new clue to '90 245 brake lights

Start by cleaning the ends of all the fuses and the contacts, then check the ground wires at the tail lights where they connect to the body. I've seen dirty fuses and bad grounds cause some of the strangest problems, the current finds other paths to complete the circuit.

James Sweet wrote: : AND Books wrote: :> i posted this question sev weeks ago w/o any reply, :> :> problem is that my '90 245 has brake-lights on all of the time... i finger :> checke the brake area w/o any new discovery... ya, i've gotten honks and :> folks yelling about the lights being on all of the time... :> :> it would be easier if they never came on and i could track it to a problem :> brake-lite switch... :> :> then, tonight my wife drove me to a neighbor's house and i noticed that :> *after* the engine was off, the radio continued to play! while she pressed :> on the brake, *and* that the brake lights remained on until she stepped off :> of it. That tells me that the brake light switch works, but i am still in :> the twilight zone as to why they are on all the time when the car is running! :> :> any suggestion(s) would be appreciated... :> :>

: Start by cleaning the ends of all the fuses and the contacts, then check : the ground wires at the tail lights where they connect to the body. I've : seen dirty fuses and bad grounds cause some of the strangest problems, : the current finds other paths to complete the circuit.

thanks! i just got done doing all that w/o any change... my main clue is that the radio and brake lights kick on when i hit the pedal without any ignition... it's a challenge... my '86 245 nor any previous volvos never had this problem...

your advice/suggestion makes good sense! i'll stay with it.

ya, the only solution i found is to drive with headlights on and hit the fog-light switch when i brake... it's funny, cause i light-up big time whenever i brake! :)

janos sz

Hmmm... well, the next thing I'd do is look at the wiring around the brake light switch to see if something has chafed, you could also check the bulb failure sensor since many of the lighting circuits go through it. This is a canister slightly larger than a D battery clipped up under the edge of the dash on the driver's side.

It would be interesting to note whether the warning lights come on when the ignition is off and the brakes are pressed. It seems there is a short between the brake light line (the switched part) and either the accessory or ignition bus.

Come to think of it, maybe you can get a good clue by pulling fuses to determine which one will kill the brake lights when the engine is on. Sounds like the radio fuse is a good place to start.

One other thought, although it seems like a long shot on this one... whenever I am faced with real electrical weirdness I like to verify the engine-chassis ground connection. It's notorious for really weird interactions. My motorhead brother used to work in a shop that specialized in audio system installations in upscale cars. He completed one, but the customer brought it back because it didn't work at all. Huh. Works in the shop, not on the road. Aha! Works when the parking brake is on, but not when it is released! The engine ground failed and the ground connection that the sound system relied on was only completed when the parking brake cable was drawn up tight.

Mike