[buggzz]

Ok, This is a weird one. I have searched but didn't find anything relevant.

My brakes work fine, but the brake lights don't come on unless I stop a little harder than usual. I can drive up, stop and sit at a light with the pedal depressed an inch or 2, but the brake lights are not on. pressing the pedal another 1/4" triggers the lights just fine. Is there an adjustment or Any ideas?

 

[rightofway]

look up under the dash at the pedal the switch it mounted on it and IIRC it's threaded for adjustability

 

[93Beast]

There is something wrong with your brake light switch underneath the pedal. Either its not in the right location or its going bad???

 

[rightofway]

also i wrecked a volvo once but before that i slammed on the brake hard enough to bend the pedal and the switch mount, it caused the lights to stay on, something may be bent causing them to not come on when they're supposed to

 

[waltman]

Ok, This is a weird one. I have searched but didn't find anything relevant.

My brakes work fine, but the brake lights don't come on unless I stop a little harder than usual. I can drive up, stop and sit at a light with the pedal depressed an inch or 2, but the brake lights are not on. pressing the pedal another 1/4" triggers the lights just fine. Is there an adjustment or Any ideas?

Are you sure about that? I first noticed with my 91 Ranger that if you step on the brakes and then release ever so slightly, your brake light will turn off and the same applies with my 89 Bronco.

 

[SigEpBlue]

Get a brake light switch for an F-350. Its internal spring is a much lower k-rate (easier to compress).

 

[rightofway]

Get a brake light switch for an F-350. Its internal spring is a much lower k-rate (easier to compress).

don't be bringing all that physics K values and such into this forum:rofl:
why do the different trucks have different springs? seems ford coulda cheaped out and used one for all

 

[buggzz]

Are you sure about that? I first noticed with my 91 Ranger that if you step on the brakes and then release ever so slightly, your brake light will turn off and the same applies with my 89 Bronco.

I just went out and took a good look (by flashlight) and it looks like the brake light switch rides along with the pedal lever, right where it connects to the booster rod. I guess it depends on a little bit of slack in the booster rod linkage to actuate. I hope you understand what I am saying. The switch is not hardmounted to the dash, it rides along with the brake pedal lever, all the way to the floor. The booster rod linkage has I guess an oval hole in the brake pedal lever, and it depends on the pedal to move forward before the booster rod is pushed forward.

The lever should move forward, and activate the switch, THEN start to push the booster rod forward. I guess I have a sticky switch which is riding along with the pedal lever until I add the "pushback" pressure of the booster.

I guess I need a new switch. I will try the F350 switch idea, and update the thread.

 

[bronco1]

Try brake light switch Ford motorcraft number "sw2237"This switch has a fairly light spring in it.

 

[buggzz]

I just went out and took a good look (by flashlight) and it looks like the brake light switch rides along with the pedal lever, right where it connects to the booster rod. I guess it depends on a little bit of slack in the booster rod linkage to actuate. I hope you understand what I am saying. The switch is not hardmounted to the dash, it rides along with the brake pedal lever, all the way to the floor. The booster rod linkage has I guess an oval hole in the brake pedal lever, and it depends on the pedal to move forward before the booster rod is pushed forward.

The lever should move forward, and activate the switch, THEN start to push the booster rod forward. I guess I have a sticky switch which is riding along with the pedal lever until I add the "pushback" pressure of the booster.

I guess I need a new switch. I will try the F350 switch idea, and update the thread.

OK, so time for an update. I went to my friendly pull-n-save junkyard and grabbed a brakelight switch from an F150 and from an f350. The f350 switch is sprung much lighter, just like you guys said.

first I put on the f150 switch, which is identical to the bronco switch (no big surprise there). but the brake lights still acted like before, I have to press the pedal a little harder than "stopped at a light" to get the brake lights to light.

I pulled the little black plastic busing off of the brake pedal pin to give it a little more play before the pedal started pushing the booster rod forward. This made a big difference, but still not as fast of a reaction as I wanted (have to push the pedal about 1" before the lights come on, but lights are on before the brakes start grabbing.)

Then I put the f350 switch on with the bushing. Same results as before, I have to press harder than "stopped at a light" to get brake lights. tried the f350 switch without the bushing, and voila! If I press the brake pedal about 1/4" I get brakelights. the lights stay on until I take my foot off the pedal, and I don't get any "false" brakelights over bumps or traintracks.

So here is my question. what gives? Is my brake booster/master cylinder getting so easy to push in that it is unable to trigger the brake lights when the bushing is installed? If so, which do I need, a booster or a m. cylinder? It is like the brake system is too compliant to the pedal input to trigger the switch.

 

[secondchance]

YEP! They do that and aggravate the $#!t out of ya! I found it handy though when an ass wont quit tailgating!

 

[StrokinBronco408]

yeah probably the brake switch, they not much money

 

[89Bronco91]

What's going on guys? I just saw this thread and it answered my prayers, this is the exact info that i needed. Thanks for the helpful info.

 

[cbholloway]

One note on this. I am also having that same issue and have found out the hard way that the brake switch also controls when the transmission needs to "let go". I was coming off the free way in OD and had to lock up the brakes, because someone stopped in front of me. Apparently the switch didn't react fast enough (or at all) because my brakes locked up but the transmission didn't let go, causing my OD to become nonexistent and a wonderful clusterf*** of metal chunks in my transmission pan.

In other words, if you have the issue, get it fixed! If you dont want to find out what I did

 

[eaglesoaring]

never new that Thanks for the info

 

[HawkBratt4]

I am having this exact problem with my 99 grand marquis.... replaced switch... lights started working right ... now its back to they only come on after I stop and push a little further down on pedal????? what do I need to do???

 

[Rragnar1488]

One note on this. I am also having that same issue and have found out the hard way that the brake switch also controls when the transmission needs to "let go". I was coming off the free way in OD and had to lock up the brakes, because someone stopped in front of me. Apparently the switch didn't react fast enough (or at all) because my brakes locked up but the transmission didn't let go, causing my OD to become nonexistent and a wonderful clusterf*** of metal chunks in my transmission pan.

In other words, if you have the issue, get it fixed! If you dont want to find out what I did

That is horrible about your transmission, but if that were true there would be a failed tranny each time one of these $5 switches failed or fell off or what have you.
To the OP; please stay calm, your transmission is safe. The brake light switch did it no harm.

 

[kyle55]

Was there ever a fix to this? Im having the same issue with my 1993 Bronco and need the lights to come on when I press the brakes just slightly.

 

[445 FE Bronco]

The switch somtimes breaks or moves in the bracket that holds it. The way I always set them was to push it all the way in and it would slide in the bracket by itself kinda in a ratcheting kinda deal. The plastic in the old switch gets old and hard then they no longer hold the correct position or when the brake pedal goes to the floor from a brake failure the switch gets knocked out of place.