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08-19-2005, 04:42 PM | #1 |
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Location: Birmingham, AL
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Electrical gremlins... Any help from the peanut gallery?
I was stopped at a train this morning when the guy in the car behind me got out, knocked on my window, and informed me that I have no brake lights. Great.
What could it be? I have checked the bulbs. I have checked the fuses. Both are good. The brake light switch seems like an obvious culprit- are these relatively easy to change? Also worthy of note (and possibly related) is the fact that the original battery of 8 years died yesterday, and I have a brand new one in its place. That's what led me to think it might be a fuse deal, as I wondered if one might have blown as I jump-started the car. This is a 1998 Ford Ranger, by the way.
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08-19-2005, 04:44 PM | #2 |
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brake on/off switch?
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08-19-2005, 04:45 PM | #3 |
Scooby Specialist
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Vehicle:2016 Mazda6 Red |
8 years old? Ford? Bad ground would be my first suspect.
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08-19-2005, 04:46 PM | #4 |
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brake switch is probably less than $5. and will take about 15 min to change out.
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08-19-2005, 04:47 PM | #5 |
Scooby Newbie
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Join Date: Jan 2002
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Hmm...
Bad ground. Could that have anythign to do with the new battery (like if the terminals weren't all that clean, etc...)? |
08-19-2005, 04:47 PM | #6 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 5470
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Tri-State
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Vehicle:2014 Honda Odyssey Nondescript |
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08-19-2005, 04:54 PM | #7 |
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Bad ground...then check brake switch
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08-19-2005, 04:55 PM | #8 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 4103
Join Date: Feb 2001
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MWSOC
Location: Brookfield
Vehicle:2016 Mazda6 Red |
Quote:
It's also not beyond the realm of possability that when you hooked up the new battery you burned out the lights. Not likely, but it could happen. I'd check those as well. It could also be a fusible link. Is everything else working correctly on the truck? |
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08-19-2005, 04:56 PM | #9 |
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i dunno how it is in fords, but mine dont come on unless i am pressing one of the lever thingys near my feet.
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08-19-2005, 04:56 PM | #10 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 5470
Join Date: Apr 2001
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08-19-2005, 05:00 PM | #11 | |
Scooby Specialist
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08-19-2005, 05:02 PM | #12 | |
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I'm going to try to get it out to the house and then go from there, in the meantime I hope Friday afternoon morons are paying attention. Yes, I"'ll be the guy with no brake lights. Crap. Of all the days. |
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08-19-2005, 05:03 PM | #13 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 5470
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Tri-State
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Vehicle:2014 Honda Odyssey Nondescript |
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08-19-2005, 05:09 PM | #14 | |
Scooby Specialist
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Vehicle:2016 Mazda6 Red |
Quote:
Out of curiosity, are your taillights affected as well? Headlights? Interior light? For the record, I'm not saying that the ground at his battery is the culprit. I'm just doing a little something called troubleshooting. |
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08-19-2005, 05:14 PM | #15 |
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headlights work
interior lights all work radio works taillights work, just don't get brighter when the brakes are depressed. I'm depressed. |
08-19-2005, 05:15 PM | #16 | |
Scooby Specialist
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08-19-2005, 05:16 PM | #17 | |
Scooby Newbie
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08-19-2005, 05:21 PM | #18 | |
Scooby Specialist
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08-22-2005, 08:26 AM | #19 | |
Scooby Newbie
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Quote:
Whoever the douche may have been (and admittedly, it was probably me), the problem has been rectified. All it took was about an hour of turning my entire body upside down and swearing at the thing, then about 4.231 minutes of actual work to unplug, remove, replace, and re-plug the old faulty brake switch. It wouldn't have been so bad if not for the 100% relative humidity and temperatures in the 90s. I felt like I was working underwater. Thanks for helping me troubleshoot the thing, tcs007 and inchoate, and El Camino, you desreve a cookie for guessing correctly on the first reply. Feel free to buy yourself one and then I will mail you $1. |
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