No brake lights

I have a 96 Lumina had problem with brake lights not working properly ,only one side works some time or both are out . But third brake light works fine . Since then ,i have no brake lights . I have replaced the bulbs , brake light switch , checked all fuses cant figure what it can be ?? My daytime lights work fine no problem with headlights , although i do have a problem with my left side blinker , it works if i push it down a little not all the way ?? Any advice ?? See alot of these cars with common problem . Does anyone know how i can solve this problem ??

I bet its your Turn Signal Switch, as the brake signal is routed through this switch. Your report of the highmount working confirms this.

The switch is in the column, so if you don't feel too comfy working around the airbag I'd suggest having it repaired professionally.

I bet its your Turn Signal Switch, as the brake signal is routed through this switch. Your report of the highmount working confirms this.

The switch is in the column, so if you don't feel too comfy working around the airbag I'd suggest having it repaired professionally.

no i dont have a problem with that but do you think that is the problem for both ??

Absolutely. The tail lights working only itermittiently and your front blinker being tempermental, I'd bet my next paycheck on that being the problem.

this would nt effect the third brake light though ??

No, because the highmount is activated from the brake switch alone, independant from the other two. The left and right tail lights, and therefore brake lights, have to route through the TSS first. Usually a good sign of a faulty switch is having one or both tail lights act up and have the highmount still work properly.

I have a 98 Lumina and had the same problem a year ago. No brake lights but the center light worked as did the rear lights and turning signals. There was a thread on this forum at the time and maybe you can look it up. The problem, as was said earlier, is in the turning signal switch. I had to take the steering cloumn off, which means taking off the airbag. I needed a steering wheel puller, a snap ring puller and other assorted tools to get the job done. Might be different for a 96. It took about an hour or more to do it. The Haynes book did a good job of walking me through it and over all saved a couple of hundred bucks doing it myself. Also a good idea to shop around online for the switch as the price ranged from $135 down to the $75 I paid for it from some warehouse in Texas. A year later and they work just fine.

ok i believe thanks for all the help ,very appreaciated

I read many of these forums and went out tonight to try to pull the switch under the dash. Headlights, Highmount Light, Turnsignals, Parking Lights all work normally.

1. I was going to replace the $5.99 switch until I removed both connectors and couldn't get the dam thing out. Does this just pull out or do you twist it? If twisting it, how do you get it around the other cruise control switch on top of this one???? The Haynes Manual stops at telling you how the switch comes out of the brackett. I don't want to pull it if that is not the way. Thank you Haynes for describing how it comes out.
2. If I replace this switch and all is well, fine, however, if not, it sounds like I have to attack the steering column. All I do this for is to save my kids money! Thanks GM for making such a problem free car with low mileage--LOL

When I depress the brake pedal, I hear a clicking noise. Is this the switch out of adjustment?

From reading all the problems we have on these forums, no wonder why GM is shutting down plants? I hate to see this, but I also want the longest lasting parts in my car or truck that can be sold.

Cadgear is correct on this issue. The brake light switch also operates the 3rd brake light, so it's not your issue. All power to the main tail/turn/brake lamps is routed through the turnsignal/multifunction switch. It's a very common problem in all GM cars with this type steering column. There are 2 different ones, depending on whether you car has accessory controls on the steering wheel. The Haynes also omits the step to remove the bolt in the center of the terminal block where the turn signal harness hooks to the car. You'll never get it apart without removing the bolt in the center without breaking it. The harness slides out toward the center seam, not to the outside, necessitating separating the two halves of the junction block.

[QUOTE=richtazz]Cadgear is correct on this issue. The brake light switch also operates the 3rd brake light, so it's not your issue. All power to the main tail/turn/brake lamps is routed through the turnsignal/multifunction switch. It's a very common problem in all GM cars with this type steering column. There are 2 different ones, depending on whether you car has accessory controls on the steering wheel. The Haynes also omits the step to remove the bolt in the center of the terminal block where the turn signal harness hooks to the car. You'll never get it apart without removing the bolt in the center without breaking it. The harness slides out toward the center seam, not to the outside, necessitating separating the two halves of the junction block.[/QUOTE

So, are you saying I don't have just a switch problem under the dash? I have to go through the steering column to replace the turnsignal switch?

I still would like to know how to get off the switch under the dash as I think I broke it.

The part that is referred to as the turn signal switch is the plastic pieces that surround the steering shaft behind the steering wheel and the harness that runs down the column to the junction under the dash. The actual piece that the stalk goes into is referred to as the pivot, and isn't your issue. You will hav to remove the steering wheel to replace the bad switch, and feed the new switches harness through the column to the junction. Here is a link to the AC-Delco website picture of the part in question.

this one fits cars with steering wheel controls
http://198.208.187.182/internet/ViewPartImage.jsp?acdelcoPartNumber=d6214a
this one fits cars without steering wheel controls.
http://198.208.187.182/internet/ViewPartImage.jsp?acdelcoPartNumber=D6226A
I hope this clarifies things for you.