There have been a few post that are similiar but not quite. I recently replaced both my brake booster and master cylander.

My Brake lights won't turn off. Is the switch above the brake pedal bad? How do I test it?

If I push the plunger on the switch - it has no effect. If the rover is running the brake lights are always on.


Thoughts?

 

If you disconnect the connector, do the lights go off?

 

Reading another thread - I think I am screwing around with the wrong switch. Is the brakelight switch different than the Cruzecontrol switch ? the switch im looking at has a vacuumm line on it.

 

there are two switches on your brake pedal arm. The one on the bottom with the black vacuum hose on it is for (as you noted) disconnecting your CC if you tap the brakes.

The uppermost switch with 4 wires is the brake light switch. As Jafir "lemmie tell ya somethin 'bout OIL" noted, if you unplug the switch from its plug the lights should go out. if NOT then you have a short somewheres y'all.

 

So - if this Upper switch doesnt affect lights when manually depressing with finger - its bad. Otherwise if it works it needs to be re-seated. If it is removed and lights are stillon - then it is a short somewhere.

Correct?

 

Pretty much. Do you have a multimeter? If not, you get a decent one at Lowe's for about 30 bucks or less. You can use it to read across the switch contacts as you manually activate the plunger.

For them to be on all the time, it sounds like the switch is closed no matter what is going on. However, if you can remove the switch, and they are still on, you got power shorted to the brake lights, which is less likely.

 

sort of... it is actually the other way around. when the plunger is released and the plunger moves OUT the switch is activated and the lights will illuminate. So if you remove the switch but keep the wires on it the lights will be ON.


When the plunger is all the way IN (Brake pedal NOT depressed) your lights will be off.

Look at how the switches and pedal are configured... no really... look up in there. As the pedal moves away from the switch it is activated / closes the circuit electrically speaking.

You could very well just have a bad mount on that switch now that I think about it... if the plunger is allowed to extend at all the lights will be on.

 

I'm hoping that I just bumped it out of allignment with brake pedal.

 

Cosmo, thanks for the clarification, I was speaking in general terms.

 

It's cool... just to be sure you can pull the switch out and test its contuinity with a MM like Danny suggested.

Those little lock tabs on those switches are somewhat brittle and can break easily. check that it is located in the mount bracket snugly with no slop or wigglation... I just made that word up!