No Brake Lights?.. try this..

Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
Brake lights not working?.. try this..

I removed the brake light switch, took it apart, cleaned all contacts, put it back together, reinstalled, still doesnt work.. much head scratching.. remove brake light switch, take it apart, eventually realise that the contacts which look like ignition points are worn and my old eyes didnt spot a tiny gap between them.. now what?.. cant bend them in situ because if you bend one forward it bends the other back, cant get them out of the plastic switch casing to bend them.. more head scratching.. then Eureka!.. i remember that my daughter uses these tiny little elastic bands for her teeth braces. I put two bands on to pull the contacts together and work them down as far as they will go so that they dont fowl the plunger, back together, reinstall, i have brake lights!!!!!!

Note: when taking the switch apart the spring will fire the plunger into the next County if youre not holding onto it.
 
Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
Hey!.. i just posted a technical thread!.. how proud am i.. :LOL:

Yes, Yes, i know it involved fixing my car with elastic bands... please dont take my moment of triumph away from me!..
 
Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
Disclaimer: I and the CCCUK accept no responsibility whatsoever if the teeth brace bands melt, burst into flames and your car consequently, spectacularly explodes in a huge fireball and crashes head on into a school bus full of young Paralympians. Use this genius 'bodge it' fixing technique entirely at your own risk. :D
 
Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
The owner of a red 1981 Vette on General Grabbers (my cars cousin) followed me out of a car meet and alerted me when we stopped at a junction.
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Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
Emc said:
That seems a lot of work and fire risk for the sake of a new £9.99 switch
Click to expand...

I just put a couple of the bands under the kitchen grill on maximum, they melted after about five minutes but refused to catch fire. The fuse would let go long before a brake light switch ever got half that hot.
 
Daytona Vette

Daytona Vette

Well-known user
If you have no horn on your C3 and can not here the click of the horn relay - You probably have no brake lights - controlled by the same fuse for some C3s if not all C3s
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
When I got my C3, the brake lights only came on when the pedal was fully depressed. I wasn't aware of this, as despite the car just being MOT'd, the problem was not picked up - mostly because on the MOT they just floor the pedal and see if the lights work.

I only found out about the problem when either a mate or my wife was following me and noticed that I didn't seem to use my brakes that much. In reality I was, but the lights were other occasionally showing depending on how much pedal I used.

Mine is a 1968, so has the one year only brake pedal switch. So I had it checked by an auto electrician and then adjusted so that it worked properly again. 1968 brake light switches (at least at the time) are much more expensive compared to the 1969 onwards switches.
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Derek Nicol said:
A one year only brake pedal switch.. what kind of madness is that?..
Click to expand...
Part of the fun of a 1968 - it has many one year only parts. You see, way back in the 60s, Chevrolet wanted to make a fantastic new Corvette (the C3), and they knew that people would buy up a whole load of the first year models as they were gonna be keen to get the new fantastic shape of the C3. So they decided it would be a fun game to only use some parts for that first model just to annoy the people in the second hand market. From 1969 onwards they changed a lot of parts, and whilst doing it they laughed evilly at their cunning plan.

So if you want a 68 only brake switch, its two legs and an arm, instead of the £9.99 quoted by EMC above. If you want to open the door to your 68 only, you have to press the button, push the latch thing, do the hokey cokey, jump up and down twice, pull a little harder and then give up and try another day. On the plus side it makes it harder to steal, because even the owner can't get in. :ROFLMAO: ... oh and your 68 model came with 7 inch wheels as well, because who needs big wide rubber to put down V8 power?
 
Derek Nicol

Derek Nicol

Well-known user
CaptainK said:
If you want to open the door to your 68 only, you have to press the button, push the latch thing, do the hokey cokey, jump up and down twice, pull a little harder and then give up and try another day. On the plus side it makes it harder to steal, because even the owner can't get in. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...

Oh!!.. that explains it!.. some idiot has fitted a 68 door handle on my 81 drivers side door.
 
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