Brake Lights on all the time
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Brake Lights on all the time
Even when I take the key out of the ignition, the inside rear tail lights stay on. If you depress the brake pedal, it works as intended, and turns them off/on as if you were driving the car.
I diagnosed that the yellow wire connected to the rear left back up light has a constant 12 volts, and when you press the brake pedal it goes to zero as intended. It wont shut down to zero when the key is out of the ignition, which makes the rear backup lamps stay on. Any ideas?
I diagnosed that the yellow wire connected to the rear left back up light has a constant 12 volts, and when you press the brake pedal it goes to zero as intended. It wont shut down to zero when the key is out of the ignition, which makes the rear backup lamps stay on. Any ideas?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,753
Likes: 119
From: Springfield Missouri
I don't understand the problem you explained in the first post. Are the brake lights staying on all the time, then when you pull up on the brake peddle, the lights go off as they should??? That would be the brake light switch out of adjustment. But what about the rest of the explanation of problem??
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Even when I take the key out of the ignition, the inside rear tail lights stay on. If you depress the brake pedal, it works as intended, and turns them off/on as if you were driving the car.
I diagnosed that the yellow wire connected to the rear left back up light has a constant 12 volts, and when you press the brake pedal it goes to zero as intended. It wont shut down to zero when the key is out of the ignition, which makes the rear backup lamps stay on. Any ideas?
I diagnosed that the yellow wire connected to the rear left back up light has a constant 12 volts, and when you press the brake pedal it goes to zero as intended. It wont shut down to zero when the key is out of the ignition, which makes the rear backup lamps stay on. Any ideas?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
If you expect real analysis you will need to give some more information. You dont say what year. It is difficult without that one piece of essential information. In most cases there are no inside tail lights. The inside tail lights are back up lights. So we cant really understand what you are saying. They dont work with the tail lights or brake lights. My guess from the symptoms, there are two problems going on. One, there is power back there all of the time. That shouldn`t bee. So you are going to have to work that back to the source and see why. Second , there is probably a bad ground back there somewhere that makes the path to ground go through the other light socket.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,023
Likes: 6
From: Austin Tx
As asked earlier, if you gently pull up on the brake pedal, does the light go off?
My guess is that the brake switch adjustment was done when it was warm out, and now that it's colder, the return spring isn't pulling the pedal completly off the switch.
The switch is adjusted by two nuts. Loosen the outside lock nut, then loosen the inside nut (that will adjust the switch further away from the pedal), and then tighten the lock nut back on. Then check to see if the adjustment is correct, and the lights come on when you press the brake, and then go off when you release it.
My guess is that the brake switch adjustment was done when it was warm out, and now that it's colder, the return spring isn't pulling the pedal completly off the switch.
The switch is adjusted by two nuts. Loosen the outside lock nut, then loosen the inside nut (that will adjust the switch further away from the pedal), and then tighten the lock nut back on. Then check to see if the adjustment is correct, and the lights come on when you press the brake, and then go off when you release it.
