Brake light assistance

[Awwphooey]

Hi Folks-

I'm at work here trying to help a colleague solve her brake light issue (I'm a Ford guy myself -no disrespect no disrespect!!! ;P ).

She has an '07 Liberty, brake lights not activating when brake pedal pushed. Checked her 7 and 9 fuses, they were fine. Then decided to pull them all just for kicks, all fuses were fine. Changed out the bulbs, no difference (original bulbs were fine also). Went down to O'Reilly and bought a new brake switch, crawled under and installed, turned the little lever, and still nothing. Plunger comes fully out. Anything else I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for the help everyone

Phoo

 

[Billwill]

You need to check if +12 volts is getting to the contacts inside the globe holder with respect to chassis and also with respect to the ground inside the socket..when brake pedal is depressed.

Does the third brake light up high light up? This takes a slightly different path.

Did you replace the whole brake switch assembly....the existing assembly cannot be removed and put back in place again!

The rear brake/light sockets on the KJ are known to overheat and melt themselves into the plastic so they no longer make contact with the bulbs.

The 2007 Wiring diagrams are pretty much impossible to get hold of but the 2006 Wiring diagram should be close enough although wiring colors will probably be different.

You can download the 2006 Jeep Service Manual here...section 8W has the wiring diagrams.

www.colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/

Edit: don't know why this link is not working now?

 

[LibertyTC]

Let's see if I can make that link work for you Bill.. http://www.colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/

 

[Billwill]

Thanks for fixing the link...I do not usually need to put the http:// garbage in!

 

[Awwphooey]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, much appreciated.


You need to check if +12 volts is getting to the contacts inside the globe holder with respect to chassis and also with respect to the ground inside the socket..when brake pedal is depressed.

(Ok, will give that a try)

Does the third brake light up high light up? This takes a slightly different path.

(No)

Did you replace the whole brake switch assembly....the existing assembly cannot be removed and put back in place again!

(Yes, replaced it with new)

The rear brake/light sockets on the KJ are known to overheat and melt themselves into the plastic so they no longer make contact with the bulbs.

The 2007 Wiring diagrams are pretty much impossible to get hold of but the 2006 Wiring diagram should be close enough although wiring colors will probably be different.

(I’ll also search for it)


Thanks again, will keep you posted!

 

[Awwphooey]

Oh, i didnt scroll down and missed the linbk. Coffee just now starting to kick in. Thanks guys.

So was just thinking, if the top brake light is also not working, this would seem to indicate a different cause, no? I'll still go out and try the sockets.

Everyone at work got a kick out of seeing me underneath and upside down, crammed under the steering column. My neck is killing me this morning. ;D

 

[Ray A]

Hi Folks-

I'm at work here trying to help a colleague solve her brake light issue (I'm a Ford guy myself -no disrespect no disrespect!!! ;P ).

She has an '07 Liberty, brake lights not activating when brake pedal pushed. Checked her 7 and 9 fuses, they were fine. Then decided to pull them all just for kicks, all fuses were fine. Changed out the bulbs, no difference (original bulbs were fine also). Went down to O'Reilly and bought a new brake switch, crawled under and installed, turned the little lever, and still nothing. Plunger comes fully out. Anything else I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for the help everyone

Phoo

Circuit

Hi Folks-

I'm at work here trying to help a colleague solve her brake light issue (I'm a Ford guy myself -no disrespect no disrespect!!! ;P ).

She has an '07 Liberty, brake lights not activating when brake pedal pushed. Checked her 7 and 9 fuses, they were fine. Then decided to pull them all just for kicks, all fuses were fine. Changed out the bulbs, no difference (original bulbs were fine also). Went down to O'Reilly and bought a new brake switch, crawled under and installed, turned the little lever, and still nothing. Plunger comes fully out. Anything else I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for the help everyone

Phoo

The circuit boards in the tail light assemblies were my problem when my brake lights didn't work when the headlights were on. It's worth a check.

 

[Awwphooey]

Ok, update. The one thing I didn’t check when diagnosing was the high brake lamp. I just assumed it was on the same circuit as the bottom brake lamps and thus why it wasn’t lighting. I opened that up and indeed the bulb was burnt out. Replaced it and high brake lamp is fine. So here’s where I sit:


Checked all under dash fuses, all were fine.

Changed all the bulbs.

Put in a brand new brake switch.


At this point the tail lights work, the high brake light works, but the regular brake lights do not.

I did consider trying to exchange the circuit board, but it looks like they are only sold separately for the 2008 and higher. Nothing available for the 2007, guessing it’s because you have to by the whole assembly. At this point though, doesn’t seem it would be the circuit board. I did check the contacts for the brake lamps, and they are in fine shape.

At a loss here, going into wiring is a bit beyond my abilities, going to send her to an auto electrical shop. Unless there is anything else you folks suggest to check?


Thanks in advance, again.

Phoo

 

[Awwphooey]

You need to check if +12 volts is getting to the contacts inside the globe holder with respect to chassis and also with respect to the ground inside the socket..when brake pedal is depressed.

