scrumpers

I have a Chevy 2004 Express 6L and have had lots of problemswith brake lights first I found the first problem where the inline fuse to the relay under the bonnet (hood in US) and it was blowing when I put main lights on. I found some corrosion from a bit of water in the bulb holder and clened it out changed fuse and it worked fine. Now I have the same problem no brake lights but the fuse is fine and I have no brake lights full stop with lights on or off ? Any ideas would be great.

EvansBlue

Its the switch. You have a switch that trips when you depress the brake pedal.

MakaiSurfVan

My 1995 G20's brake lights aren't working so I am trying to replace the brake sensor. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to replace it. The part didn't come with instructions and it isn't as straightforward as other vehicles. Does anyone have experience doing this? Any guidance/tips are greatly appreciated!

canucklehead

Ok. first. Start your own thread instead of replying to a 6 year old one....lol

I assume the sensor is the brake switch? The one the goes on the firewall above the pedal? I would first test the switch by crossing the two wires that go to the switch. If the lights come on, then sure its the switch, but if not, its another issue. Bad ground, damaged wiring, or a short in one of the bulbs.

If instead you are referring to the ABS speed sensor, then I would not be able to help much as I have never done one of those. I would guess the installation is the reverse of how you remove the old one, but a Haynes repair manual might help.

MakaiSurfVan

I understand this is an old thread but it was relevant to the situation I found myself in yesterday. I stray away from starting new threads, fearing that a duplicate thread topic exists and then looking ignorant. Anyway....

I solved my problem! All the lights were working except the brake lights. I have found myself in this same situation before on other vehicles and decided to replace the brake light switch first before problem solving from there. It was a $15 part and I thought "how hard could it be? It should only take a few minutes to swap this puppy out" Boy was I wrong.

I struggled getting the old brake light switch off. The space was cramped and the retainer was inaccessible. I wish I could go back in time and fire the engineer who designed this torturous setup. I ended up crudely chopping the old switch up just to get it off. The retainer was another chore to get off and that wasn't pretty either. I understand that the retainer should have come off first but I couldn't see it, much less access it.

After finally getting both of those off, I was able to get the new switch on. It was't easy though. There was very little clearance to maneuver it around. I ended up turning the van on so I could depress the brake pedal as far as possible and it was just enough to accommodate the new switch. I opted not to add a replacement retainer clip. The switch was hard enough to go on plus it connects to the brake rod. It's most likely not going to come off. I ended up using a zip tie for a little reassurance.

I tested the brakes and voila, the brake lights work!

canucklehead

Glad to hear.
By the way, if you think your ordeal was cramped and hard to access. Try replacing the heater control valve on a SAAB. Now that is a piece of crap....lol