brake switch testing ?'s

lets see if i have this right.
method 1:disconnect power to switch
set multimeter to ohm's
depress pedal.
if it says 0 the switch is good.

Method 2; run a jumper from a know 12v source to one of the connectors, take your test light and ground the clip then touch the other pole (pedal depressed). if it lights , your good.

am i on the right track?

 

Yepper. Hydraulic action of the m/c closes the switch, completing the circuit. Let off the pedal, switch opens and breaks the circuit.

 

yep, thats how its done. FWIW i dont like this type of switch, had one blow out under pressure then no brakes

 

the lights worked for a minute this morning.
it has got to be a loose wire.
dont it?
or do bad switches stop and start working?



before too long the slug will have a different engine/brakes/steering.

 

could be either, if the switchs contact points are dirty it could be making connection every now and again......

 

Psst, got a old clothes drier laying around? they have a good microswitch that would work well for this, any why with a man of your status could have that baby in there in a snap

 

I had a switch that showed good with a meter (both continuity and power) but would intermittently light the lights. When I swapped in my Dana 30 and bled the brakes it worked all of the time. Must have had an air bubble in it. It would show 12 volts with a meter but wasn't activating the switch completely. When a load wad applies there wasn't enough amperage to run the lights. Just my theory of course.

 

An air bubble will def cause you grief. The bubble will compress, whereas the fluid won't. If there's a bubble, it can compress and absorb the pressure, causing the switch to not activate. Fluid under pressure will just move, operating the switch. Can certainly be an intermittent thing, lights may werky, may not werky. Or the switch could just be NFG, how old is it?

 

about 1 year old.

 

Don't forget that the stop light wire comes back up into the turn signal switch then it goes to the rear lights. When the stop light fails, try wiggling the turn sig arm and see if that helps.

 

will do
thanks!