brake and reverse lights

1983 vw jetta 5spd tdi - old problem - everything was working untill i broke the hazard switch getting into the dash - blinkers and reverse lights stopped working - just replaced the hazard switch - which fixed the previous blinker problem - new problem - my reverse lights still dont work - and my brake lights dont work now - brake lights worked untill i (stupidly?) took the reverse light fuse out to check it while the car was on - turned car off and rechecked all fuses - all a-okay - made sure all connections to hazard switch were correct and well connected - checked for corrosion in rear light cluster boards - when light switch is on the break lights come on like they are supposed too - but still no correct brake or reverse lights - any help would be greatly appreciated

so now the brake lights work again - i just reved the engine a bit and they magically started working (?) -anyway still no reverse lights