The brake lights do not work when pedal is depressed, nor do they work with the hazard flashers on. The flasheers, however, work normally in front (burn steady when brake pedal depressed, flash otherwise). The brake lights work normally when the turn signals are flashing.
The steering lock broke the other day when I was pressing the key release to turn the key to the lock position and remove. There was a substantial click, almost breaking-away sound, when I pushed down on the release. Could this have damaged the emergency flasher mechanism that lets the brake pedal over-ride it, faulting out the whole thing?
HINT The brake light signal goes from the brake pedal to the turn signal, to the brake lights. If the signals work okay in the front, but oddly in the rear, I'd suspect the turn signal switch first, and the brake switch second.
BEFORE I looked at any of that, I'd clean he BRAKE LAMP HOUSING grounds first, and put in KNOWN GOOD bulbs. Grounds, or the lack of them, is the biggest problem in the lighting circuits.
The brake lamp housings ground through one of the bolts that hold the housing to the fender.
Your brake lights shouldn't work with the hazard lights on, and the flasher shouldn't stall when you press the brake.
Do the brake lights come up a bright as they should be when they do work? If no, bad ground at the tail lights. If yes, bad signal light switch.
Does the non-signaling brake light pulse brighter and dimmer while the other signal light flashes? If yes, bad ground at the tail lights -- the lamps are stealing a ground from the front signal lights. If no, bad signal light switch.
Your dual-filament tail light assemblies take their ground from their mounting studs to the tub, and there is likely a layer of rust between them and a good electrical ground. You will probably break off the studs when you try to remove them, but the assemblies are simply Ford truck tail lights and are easy to get. There may have once been a ground strap that ran to a splash panel in the wheel box, both are likely now gone. Consider running a ground wire from a mounting stud to a fresh screw drilled into the frame for each tail light, no matter what the original fault turns out to be.
All power to the brake lights flows through the signal light switch. The switch determines whether power to the filaments comes through the brake light switch or through the flasher.
If you determine that the switch is the culprit, see my brief discussion on R/R the signal light switch here:
It doesn't seem likely to me that the two are related, but I'd be disinclined to drive any vehicle with loose parts floating around in the steering system, particularly those that involve locking the wheel.
-- "I defer to your plainly more vivid memories of topless women with whips....r" R. H. Draney recalls AFU in the Good Old Days.
First off I would be checking the bulbs. They do have a tendency to fail at or about the same time because they were originally installed at the same time.
Second the ground path for the brake lights goes through the fixture bolts, then through a wire mesh strap that runs from the rear of the head up to the firewall.
Are you saying the brake lights both work when you have the signals on?
The signals flash say right and the left brake light works and when the signals flash left, the right brake light works??? If so, you likely have a signal light switch failure.
I will second that is isn't safe to drive with a busted steering lock....
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
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