Hey

For sometime my RHS brake light has not functioned on my 1998 EL Fairmont Ghia sedan.

I doubt that the brake switch is faulty as the LHS and parcel shelf brake lights function correctly.

I have seen several Falcons on the road that seem to have the same problem.

I just tested the connector and wiring and both seem to be dead.

Any ideas?

the wiring is dead? sounds like you have a fault somehwere, perhaps just a new harness could fix it.
are you able to check the wiring back further somewhere?

I've checked for current at the following places:

(1) Bulb Connector
(2) Both Sides of the Harness Connector
(3) Wire Behind the Harness Connector

There appears to be no current running through the positive wire for the RHS brake light.

Looks like I might be visiting an Auto Electrician

I just had a look at the Ford Manual and it shows all the brake lights are tied into a single line from the brake light switch.

So maybe instead of trying to find the fault by pulling the car apart to trace back the cable, an easier option might be to just tap into the LHS brake light wire and run a wire across to the RHS..

While that doesn't exactly fix the problem it's an easy way around it.

Excellent Thinking!

If Only I Could Come Up With Ideas Like That!

Thanks Mate!

Any suggestion as to which sort of wire I should be using and exactly how I should tap into the LHS positive wire? Sorry, I do not know much about electronics.

Well for wire size just go with a size similar (or bigger) to what's already in the car.
Any auto store should have rolls of standard auto wire or trailer wire.

As for tapping in, there are a number of different ways.
Here are 3 ways of doing it at least that I've used at different times.



First up all these connectors come in different sizes for the appropriate sized wire!!!!

Way 1: cut the wire you want to tap (red) strip and twist the ends together then using the clear connectors push the wires in and screw them down.
Or if using the white and grey connectors, they just screw onto the wires that are twisted together.

Way 2: These are probably the easiest way but are only good if the wire sizes are the same.. Just slip the wires into the connector and crimp together. It's important that you use the correct sized connectors here, If you use one that is too big then it probably wont pierce the insulation. Using one that's too small will probably cause the wires to be cut in half (causing more problems than your trying to fix)

Way 3: This way requires a soldering iron, but it's my preferred way.
Just strip back some insulation from the wire your tapping into, wrap the jumper wire around and solder the connection. And wrap with elecy tape.

There are dozens of different ways to go about it as I'm sure other members will point out but that's a quick run down.

Each way has it's plus and minus's but if done properly anyway works fine..
And which ever way I use I like to wrap the elecy tape around any connections I have to make.

So I hope that helps

Thank you so much for your suggestions, especially the effort you went to with the photograph! It has made things much clearer.

I think I will go with the soldering iron. I just need to learn how to solder. It is a useful skill I have been meaning to try and learn for a long time but have never got round to.

Wish me luck! hehe

Couple of things to check before you go ahead with the wiring (I know you say you've checked):

1. Are you sure the RH brakelight filament isn't blown, i.e. Parkers may work still - being a dual filament bulb this is possible. Why don't you swap LH & RH bulbs and see if the problem is fixed.

2. The brakelight wiring is green/red and should be easy to find apart from the parkers, etc. Why not check the continuity between the LH bulb holder and the RH bulb holder.
I tend to think a wiring problem although possible is low probability in this case. I'm tending toward a failed bulb, bulb holder connectors corroded/faulty, or a single filament bulb has been fitted.

And the thing is you may install a new wire to find it hasn't fixed the problem - the above checks are easy to do and don't take long . . . .

A single filament bulb is fitted for the brake light and has been since I purchased the vehicle [the brake light was functioning then].

There are three bulbs in the light assembly. One for the indicator, one for the park lights and one for the brake light.

That would've been a 5 watt single, and would've been dimmer than the LH brakelight - easier to notice at night.

Well I think you'll find the 2 lower bulbs to be indicator and reversing lt (both singles), and the upper to be stop/taillight (dual filament).
As I say, swap your LH upper bulb - dual filament, has a bayonet fitting with the bayonets at different positions so the bulb can only fit one way. Test the stop and tailights on the RH - hopefully it'll work as advertised.

YOU WERE RIGHT!

I swapped the LHS bulb to the RHS and it worked a treat!

Went to SuperCheap and purchased a replacement bulb for the RHS. Replacement bulb works as well! I had tried replacing the bulb in the past but had no luck. Maybe the previous replacement bulb I tried was faulty.

Only thing I noticed was the factory bulb (the blown dual-filament bulb) had 2 x oval shaped contacts, however, the replacement bulb I purchased has 2 x round shaped contacts. Oh well it seems to work

Thanks again for everyones assistance!