(Forgot to check that BillWill, thanks!)

 

[Billwill]

If you are not getting +12 volts at the actual contacts inside the bulb sockets with respect ground then you need to trace the correct colored wires back towards the front of the Jeep to see where the voltage goes missing.

Make use of the 2006 Jeep KJ Service manual...section 8W. Other than wiring colors the layout should be about the same as will be the fuses inside the cabin and under the hood.

You can trace the status of these wires going from the front to the rear..sometimes through connectors inside the cabin. Tape a pin/needle to one of your meter leads and you can then jam down the brake pedal and pierce the wire that you tracing and check if +12 volts is there with respect to ground and hopefully find where it goes missing...fix up the hole in the insulation with some glue.

I will try to post the relevant pages from the 2006 manuals wiring section and maybe we can go over it together!

OK I do not think that the wires go through the rear tailgate area...I was thinking of another problem so I have deleted that statement to reduce any further embarresment!

The wiring diagrams are full of errors and the 2006 wiring diagrams got a lot worse then the previous years...other than the fact that the rear right and left brake lamps get their power through a certain connector pin which may be dirty there is not too much difference to the high-level brake light.

I still think the problem is in the actual rear bulb-socket area...you need to really check if voltage is on the leads going to the socket pins themselves. I am clutching at straws here because I live and breath at having the correct wiring diagrams in front of me and at this stage this is not happening...cannot find a "free" 2007 KJ Wiring diagram!

 

[Jeremy-WI]

Do the 4 way hazzard lights work? I think the regular brake lights go through that circuit and the center high brake light bypasses the hazzard switch

 

[Billwill]

Do the 4 way hazzard lights work? I think the regular brake lights go through that circuit and the center high brake light bypasses the hazzard switch

The 4 way hazard switch only lights up the turn signals...not the brake lamps...so the hazard switch is not relevant here...unless things changed with the 2007 model!

 

[Jeremy-WI]

The 4 way hazard switch only lights up the turn signals...not the brake lamps...so the hazard switch is not relevant here...unless things changed with the 2007 model!

I guess I am still used to chevy's

 

[Leeann]

Thanks for fixing the link...I do not usually need to put the http:// garbage in!

It's not that - the last o in Colorado is missing in the actual link, not in the bold type

 

[Billwill]

It's not that - the last o in Colorado is missing in the actual link, not in the bold type

I do not quite follow you Leean...I have often used that link without problems and my post shows all the "o"s in the correct place.

I posted that post early in the morning here so had not even started on the Red Wine yet!

Edit to add: OK I see now in the actual link the missing "0"....don't know where that went to!

No problem.

 

[Leeann]

Edit to add: OK I see now in the actual link the missing "0"....don't know where that went to!

No problem.

Beats the hell outta me! I didn't know you could have different text showing vs. the actual link, at least not on this forum.

 

[J33Pfan]

Some after market bulbs dont fit properly or touch all the needed contacts in the socket. check for volts in the socket.

Sometimes the wrong bulb is installed and everybody else looks at the wrong bulb and installs a New wrong bulb instead of the correct bulb.

 

[Squamish_Steffen]

At this point the tail lights work, the high brake light works, but the regular brake lights do not.

Did you solve this puzzle? I'm in the same boat. I haven't begun the diagnosis yet, but my lower brake lights suddenly went this week...

 

[Billwill]

Did you solve this puzzle? I'm in the same boat. I haven't begun the diagnosis yet, but my lower brake lights suddenly went this week...

The plastic bulb holders at the rear sometimes have the contacts inside them heat up and then the contacts sink away into the plastic.

So you need to check those contacts and if needed fit new bulb holders.

You need to get a cheap digital multi-meter and with the brake pedal jammed down measure the voltage on those contacts inside the bulb holder with reference to the common ground on the bulbs and then with reference to chassis in case the ground to the holders has gone missing.

Download the 2003 Jeep KJ Service Manual here...section 8W has the Wiring Diagrams with a Component Index at the front of section 8W that directs you to the Brake Lights.

www.colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/

 

[Squamish_Steffen]

The plastic bulb holders at the rear sometimes have the contacts inside them heat up and then the contacts sink away into the plastic.
So you need to check those contacts and if needed fit new bulb holders.

Thanks Bill!! I appreciate the support. I got ready to check this but discovered it was an entirely different problem.

The rear brake light assembly has a clear peice of plastic inside the red lens. I'm not sure its purpose, a heat shield maybe? Anyway it had clearly released from its held position and fallen onto the bulb, melting itself and destroying the bulb. The problem is that its hard to get inside those lens assembly's. On the passenger side I used a soldering iron to melt/cut a large opening in the back so I could pull out the partially-destroyed "inner-lens" piece. But the drivers side assembly was different so I ended up dripping gorilla glue inside to hold it in place. Both methods have worked so far but I'm sure I'll find out in the long run which of the two doesn't last ha.
Brief video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KBt9RGcaiaKd67rG9
And photo of the melt/cut here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ShviovrPhvFLtvBB8