Stupid brake light

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Fri 11 Oct 2002 15:33
Stupid brake light - dave18
I need help here. 'Stupid' should probably be applied to me, but I can't work out why my brake light won't work. Its the offside one, my car's a K reg 309. Changed the bulb to find the original was fine. Fuse has to be fine as it looks after other items such as the stereo, which all work. Wiring on the light cluster looks ok and theres no corrosion where the bulb slots in. Any ideas? I need to fix it as I have a week to avoid prosecution for driving an unroadworthy car (gotta love the Welsh police, they must get very bored.)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 11 Oct 2002 15:41
Stupid brake light - Mark (RLBS)
Goodness knows what's wrong with it, but it can only be the earth or the live.

Stick another temporary earth wire on and see if it fixes it. If not, loop a live across from the other brake light and see if that works.

You can either leave one or other temporary wire in place, or at least have narrowed down what you're looking for.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 11 Oct 2002 15:45
Stupid brake light - Armitage Shanks{P}
I read what you are writing but I would have thought it very odd if anything to do with the exterior lights worked off the same fuse or circuit as your car radio! I have had cars where the lights left and right of the car have been on seperate circuits and fuses. What does 'Haynes' say on the subject? If Welsh plod-u-like has given you 7 days you might have to go an auto-electrician for a fix. Good luck in any event!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 11 Oct 2002 17:35
Stupid brake light - BrianW
If you have a faulty earth then quite often the brake or side light will flash in time with the indicator or else if you have the sidelights on and apply the brakes then the sidelight will go out without the brake light coming on.

Check out that you have power coming to the brake light terminal on the cluster by using a meter or spare bulb in a holder, if not work backwards to the fuse (identify and check fuse first).

Use Mark's tip of rigging up a temporary earth.

If all that checks out it is probably a poor contact within the cluster.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link