In a message dated 8/3/2000 7:55:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
RedTriumphTr6@aol.com wrote:
> Listeners, My car's brake lights went out last night. Fuse is okay.
What
> should I check next? Would a burned out brake light lamp/bulb cause
failure
>
> to the other light/all lights? Suggestions for what I would assume is a
> common/simple repair? By the way, no rain/leakage into the tail light
lenses
> ever, far as I can tell.
Bob,
Chances are, your switch is bad. To test it, pull the green and the
green/purple wires from the switch and connect them together (you may have to
use a short piece of wire to do this). With the key on, do the lights work
now? If so, your wiring is OK, and either your switch is bad, misadjusted,
or the connections to the switch are bad.
If the lights don't work when you connect the G and the G/P wires together,
you have a wiring problem. First, test for 12 volts on the Green wire (with
the key on). If you don't have 12 volts here, check the green wiring from the
fuse to the switch, looking for breaks or bad connections. If you do have 12
volts, then there is a break or a bad connection in the G/P wire from the
switch to the rear of the car.
Generally, in spite of a bad rap, Lucas components are actually quite good.
One of the exceptions is the brake switch. I recommend following Peter
Zaborski's example, and get a replacement switch. I took mine to the local
auto parts store, and asked the counter man to find me one just like it. I
didn't come up with an exact replacement, but I got one from a GM car that
only required me to file a flat spot on the threads to match the "D" shaped
mounting hole. That was about 8 years ago, after my third Lucas Switch, with
no problems yet. The switch Peter found is probably a better choice.
Dan Masters
Triumph TR 250 - TR6 Electrical Maintenance Handbook
http://members.aol.com/danmas6/
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