brake light troubles (again)

[Nicholas D]

Hello everyone, having an issue with my son's '89 Ranger that I'm hoping I can get some advice on. Basically, all the lights function except the brake lights. The hazards work as well, as I know these two systems share a fuse. A couple of weeks ago they quit working and it turned out to be the brake light switch under the pedal. I bypassed the switch and they worked, so it got replaced with a new one and it worked as it should for a few weeks. They quit working again but this time when I bypass the switch they still don't work. I guess the next step will be to check the wiring going into the brake light switch with a multimeter to make sure there is power at least this far. It's a real head scratcher and just curious if anyone else has experience with this. We had to replace the multifunction switch a year ago for another issue, and I don't think this switch would cause the brake light issue, but I am not sure. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Gotta get this beauty back on the road!

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Nice truck! Is there a brake light fuse?

 

[Nicholas D]

There is and it is shared with the hazards, which work. We checked the fuse already and it's good.

 

[RobbieD]

With a meter, check that power is going into the brake light switch, and then coming out when the pedal is pressed.

If that's good, the next thing is to check for is brake light light on power going into, and out of the multifunction switch (aka "turn signals") on the steering column. The brake light circuit passes through the multifunction switch, and they can get "finicky" with age. Check the terminals in the connectors there, too.

 

[Nicholas D]

Okay, thank you. Last time when I used a jumper wire to bypass the brake light switch I got brake lights back, so I knew the switch was bad. This time when I jump it I still don't get brake lights so I believe the switch is good. Sounds like I need to check for power at the switch plug and then go from there. Like I said, we replaced the multifunction switch a year ago but that really means nothing. Seems new parts are just a roll of the dice. We'll check this evening and see where we're at. Thanks again!