Brake Light Switch?????help!!!
BEN ROCCNWELL
03-31-2005, 11:50 PM
Help My Brake Lights Don't Work. I Just Bought My 1988 Chevy Caprice Classic And I Cant Figure This One Out. I Have Tested The Brake Light Switch, It Tested Good But I Decided To Replace It Anyway. All Of My Tail Lights/turn Signals Work And I Do Have The Dual Filliment Bulbs In There. My Third Brake Light Is Working So I Know I Am Getting Power To The Back Harnest I Also Tested All Of The Wires On The Harnest All Seem To Be Working Fine Except One That Is Really Dim On The Test Light. Cant Find A Book That Has A Diagram Of The Back Harnest. Any Help Would Be Appreciated
ladymech62
04-08-2005, 10:46 PM
The plastic bulb holders can be the problem.
Check down inside and be sure the contacts are clean. Check with a test light to see if you are getting fire to those contacts. Some plastic holders have a problem about heating up and shrinking back so the contacts don't touch the bulb. (I've even had people put the bulbs in with the bumps turned 180* - I don't see how they were able to -there is one side pin higher than the other on the 1157 bulbs so the right fillament will meet with the correct contact).
Run a jumper wire from a good ground to the black wire on the socket. Have someone depress the brake pedal and see if the light comes on. No? clip the wire on a small PLASTIC handle screwdriver. Hold the plastic handle and place the blade against the metal base of the bulb while it is in the socket. If the light comes on you need to repair the ground connection at the socket. This usually corrodes since it only lays together - soldering these will repair the ground problem in this socket.
Check down inside and be sure the contacts are clean. Check with a test light to see if you are getting fire to those contacts. Some plastic holders have a problem about heating up and shrinking back so the contacts don't touch the bulb. (I've even had people put the bulbs in with the bumps turned 180* - I don't see how they were able to -there is one side pin higher than the other on the 1157 bulbs so the right fillament will meet with the correct contact).
Run a jumper wire from a good ground to the black wire on the socket. Have someone depress the brake pedal and see if the light comes on. No? clip the wire on a small PLASTIC handle screwdriver. Hold the plastic handle and place the blade against the metal base of the bulb while it is in the socket. If the light comes on you need to repair the ground connection at the socket. This usually corrodes since it only lays together - soldering these will repair the ground problem in this socket.
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