1995 no brake lights

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dusterbd13

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So, after hunting for an hour, im posting.
1995 c1500 auto.

New brake light switch, recent turn signal switch.

No third brake light, no main brake lights. This is over 4 different brake light switches. Cruise, torque converter, running, turn, and hazard all work normally. I have tried a different relay for brake light switch, cleaned every ground i could find, and still no luck.

Any ideas? Im grasping at straws here thinking maybe the booster pushrod is worn to the point it wont trigger, or the pin on the pedal, or something else wild.

Ill take any suggestions you got!
 

Onizukachan

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Does the brake disengage cruise?
if so you can look elsewhere.

may sound silly but did you check your bulbs, and also fuses?
 

dusterbd13

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Bulbs and fuses are good. And cruise disengaged just fine last night. Which led me to believe switch was doing its job. Oh, trailer brake controller doesn't work either.
Where do i look next?
 

Moparmat2000

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I had this very same issue and kept popping fuses on my 94 1500 5 speed. Not sure if yours is the same issue, but I had a short to ground. Either a rubbing wire, or one that was pinched on vehicle assembly. Mine was somewhere between the short stretch of wiring from the fusebox to the brake light relay. Since I bought my truck new 29 years ago, the problem of random fuse popping started when the truck was maybe 18 years old. I'd change the fuse and it would be ok for awhile. As the wire chafed and grounded more and more it got worse until as soon as you put a fuse in, it would pop.

Take the time to look at my truck thread titled my 1994 silverado. Theres a lot of stuff in there related to it and other projects, however theres a bit with good pix on my temporary semi permanent wire around. Its post #105 on my thread. I dont believe my reverse lights work anymore because of the wire around, but brake lights work great. When I get to where I can swap in an uncracked dash as a project, when the old dash is out, I plan to track down this wire and repair it. Till then the temporary wire around works for me.

If your pops fuses as soon as they are installed, then your problem is likely the same as mine. Since your 3rd brakelight, and rear brakelights dont work, the issue is in the cab. Also check your steering column connector since your brakelight wiring circuit also runs through the turn signal switch in the column. My 94 had this issue when new. The pin was not pushed all the way into the connector and backed out causing no brake lights. I have seen the turn signal switches fail on many different cars allowing turn signal operation, 4 way hazards, but no brakelights.

I hope this gives you a few more ideas. I ripped my hair out trying to figure this out. A good multimeter, wiring schematic, light tester, and process of elimination. You have changed the obvious and easily changed parts, now unfortunately you have to dig deeper. How I finally found my short was unplugging the burnt fuse, and ohming the wire from the fuse to the relay. Then checking that same wire connection to body ground. Low and behold I got a solid beeper for continuity both ways. Dead short. This was after I went through everything with a meter.

Electrical gremlins suck
Hope this helps

Matt
 
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OLWP4

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I had pretty much the same issue in a 99 tahoe and it eneded up being a broke wire right above the brake pedal mine was white and i found it in a forum somewhere so must be a common issue
 

dusterbd13

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Mine turned out to be an issue with the pushrod. I made a shim from a scrap of aluminum and inserted in between the cam on tne pushrod and the plate in the switch. Have been working flawlessly since.
 
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