help quick!!! brake lights don't work
 

what's goin on everyone. my friend noticed that my brake lights don't work while he was driving behind me last night. i don't know how long this has been going on (since i can't really see my lights when i'm pressing the brakes), so any help would be great. i checked the tail light fuse and the stop light fuse, they are both good. my tail lights work when i turn on the lights. my blinkers work, but none of the brake lights light up when i press the brakes. not the left or the right light, not the CHMSL, not the spoiler light. i cleared my tails this thanksgiving break, but they worked fine after i reinstalled them this is p***in me off. thanks in advance.

Re: help quick!!! brake lights don't work
 

have u tried changin bulbs???? i believe the break lights are dual filaments...maybe the break lights filaments is burnt???

Have you checked the main fuse box up front, same happenned to me, and I couldn't find any busted fuses until I popped the hood open, and guess what, two black boxes stuffed full of wonderfull little fuses
:)

ok updates...

i checked the fuses under the hood also, but i only found one fuse that seemed like it was related to the tail lights, and it was good. any other suggestioins before i take it into the dealer? (i'd MUCH rather not)

Haynes repair manual's schematic showa the brake (manual calls it stop) bulb has RED/GREEN wire going to the Stop Lamp Switch, then after the switch the wire is RED/YELLOW going to fuse #10, 15A. Is it possible the switch has problem? I don't know where exactly the switch is but kind of remember it's very close to the brake pedal lever, and it should be adjustable for when the brake light start to turn on as you press down the brake pedal.

Hi Ruckus,

I just came back from my 96 GXE. I squeezed myself in front of the driver seat and looked up along the brake pedal linkage, the switch is there, and two wires are exactly the color Haynes says. Although rarely happens, switch is a mechanical part that could fail to make a contact. You can unplug the connector and use a piece of wire to short the connector to emulate switch turning on, brake lights should turn on.

Four things involved here: bulb, fuse, switch and wire. If wire is burned open where there is no access then to me it's hard.

wow, thanks a lot guys. well so far, i'm pretty sure the bulbs are ok, since NONE of my four brake lights come on. and i'm sure the fuse is ok, since i checked all the ones that seemed related to the stop lights, plus all the fuses around it too, just to make sure i checked the right one. so yea, i was pretty much accepting the fact that it was a wire, although i will check out this switch that you all are talking about.



oh and uh....on a random note, i'm so so happy right now, the university that i attend.....we won the state championship for soccer just a half hour ago. ooooohhhh.....such an awesome game, we were losing and came back 3 minutes before the game ended....talk about an adrenaline rush. alright sorry, just had to spread the word. University of Tampa, #1 in the nation.

ok more updates....

i'm so mad, so verrry very mad. i spent about 2 hours trying to find all the wires and crap, i found the red/green wire and the red/yellow wire. but there is some black tubing encasing it and i can't tell if it is burned or not. every single fuse everywhere is good. i see the switch, when you press on the brakes it lets off of a button and i hear a clicking noise. i can't get to the clicking noise, it is under the gear shifter. i mean, i can get to it, but i don't know if that has anything to do with it. but...it doesn't seem to be anything else, so it might as well be that noise. to make matters worse, it started working for about ten times that i pressed on the brake, then it just decided to be a b**** and stop working again. this is making me so very angry. any more ideas would be great.:mad:


...gotta keep my cool...:cool:

check the brake booster

"it started working for about ten times that i pressed on the brake". Do you mean the brake light was working, then quit, or the booster? I think if the car is not running and you press brake pedal many times then the booster will lose its power and you won't be able to press down any more, and the brake switch will of cause not make contact to light up the brake light.
If I were you I'd unplug the brake switch connector and short the two connector terminals with a piece of wire. If brake light is up then the wiring is no problem. If not then a multimeter can do more debug work.

i tried both, actually, i tried it when the car was off, i tried it when the car was on. it started working while the car was on, then it stopped, then it started again, then finally stopped for good. i'll try to connect the terminals with a piece of wire. it is right where those buttons are, right? the buttons that are pressed down until you press on the brakes, right?

oh and pardon me for asking, but what the hell is a multimeter?

again, thanks for your help

Yes the button (brake switch). Unplug the switch connector will expose those two terminals and allow you to short them with a wire.

A multimeter refers to a meter for measurement of voltage, current, resistor and some can measure capacitors and/or diodes even transistors. A cheap one is about $10, maybe found at Radio Shack or auto stores.