Brake lights not working. Any help please??

So, as stated my brake lights do not work. They were working fine, then the problem started and they would only work if you pressed the brake pedal quite hard, then really hard, then they just stopped working. The reverse lights don't come on either and they used to work fine, but also my nearside rear driving light doesn't come on even though the bulb is fine. All a bit weird.

So I checked the switch attached to the cyclinder and one of the prongs had snapped off. Replaced it and it still doesn't work. I've connected the part of the block that attaches to the prongs that snapped off to the battery and the light come on, all the earthing and connections to light cluster is ok so am now at a bit of a loss.


Help.

Have you tried bridging the connector on the switch?
If you unplug the connector and short the two pins, your brake lights should come on. If they do your switch is faulty, if they don't then you have other wiring issues.
I think it is also possible for the switch to misbehave if there is a bit of air trapped behind it.

Cheers

Alvie said

Have you tried bridging the connector on the switch?
If you unplug the connector and short the two pins, your brake lights should come on. If they do your switch is faulty, if they don't then you have other wiring issues.
I think it is also possible for the switch to misbehave if there is a bit of air trapped behind it.

Cheers

i have a switch if it turns out to be that !!

Have u got power at the back lights  when the switch is on? If so maybe an earth?

yeah bridged the pins and the lights came on so I know everything else is fine. Replaced the switch and they still don't work so not sure if there is now trapped air.

Suggestions??

Did you bleed the brakes after you fitted the switch ? That might get rid of any trapped air if there is any.
You might get away with loosening the switch, carefully pushing a bit of fluid out of the thread and then screwing the switch back in. Obviously a small travel of the pedal will generate fairly high pressure, so using the switch as a bleed nipple might not be the safest way to do it.

Or, maybe take the switch out, fill the hole to the neck with brake fluid and then put the switch back in.

Also possible that the new switch doesn't work / is the wrong type. I'm afraid don't know if there are different types, but I would guess not.


Cheers

yeah did think about trapped air but won't know until weekend as can't do it in the dark. Humbug.

worst case fit a later cabby/scirocco brake pedal switch, have heard some french cars have one which is pretty easy to fit

mk1's don't have a switch at the pedals. Do they??

tintops no, but later scirocco and cabrio do

so after all the chat, and my usual antics of jumping in at the deep end, it turned out to be the fuse   . Surprised no one thought of that before. Unless you all assumed that I would have checked that first. Doh!!

So no trapped air, all switches work, but they needed replacing anyway so doesn't matter.

Moral of the story. Always check the fuses first if you have an electrical problem.