No brake lights.

What about the tail lights? Are they working? If so, did you verify that the electrical switch is indeed passing voltage?

The tail lights and hazard lights work. What electrical switch?

I just looked at my 1997, which is covered by the same electrical diagrams as your truck in the Chilton's manual. There is a relay in the circuitry. With the ignition key not even in the ignition, step on the brake pedal. It might help to pop the hood up. If the relay is working, you'll hear a "tick" kind of noise if things are working properly. Normally you won't hear it because the engine is running.

If the relay ticks, and the lights don't work- The problem is between the relay and the lights.

If the relay doesn't tick, the problem is between the pedal and the relay. Or it could be a bad relay.

Electrical problems suck, no question about it.

You wrote 'all three', The two brake lights are on a circuit going through the turn signal switch. The third, light behind the cab is on it's own circuit. If all three, it has to be voltage from the brake pedal switch. Could it have been knocked loose?

knocked loose? Do you mean the little "c" clip that attaches to the pedal? The clip is still on.

"Bill" wrote in message news:J6gPg.1238$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews1.bellsouth.net...

There is no "button" that activates the switch. There are two basic kinds of switches, normally off, like the head light switch, turn signals, cruise control, and the light switch at your house, you have to activate it to turn something on. the other type is normally on, you have to do something to turn it off. The brake light switches on most modern vehicles are normally on, when the pedal is released it depresses the "button" as you called it and turns them off, just like the switches for the interior lights when you open the vehicle door. Some mid year fords(mid 60's to mid 80's) used normally off, these were odd looking and instead of mounting on a bracket, they actually mounted to the pedal pivot pin. Early vehicles used a "hob's" style pressure switch mounted in the hydraulic system, when you pushed the pedal, brake fluid pressure activate the switch. They had a bad habit of leaking at the worst time. This is the same design Ford is using for the cruise cut off switch that is giving them fits. Honda in all it's so called infinite wisdom mounts the brake light switch to a bracket like everyone else, but the pedal arm has a bracket on one side with a hole in it filled by a plastic plug that the "button" on the switch rests against when the brakes aren't applied. With age the plastic plug breaks and lights wont turn off, because the "button" is centered over and smaller than the hole in the bracket.

Whitelightning

Not the c clip, the button that activates when you depress the brake pedal.

OK

Do you know the part # ? Is it hard to install? Do you have a link of what the pedal assembly looks like? I don't have a repair manual.

All three are out. I have replaced the "c" clip before, when I first bought the truck. The PO had it rigged with wire. I just bought the clip and put it on. I will check the plug to see if it is disconnected. I was replying to what Whitelightning said about the plastic plug being broke.

What I was referring to is under the dash, where the brake pedal attaches, or hinges. There is a plug there with several wires coming out of.

I know in the past, my foot has caught the wires and that may be the cause of your problems.

I don't remember if you answered about the three? Are all the brake lights out in the rear? Including the one on the top of the cab?

Thanks for all of the suggestions, it was the brake light switch. After I installed the new switch, I disassembled the old one. There are accually 3 switches in one. The one that activates the brake lights was almost completely broke off.