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Cougar brake lights out

T

TourDeForce

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Mar 4, 2003
Messages
2,149
Location
West Palm Beach, FL
Brake lights stopped working in the Cougar.

Bulbs OK. Fuses OK. Switches on the pedal are OK - I even swapped them out with my Contour switches.

Is there a relay or sup'm that I need to check or is my wiring fubar?
 
What year, engine and tranny?

Edit. For a 2002, check Fuse 24 (15 AMP).
 
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Recently my bros Coog had his rear running lights out and after checking everything you did, he replaced the headlight switch and it turned them back on, the brake lights worked and everything, just saying that if you can't find a fuse or anything that will fix it, you may want to get the HL switch checked out.
 
DanMyers said:
Recently my bros Coog had his rear running lights out and after checking everything you did, he replaced the headlight switch and it turned them back on, the brake lights worked and everything, ....
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Yes, that is usually indicative of the Headlamp Switch. There is a recall for some years. 99S14.
 
Tony2005 said:
Yes, that is usually indicative of the Headlamp Switch. There is a recall for some years. 99S14.
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Not my deal though. I don't think the brake lights are wired through the headlight switch. Should be totally independent.... And all other lights are working.

Decided to take the Cougar to the dealership nearby to have them troubleshoot it. I'm thinkin' it might be a PCM issue that the dealer would be best at repairing, or there is a wiring problem that I must track and/or just replace the freakin' car. I'm gonna double check the grounding all over the car tonight before I give it up to the dealer.
 
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"Not my deal though. I don't think the brake lights are wired through the headlight switch. Should be totally independent.... And all other lights are working."
Correct. I was only refering to DanMyer's issue when I replied on that post.

"I'm thinkin' it might be a PCM issue"
It should not be.
 
Welp, got the news from the dealer today. There is a partially melted harness and a fried controller module. I was told the cost for repair would be $4200 !!!!!

So I'll be picking up the car today and paying the $89 diagnostic fee. Worth it. The tech is supposed to show me where the problem is, and I'll take a crack at it myself via bone-yard harness & controller.

That $4200 estimate is supposed to include 12 hours for labor. That leaves about $3000 for parts??? WTF? Dealer just doesn't want to fuss with it, I guess. Maybe they're trying to recoupe their diagnostic time, but still... $4200 is CRAZY.
 
TourDeForce said:
Welp, got the news from the dealer today. There is a partially melted harness and a fried controller module. I was told the cost for repair would be $4200 !!!!!

So I'll be picking up the car today and paying the $89 diagnostic fee. Worth it. The tech is supposed to show me where the problem is, and I'll take a crack at it myself via bone-yard harness & controller.

That $4200 estimate is supposed to include 12 hours for labor. That leaves about $3000 for parts??? WTF? Dealer just doesn't want to fuss with it, I guess. Maybe they're trying to recoupe their diagnostic time, but still... $4200 is CRAZY.
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Forget that! If it were my car, I'd run a wire under the carpet from the brake switch (BOO switch) to the brake lights wire in the trunk.
 
Tony2005 said:
Forget that! If it were my car, I'd run a wire under the carpet from the brake switch (BOO switch) to the brake lights wire in the trunk.
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That was an option, however after I got the car home....

I pulled the pigtail harness that attaches to the brake light & shifter release switch, and I also pulled the module for the bulb monitoring system. The tech had showed me the module & at least one of the contacts was VERY fried. Melted the connector around it.

I checked to make sure the harness was still sound with my multi-meter and then tore into the module. I cleaned it up around that one contact, re-soldered the connection, and re-installed everything. I also made sure the female connector pins were nice & snug by crimping them closed as much as I dared.

The lights are now working again. Everything works. YAY ME! One of the backup lights comes on with the brakes, but I don't care.

By the way, the estimate was about right considering the main harness they wanted to replace listed for over $2500 by itself. Then another $131 for the module, etc, etc.

Meh. All worked out in the end.
 
You had a very caring technician. He understood that the cost was high enough that you may not have wanted to proceed with the repair so he helped you understand your options.

Congratulations on mostly resolving the problem yourself. I would continue to pursue the back-up light problem though, or at least disconnect the offending one.

If your technician is a beer drinker, drop of a six pack for him to show your appreciation. If he is not a beer drinker, find out his favorite soft drink and drop of a six or twelve pack of that.
 
Big Jim said:
You had a very caring technician. He understood that the cost was high enough that you may not have wanted to proceed with the repair so he helped you understand your options.
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True. He spent a little time with me to explain the problems in the system. The dealer actually had shop supervisors & a remote Ford troubleshooting team in on this. Lotsa work went into the diagnostic.

Big Jim said:
If your technician is a beer drinker, drop of a six pack for him to show your appreciation. If he is not a beer drinker, find out his favorite soft drink and drop of a six or twelve pack of that.
Click to expand...

Damn good idea. I think I'll do that. Guess I didn't think about it because the problem wasn't actually solved, but it certainly helped.

I've done such things like that in the past - like the Hydraline guys that put a new hose onto the fittings for my BMW tranny lines for $5 instead of the $200 each that the dealer wanted for replacements. I left a tip & sent them pizza next day for lunch.
 
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