shimbo519

well i bought the types taillights from this site and installed them....but the brake lights dont work....i just got pulled over for that....luckily the cop saw my Marine corps sticker and said have a nice day marine.....newayz...wuts with my brakelightS?....when i turn on the headlights...both bulbs light up...turn signal and reverse lights all work....just the brake lights dont work...did i not plug in something correctly?

BlackShadow

Do you mean when you step on the brakes, it won't light up brighter? If it is then it is the bulb. Even though it lights up when you turn on the headlights, it will not work if you step on the brakes. That's cause you need to get a bulb that has 2 filaments in it so that it can light up when you step on the brakes. This has happened to me before.

JohnK

Question - Is it possible that the connector at the tail lamp assembly might be on backwards, or that the wires might be reversed somehow?

Double-check the the connectors that supply power to the bulbs that are not working properly. If they are reversed, the smaller filament, rather than the larger, brighter filament, would be coming on when you step on the brake. This would make it very hard to see the brake lights - especially if the tail-lights were on at the same time.

shimbo519

when i turn on the headlights....both taillight bulbs turn on....when i press the brakes...neither get any brighter....maybe its the bulb?....ill check it tomorrow..thanx for the quick replies..

SilverUA5

Your either have the wrong bulbs or the bulbs your have are burnt out. It has nothing to do with your type s taillights.

ArN 2000 TL

The bulbs aren't burnt out otherwise they wouldn't work at all and it would be weird that both are out. You probably missed a connection somewhere or reversed one....double check. Do your hazards or blinkers work? If not it might be a fuse (i don't know if the braking system i on a different circuit than the headlight lighting).

shimbo519

my hazards and blinkers work....i just checked the bulbs and they are double filaments....also they arent burnt out cuz when my lights are on...they turn on as well....its just that they dont get brighter when i apply the brakes...im so friggin confused....it might be a simple mod but im so technically deficient that even the simplest things odtn friggin work....any more suggestions why its not working?

Strannik

Just checking... You did get the wire harnesses too, right?..

shimbo519

yup...i got the harness too...straight from this site...

Strannik

Get a friend with a voltage tester, and ask him to check voltage on different harness pins while you turn on parking lights, hit brakes, put it in Reverse, etc. See what kind of voltage goes where, and if there is voltage when you hit brakes. If your 3rd light works fine, but only rears do not light up - most likely a bad connection somewhere. If your 3rd light is off too, you may have shorted out a connection somewhere, so when you hit brakes, nothing happens, and it may even blow out your fuse (BTW, check the fuse! I do not rememeber the number, but it is marked). Also, check the brake pedal switch. The easiest way (if you still driving with your brake lights out is to turn on CC, and then hit brakes, and see if it disengages. Or just take wires off and connect them manually, see if brakes light up.

Talking about fuses, I had a Subaru, and there horn and brake lights share the same fuse so when my horn shorted out and blew the fuse, I had no idea I drove without brake lights fo a day. So check if brake light fuse is shared, and if something else could blew it.

For voltage reference: parking lights get 5V, brake lights get 21V. Usually, you should be able to see the difference in brightness to see which light is on. I have also seen people force bulbs in the wrong way, making brake lights not come on.

Whew. Well, I guess you got enough things to try, huh? GL!

shimbo519

thanx for the help strannik....umm..im not that great with electrical stuff...imma hit up the dealer tomorrow...hehe...thanx neways....

Strannik

IF YOU READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO TO THE DEALER -

Try to find a place that specializes in doing aftermarket stereos/alarms, or any other kind of electrical work. I think they have a better chance of resolving your problem. Those guys know how to think creatively, while dealer service ppl used to work with the same things over and over. Since you did a conversion, it may not be in the dealer shop manual , and they would not know how to fix it! Of course, some service guys at the dealer really do know their stuff, but they usually good enough to pick their own hours, and do not work Saturdays.

So, try an independent place first - may be closer and cheaper too.