mgreenspan
Founding Member
I cut the wires behind the flasher housing and put those straight on it and the bulb worked. The power and ground wires are good. Some how the housing just isnt making the connection.
Electrical help - brake lights
- Thread starter SammyAdams
- Start date
I cut the wires behind the flasher housing and put those straight on it and the bulb worked. The power and ground wires are good. Some how the housing just isnt making the connection.
Matt,
I would swap in LEDs if your going thru the trouble of replacing them.
I would swap in LEDs if your going thru the trouble of replacing them.
DefendersNW
Well-known member
Probably the light housing has a bent, burnt, or broken connector. The housings can be directional as well if grounded through the body, so be sure the light housing is not shorting the circuit.
If old the plastic gets to be brittle, and does not always hold the sprung contacts in place. Replacements are cheap (some are too cheap to bother with in our experience) so buy what you need and swap them out.
There are 3-options for like sized replacements as well -
If old the plastic gets to be brittle, and does not always hold the sprung contacts in place. Replacements are cheap (some are too cheap to bother with in our experience) so buy what you need and swap them out.
There are 3-options for like sized replacements as well -
- Hard wired early type screw units
- Twist lock bulb holder (later type) units
- or LED replacement units
SammyAdams
Member
Now back to me-
Aghhhh!
Frustrating!
Bulbs are etested and both filaments good
Brake light receptacles are new/grounds are good
With the switch bypassed, I have power leaving but not getting to the brakes
My issue is in tracing the wires- they go into the firewall and then where? I think they eventually come out of the passenger side firewall and down and into the frame on the passenger side and then run in the frame all the way back?
The more I look at this, the more I think the wires got hit when the VDO gauges were installed in the area of the cigarette lighter. Do I need to take the dash off in order to access this area?
In desperate need of help - really don't want to make the 40 mile trip back to the shop but that is my next step
Aghhhh!
Frustrating!
Bulbs are etested and both filaments good
Brake light receptacles are new/grounds are good
With the switch bypassed, I have power leaving but not getting to the brakes
My issue is in tracing the wires- they go into the firewall and then where? I think they eventually come out of the passenger side firewall and down and into the frame on the passenger side and then run in the frame all the way back?
The more I look at this, the more I think the wires got hit when the VDO gauges were installed in the area of the cigarette lighter. Do I need to take the dash off in order to access this area?
In desperate need of help - really don't want to make the 40 mile trip back to the shop but that is my next step
RDavisinVA
Technical Excellence Contributor
Look at the wiring diagram.
The brake lights are green with purple.
The wire runs from the switch into the loom, to a big plug down the side of the bulkhead into the chassis, out of the rear of the chassis, up one side of the body into the area behind the panel you can unscrew, connects with the lead from the light and a wire that goes via a short harness over to the other side of the vehicle where it connects to the other brake light.
If you need brake lights right away, you could always implement a temporary fix to disconnect the wire from the switch and replace it with a new wire from the brake light switch down to the chassis rail, down the chassis rail and up into the body behind the cover where the light connections are.
Don't use any crimp connectors back by the lights.
Just unplug the green with purple wire from the harness coming out of the frame.
Strip the end of the wire.
Unplug the green with purple wire from the harness that runs to the other side from the connector (also plugged in will be the brake light wire for that side).
Slide the stripped wire end of the temp wire into the female connector and push the bullet you unplugged from the green with purple that runs to the other brake light and plug it in so that it traps the new stripped wire into the connector.
PRESTO - Brake lights (only of all your posts were true that you were not getting (+) to the brake lights and the switch is in place and working properly.
The brake lights are green with purple.
The wire runs from the switch into the loom, to a big plug down the side of the bulkhead into the chassis, out of the rear of the chassis, up one side of the body into the area behind the panel you can unscrew, connects with the lead from the light and a wire that goes via a short harness over to the other side of the vehicle where it connects to the other brake light.
If you need brake lights right away, you could always implement a temporary fix to disconnect the wire from the switch and replace it with a new wire from the brake light switch down to the chassis rail, down the chassis rail and up into the body behind the cover where the light connections are.
Don't use any crimp connectors back by the lights.
Just unplug the green with purple wire from the harness coming out of the frame.
Strip the end of the wire.
Unplug the green with purple wire from the harness that runs to the other side from the connector (also plugged in will be the brake light wire for that side).
Slide the stripped wire end of the temp wire into the female connector and push the bullet you unplugged from the green with purple that runs to the other brake light and plug it in so that it traps the new stripped wire into the connector.
PRESTO - Brake lights (only of all your posts were true that you were not getting (+) to the brake lights and the switch is in place and working properly.
SammyAdams
Member
I promise you I've studied the wiring diagrams!! The wire is certainly easier to follow on it than on the truck! I appreciate your detailed response - I guess my biggest question is whether I can access this loom from the dash? It just seems logical to believe that when the installers ( they also installed your sedimentor - thank you again) put the gauges in, something happened to the brake wire
RDavisinVA
Technical Excellence Contributor
The brake wire back to the lights doesn't go through the bulkhead behind the dash that I'm aware of.
If you have the cheap sedimenter, PM me as I need to send you a viton seal.
Otherwise the all metal or sedimenter with glass bottom already has viton seals.
SammyAdams
Member
RDavisinVA
Technical Excellence Contributor
I deal with so many people that I had temporarily forgotten.