Brake light won't go on

Hi,

On my 84 caprice, brake light recently quit working. Bulbs are fine.
Emergency flasher, turn signals and lamp works.
I guess the brake light switch has a problem. How can check it ?

There is a brake light switch on the brake pedal arm. It's just a make / brake contact switch. Sometimes a little WD40 or similar sprayed on the switch will do the trick or you may have to replace. They are not expensive.

Tom

Shnalla wrote:

Hi,

On my 84 caprice, brake light recently quit working. Bulbs are fine.
Emergency flasher, turn signals and lamp works.
I guess the brake light switch has a problem. How can check it ?

It's one of those problems where you need to stick your head under the dash and look at the switch,.
you can push it out of its bracket,.it has a plunger, i,m not sure if yours will have a torque converter lockup plug too,..pull the plug off and jump the wires with a paper clip,. if the brake lights come on then you know you have 12v,. if no power check the fuse

Thanks for your help!
To be honest I really hate electrical issues...

The brake light switch looks exactly like that (two plugs)


Tom, I will try the paper clip trick

OK, I'll ask the D'Oh questions...I assume both brake lights are out, not just one side, correct? Do you have a circuit tester? If not, a trip to the local Bauhaus may be in order. A multi-tester (VOM) is not expensive and they are very useful for troubleshooting voltage/continuity issues. Have you tried a new bulb or two? Filament breaks are not always visible to the naked eye. Same goes for faulty fuses.

dmg4 wrote:

OK, I'll ask the D'Oh questions...I assume both brake lights are out, not just one side, correct?  Do you have a circuit tester?  If not, a trip to the local Bauhaus may be in order.  A multi-tester (VOM) is not expensive and they are very useful for troubleshooting voltage/continuity issues.  Have you tried a new bulb or two?  Filament breaks are not always visible to the naked eye.  Same goes for faulty fuses.

Yep, both brake lights are out (did check bulbs & sockets).
And yes, I have a circuit tester, I'll re check both bulbs and fuses. Then I'll try brake light switch.

I spent some time under the dash and managed to open the brake light switch.
It's really a simple mechanical switch. After cleaning every metal brushes inside, it finally works fine!

Problem solved! Thank you all for your help