brake lights won't work when key is on

i was recently given a 1993 T-Bird LX,with a 5.0 liter(302),and the brake lights only work when the ignition is NOT turned on,anyone have any ideas?

check all of your wires on your break lights and your ign. that would be all i could tell u i wouldn't think it could be your brake light switch

Does everything else on the ign. switch work? If not it might be bad.

Check the voltage at the Stop/Hazard fuse. There should be power to it w/wo the ignition on. If there is power at the fuse only when the ignition is off then you have a wiring problem before the fuse. You might also notice that the cigarette lighter only works with the ignition off. I don't have a wiring diagram for a '93 but ask at your local library for a Mitchell wiring manual for your year car and you can photocopy the pages you need that have the diagram and color codes of the wires.

Power to your brake lights should not be coming through the ignition switch. This is why I said to check power at the fuse first. I would suspect that someone has been messing around with the wiring by installing something like a radio or alarm system.

Well this sounds so familuar. I had no turnsignals.. no brake lights... no hazzards... thought it was the flasher.... turns out it was the multifunction switch... yes that whole turn signal stalk piece/cruise.. wipers/highbeams/emergency flashers.... its all in there... I was totally surprised to find out that when there is no voltage showing to the wires to the flasher then its the multi-function switch. $75.00 + tax from Advance and a approx a half hour and you'll be back in business..... hope this helped?


95 T-Bird
92,000 Miles
4.6 V-8
all still stock

Well this sounds so familuar. I had no turnsignals.. no brake lights... no hazzards... thought it was the flasher.... turns out it was the multifunction switch... yes that whole turn signal stalk piece/cruise.. wipers/highbeams/emergency flashers.... its all in there... I was totally surprised to find out that when there is no voltage showing to the wires to the flasher then its the multi-function switch. $75.00 + tax from Advance and a approx a half hour and you'll be back in business..... hope this helped?


95 T-Bird
92,000 Miles
4.6 V-8
all still stock
i have almost all my accessories...except the radio...if i have the door open and the interior is on,while i shake the brake light switch,the light lightly flickers...haven't had much a chance to check anything else out due to outside temps being in the lower digits....thanks to all for the suggestions...will update posting when the weather gets better and i can get outside to do something with it :-)

i checked under that cramped area under the dash,lol...and someone HAS been messing with the wires at some point...i think i'll just hot wire the switch,lmao thx to all for hints and suggestings