brake light issue

[jsomedaysoon]

its not that big of a deal but while i've got some time off i'm trying to work out all the kinks on both trucks. on the 84 when i push the brakes the drivers side brake light stays on. not both sides just the drivers side. when you pull up ******* the pedal with your foot or hand the light goes out. It does kinda feel like the brakes need to be bled but all the bleeder valves are rusted shut. could this have something to do with it, or do you think its in the pedal itself or the wiring maybe?

 

[BroncoJoe19]

my guess is that the passenger side brake light is not working (probably a bad bulb), and that the brake pedal return spring is weak.

 

[Seabronc]

You can add the brake pedal stop switch to the list.

Good luck

 

[jsomedaysoon]

cool i couldnt find that in the haynes but now that i know exactly what its called i can look again. my girlfriend that usually rides behind me when i'm in that truck says that the passenger side brake light works "sometimes" so i dont think its the bulb but i've got an extra i can replace it just to see i guess.

 

[Seabronc]

cool i couldnt find that in the haynes but now that i know exactly what its called i can look again. my girlfriend that usually rides behind me when i'm in that truck says that the passenger side brake light works "sometimes" so i dont think its the bulb but i've got an extra i can replace it just to see i guess.

Check the switch position. It has a pretty hefty spring inside it but it may be rusted, sticking or just out of adjustment.

 

[Krafty]

also for the passenger side check the wiring for any bare spots, if it works "sometimes" then the bulb isn't faulty, might be a loose wire, or a bare wire rubbing on the metal just behind the tail light.

 

[BroncoJoe19]

Good advice all, but it could be a faulty bulb, (I'm not saying that it is) but sometimes the filament might be broken and touch and reweld itself only to snap again with the next bump.

 

[BroncoJoe19]

OK... so I got a long story for those who care to read.

Well, I'll make it short.

My dad took the family on a cross country trip. He got a new to us, used plymouth wagon built to tow and a travel trailer. In preparing for the trip we noted that our brake lights didn't turn off. I got up under the dash and adjusted the brake switch... oooh la la, we were good to go.

SO we traveled from NJ to CA and back. Along the way, we replaced the right rear axel bearing twice, and swapped out a used rear once. Only after we got home did my dad discover, that we were riding the brakes all the time, by the weight of the brake pedal. The return spring was weak, and didn't fully return the pedal as it should. The car and trailer were overloaded which certainly contributed to the axle bearing failures, but we believe that it was compounded by the excessive heat created by the dragging brakes. THe first failure was preceeded by the rubber of right rear wheel cylinder becoming crispy and loosing brake fluid. Thank God that it failed on a long straight exit ramp, the front brakes held (due to a dual master cylinder), and we had electric trailer brakes.

 

[Krafty]

lol that sounds like a lucky "break"

I was on a long trip with my fiance, about 5 hours or so, and got home late at night and everything okay, went out to the truck the next morning to run into town, my brake pedal dropped straight to the floor. the night before when we got in I pushed on the pedal before I got out and I guess broke the front drivers side brake line.

thank goodness that happened after we got back. just got a length of line with fittings on it and replaced it there after using my brothers truck to get into town.