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    brake lights stuck ON

    Yesterday when I got to work my brake lights wouldn't turn off. Pulled the fuse to avoid battery drain. When I left work, I put the fuse back in and backed the car up to a window so I could see the reflection. The brake lights were again stuck ON, but if I fiddled with the pedal I could get them to momentarily turn off. I carefully drove home. When i got home the brake light switch was burning hot to the touch. Pulled the fuse again.

    Today I put in a new brake light switch. Put the fuse in. Brake lights still stuck on. Switch heating up.

    Any thoughts on what to check?

    #2
    Does pulling upward on the pedal kick the lights off? I don't recall if there is any adjustment on that switch, but maybe its not quite right. The switch is a little marginal, so having the lights on long term will make it hot. If the switch is only barely made, that can also make it get quite hot.
    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

    Comment


      #3
      Just barely. But there's no adjustment on the switch. I don't understand what changed suddenly that causes two different switches to do this.

      Gonna get out there with my voltmeter and stare at the car for a while and hope that fixes it.

      Comment


        #4
        No chance your master cylinder or booster mounting bolts have come loose is there? That might possibly cause the pedal to not return fully.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

        Comment


          #5
          Well, if you are looking for the biggest nitwit that ever picked up a wrench, you can call off the search. Cuz he is I and I is him.

          When I swapped out the switch on Saturday morning, I was in a hurry. Right after I pulled out the retainer clip, it shot out of my needlenose pliers and I had to scramble to find it. Finished the job and checked it, and as I mentioned, the problem wasn't fixed.

          Saturday evening I grabbed the voltmeter and crawled back under there. Pulled the switch out and tested it. Dead short. What the hell, the brand new switch was bad too? Then I noticed the Ford emblem on it. In my haste that morning I had pulled the old switch out and put it right back in after temporarily losing the clip.

          I put the new switch in and it's golden. Thanks for the replies.

          Comment


            #6
            DOH!

            At least it's fixed now.

            Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
            rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
            Originally posted by gadget73
            ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
            Originally posted by dmccaig
            Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

            Comment


              #7
              Hahaha! Sounds like something I would do.
              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

              Comment


                #8
                If that was not the case finding the issue would have been interesting to say the least.
                ~David~

                My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                Originally posted by ootdega
                My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                Originally posted by gadget73
                my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                Comment


                  #9
                  I'll admit guilt on that. I've taken bad parts out and re-installed them more than once.
                  86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                  5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                  91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                  1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                  Originally posted by phayzer5
                  I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Exactly 5 months later the problem has returned. What the hell. I guess the O'Reilly switch I put in has already taken a crap.

                    I wonder if a relay on the stop light circuit would help the switch live longer?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by pollock View Post
                      Exactly 5 months later the problem has returned. What the hell. I guess the O'Reilly switch I put in has already taken a crap.

                      I wonder if a relay on the stop light circuit would help the switch live longer?
                      did you buy the "cheap" one?.....if so, take it back (it should be under warranty)...and buy the BWD one
                      I'm not completely oblivious to reality, I just choose to reject it when it doesn't line up with my opinions. (thanx Thain!)

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Bad-Driver1 View Post
                        did you buy the "cheap" one?
                        Hellllllllllllll no.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by pollock View Post
                          Hellllllllllllll no.
                          ....LMAO.....the one you have is under warranty....return it....get your Cash back, or get another
                          I'm not completely oblivious to reality, I just choose to reject it when it doesn't line up with my opinions. (thanx Thain!)

                          Comment


                            #14
                            This is why I always try to find lifetime warranty stuff.

                            Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                            rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                            Originally posted by gadget73
                            ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                            Originally posted by dmccaig
                            Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Mostly unrelated but since we mentioned the whole remove bad parts thing only to reinstall bad parts this is fitting. Ashley did that the other week with the dash speakers in her Town Car. She was upgrading to the factory JBL ones but only installed one of them despite removing both of the old ones. I saw it hanging out on the floor and had to ask her how it sounded and she was like, "It sounds so much better now!" It was about that time I started laughing and picked up the JBL speaker from the floor and showed it to her Talk about placebo effect haha.

                              Sent from mah phonic while eating biscuits & French-fried taters mm-hmm.
                              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

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