Help no brake lights!

emsy g · 31-10-2007 8:55pm #1

My boyfriend and i recently bought a second hand car , the car is fine except that the brake lights have stopped working , all other lights work fine.
We have tried changing the bulbs , we have checked the fuses and my boyfriend even replaced the brake light switch behind the pedal... but still no brake lights.
Can anybody suggest any thing else we can try before we accept defeat and hand it in to a garage!

Thanks

Barlow07 · 31-10-2007 9:01pm

If you have already changed the light bulb and the fuse, the only other option is to get a mechanic to have a look it at. Id ask around and see if someone knows any local that might not charge you a fortune.

The bulbs your replaced, they were new and not take from another car? just checking.

10-10-20 · 31-10-2007 9:01pm

You'll have to get a multimeter or a probe and start looking at wiring or the connections. There are often a number of joins/blocks/connections which can be hidden under the back seats etc which may have either come loose or got damp.

crosstownk · 31-10-2007 9:06pm

What make/model/year is the car?

emsy g · 31-10-2007 9:26pm

A friend is dropping around with a multimeter tomorrow , but the strange thing is all other lights are working fine so it seems that there are no breaks in any of the wires!
The car is a 97 nissan maxima.

crosstownk · 31-10-2007 9:36pm

Start at the wires to the brake light switch. Verify that both live and earth are present. If they are, then check for an earth at the tail light bulb holders. You will need to know the colour coding for earth wires on a Nissan in order to trace them correctly. If the earth wires appear OK then you will obviously need to start tracing the +12VDC wires. The earth wires to the holders are most likely OK as you are not experiencing any other problems with the rear lights. The colours of the wires at the brake light switch may match those at the holder - so watch out for those as it could make diagnosis easier.

Capt'n Midnight · 31-10-2007 10:09pm

If the lights are in the boot lid then make sure the contacts are clean

Masada · 31-10-2007 11:35pm

as said, the multi meter is the best way to go., as for the brake switch, it will only have positive OR negitive, not both just incase you get confused,. You should also be abe to ajust the switch so that it contacts the pedal properly, it might not be installed correctly.,

emsy g · 01-11-2007 7:35pm

Can anybody recommend a mechanic in the north Dublin area who could deal with this type of problem ... i would imagine most mechanics would be reluctant to take on this type of work?

Help no brake lights!

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