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Brake Lights

B

Big Jim

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Sep 3, 2000
Messages
2,899
Location
Thousand Oaks, California, USA
I just discovered that my brake lights don't work. I did a search and didn't find anything definitive so I thought I would see if someone else has run ito the same thing.

The regular brake lights don't work, but the 3rd brake light does. The turn signals are fine and the 4 way flashers are fine. So the bulbs are OK since the turn signals and 4 ways work. The brake light switch is OK since the 3rd brake light comes on and the speed control cancels when the brake pedal is tapped.

At this point I'm most suspicious of the turn signal switch but before I tear into it I thought I would ask if anyone remembers seeing these symptoms before.
 
I'd certainly be suspect of the MFS, at this point. They aren't terribly expensive, even new, and removing it is a relatively quick and painless prcedure. I wouldn't be hesitant, with the prior troubleshooting you've already done, to replace the MFS at this point.
 
Jim,
are you sure that it's not the bulbs? IIRC, they have 2 elements in them. One for turn and another for brake maybe? I'm not sure what is what.



But, and here's the weird part, I grabbed a turn signal and wiper stalks this morning when I was at the junkyard as a just in case part to have. If you do need them, let me know. I only paid $15 which I'm sure is cheaper than FORD OEM.
 
Also, Jim, check the steering column half of the connection. The pins tend to "bend" out and thus cause a loose connection. simply pressing them inwards to re-tighten the gap proves helpful to recreate a tight connection when plugged in.

Just something to keep in mind in case you pull it and find nothing loose or burnt, etc, and to remind you that it could still NOT be the MFS. I'd hate for you to replace it and have no positive results because it was the other half of the connection.
 
brake lights

brake lights

I had a similar problem with a 89 grand marquis. check the contacts in the steering column for the 4 way flasher connection. If you need a wiring diagram check the library for a mitchell book and make a copy of the page. Once I cleaned the connections (they were tarnished badly and greasy) the brake lights worked fine.
Frank
 
I checked it out. It is a connector problem. I can't get the connector out of the shell to work with it. It is not a tight connection. It doesn't clamp down tightly on the pin in the switch.

I was able to somewhat collapse the connector in the shell, but I think it is just a temporary fix.

I really need a replacement shell with the connectors included. It is the three wire connector at the switch. The offending circuit is the middle of the three.
 
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