luthpontoo
New member
I have a 03 sprinter . My brake lights quit working . I replaced the bulbs and fuse what else could I be missing . HELP !
Thanks sailquik I just tried messing with the switch some , still no lights it could be the switch is bad I have 330,000 miles on this van . would you know how this switch is removed it hard too see and figure out . I dont want to force it and break it .
Thanks sailquik I just tried messing with the switch some , still no lights it could be the switch is bad I have 330,000 miles on this van . would you know how this switch is removed it hard too see and figure out . I dont want to force it and break it .
Maybe some info for ideas in this thread? Repairing a worn harness and wires seemed to cure their problem. Things that you related in your description may indicate some short that is affected by vehicle movement. vic...
any suggestions for this 03 2500 dodge???
Jeff
Sigh... intermittents are really frustrating to find (especially as you chew through blown fuses). started up put foot on break and blown fuse...
Sigh... intermittents are really frustrating to find (especially as you chew through blown fuses)
If (when?) i had this problem, i'd start by NOT replacing the fuse (for the nth time), and by unplugging the tail light unit.
That means you *only* have the wiring in the circuit.
Then i'd attach an ohmmeter to the "load" side of the fuse, with the other end connected to the car's metal.
Now have the assistant stomp on the brakes. Try it with engine running and engine stopped.
If you see the ohmmeter needle (numbers) change, you have a short circuit in the harness to the car's frame.
You could unplug the brake light switch and see if the short is between it and the rear of the car. (most likely)
If you don't see any meter reaction, go and test each taillight unit... *remove* the bulbs, and watch for continuity between the brake light pin and the ground pin. If there's no bulb, there should be no connectivity.
Since driving (or motor running) causes everything to vibrate/jiggle, a static ohmmeter test may not find the culprit.
The above tests (especially with an intermittent symptom) may not show anything, but they're better at locating the cause (cable? fuse block? tail lamp unit?) than guessing and blowing fuses.
Remember to NOT have the ohmmeter in-circuit on a POWERED circuit... it'll blow the meter. With power, you'd only use the voltmeter function.
good luck hunting
--dick
I never took the next step to long wires on the lamp. Great idea.With the bulb-as-fuse on a long wire, you can be your own "assistant".
I like it (especially the "dim-with-load, bright-with-short" additional test report)
--dick
Almost. It can be the wire itself or anything directly electrically connected to that wire such as lamp sockets, rear light assembly traces, etc. Don't forget that there is also a high mounted brake light unit too.is it correct to assume that the short in my break lights is the hot side wire grounding out to the body.
I'm not certain what you meant. It is possible to run a new separate wire to replace one that is known to be shorted or open. One problem in doing that is that you need to determine what taps off where in the harness and other parts.and could I use a jumper wire on the hot wire leading to the rear of the truck to count out shorts along the way that may be covered by the tape?? if I can do this... what color is the hot wire leading back to the brake lights??
sorry Im not real good with my shorts...LOL
thanks!!
Jeff
Well... yes... but chopping wires kinda sends shivers down my spine. IF you are inclined to do so please do this first. Double and triple check any trailer wiring you may have. Before actually chopping, disconnect the plugs to the right and left tail light assemblies. Disconnect the plug to the high brake light assembly. Then try a new fuse and your brake while moving test. If the fuse doesn't blow then stop because the problem is probably in one of the units you unplugged....
If i cut the Stop: L = Red/Blk, R = Blk/Red close to the front as I can, replace fuse and does not blow I can assume the short is from that point on back???
Thanks for the help my friends!!
Jeff
sure I agree with a good fix... just trying not to spend three days right now pulling apart all them wires and looking things over. I just really want to locate the trouble area and get hauling loads.. Once I know where the trouble is for sure I can plan a good fix... I rather find the trouble then to let the dealer @ 100.00 an hour.The *other* problem with just "replacing" the shorting wire is that the original wire is in a cable/bundle.
And that bundle is (obviously?) being worn/chafed through by something sharp.
So jumping around it with a new wire will certainly (we hope) fix *this week's* problem...
but who's to say whether or not *next week* will find the tail or turn signal wire finally getting cut through?
You can fix the symptom, or you can dig harder and fix the cause (put rubber on the sharp edge, smurf tube around the cable, or reroute the cable).
good luck
--dick