didn't work. Perhaps the replacement was no good (very likely). I've tried in the past to get a new one from Autzone, but they don't seem to carry that sort. So where do I get one? How much do they cost? I fear FORD will charge like a wounded bull, which is why I'm always off to the junkyard.

One other observation. When I flick the blinker switch on, blinkers, as I said, don't work, dash arrows don't work, there is no clicking noise from relay. HOWEVER, the fender-bumber light (89 SC) comes on (but w/o flashing--just steady light). If I flick it the other way, the same light on the opposite side comes on (but w/o flashing again). What to make of all this?

Thanks, again, J. D.
 
reverse lights

check the wiring that runs up the support for the trunk. my reverse lights didn't work and a little sodering was all it took. this tends to rub and break over time.
 
Going by your description it would seem that you located the flasher. It has a 5 pin connector. The purple/orange wire should have 12 volts in RUN, the yellow/light blue wire should have 12 volts at all times, and the black wire(s) should be grounded.
If these check out, then the flasher should make a clicking noise when a turn signal or the hazard switch is turned on and the turn signal light bulbs are not burnt out. Sometimes a defective flasher will only work with the turn signals but not the hazards and vice versa.
If the flasher does not click, you can do some further troubleshooting. Take a turn signal light bulb, connect one terminal to ground and the other terminal to the light blue (turn signals) or the white/red (hazards) wire at the connector to the flasher (with the flasher plugged in). If the flasher now clicks, then your multi-function switch is bad. If it does not click, then replace it with one from a junkyard.
The cornering lights in the front bumper are supposed to burn steadily when the turn signals are turned on.
 
J.D. said:
Going by your description it would seem that you located the flasher. It has a 5 pin connector. The purple/orange wire should have 12 volts in RUN, the yellow/light blue wire should have 12 volts at all times, and the black wire(s) should be grounded.
If these check out, then the flasher should make a clicking noise when a turn signal or the hazard switch is turned on and the turn signal light bulbs are not burnt out. Sometimes a defective flasher will only work with the turn signals but not the hazards and vice versa.
If the flasher does not click, you can do some further troubleshooting. Take a turn signal light bulb, connect one terminal to ground and the other terminal to the light blue (turn signals) or the white/red (hazards) wire at the connector to the flasher (with the flasher plugged in). If the flasher now clicks, then your multi-function switch is bad. If it does not click, then replace it with one from a junkyard.
The cornering lights in the front bumper are supposed to burn steadily when the turn signals are turned on.

Yaay!! I printed out what you wrote, followed your instruction exactly (was quite amazed at the accuracy of your detail), and voila! It was the (replacement!) flasher. So I got another one and success! I now have brake lights, blinkers, hazards, the lot! (haven't yet started looking at reverse light issue)! Man, it feels weird--I'd never used blinkers on this car before. I could never solve the problem and always just assumed the replacement part from junkyard was good (bad assumption--two parts I got and both bad), and that something else was wrong. Thanks a million, J.D.! :)
 
nissan lover said:
check the wiring that runs up the support for the trunk. my reverse lights didn't work and a little sodering was all it took. this tends to rub and break over time.

Thanks, NL. Duly noted. Reverse lights are next!
 
Back
Top