Brake lights all out

[sengkiang]

Hi guys,All my three brake lights are out in one go. Only realised abt it as another colleague was tailing me and commented how come I didn't apply brakes throughout the bends and corner (he thot my driving skill was so good plus it's a UDM, I guessed?). So any idea what is the cause? I heard this is quite a frequent problem for e36. Mine is a '99 318i. Could it be the brake switch or the fuse? How much will it cost respectively? Will it be ok to change at AB Glenmarie?

 

[8080pbmw]

bro , you could first check the bulbs . if their filement are burnt then it's just bulbs replacement . if the bulbs are fine , then check the fuse . should the bulbs and fuse are fine then it could be loose/bad contact on the bulb's holder . mine had the same problem . the solution is to fasten with screws the bulb holder's metal base on to the light module. hope this helps. Or change your lights to the after market LED type ...
cheers.

 

[fabianyee]

check the fuse...

 

[MeanStreak]

Originally posted by fabianyee@Sep 5 2005, 11:19 AM
check the fuse...

Yup... if all lights have gone out in one go, most probably its the fuse. If the fuse is OK, then it could be the limit switch underneath your brake pedal. Not too sure if E36 uses this method but E30 does.

 

[sengkiang]

what do u mean limit switch and where is it located precisely, as the other day, i applied some WD40 at the back of the pedal as it was giving out some squeeking sound when pressed down. Could it have affected the limit switch?

 

[MeanStreak]

On my E30, there is a limit switch in front (sorry, not underneath) of the brake pedal arm. When depressed, the brake pedal arm rests against the limit swith, thus presses on it. When the brake pedal is pressed, it release the limit switch, thus triggering the brake light circuit. But this is on an E30. Not sure if its same on an E36. Take out the cover underneath the dashboard, above the pedals and try to trace this thingy along the brake pedal arm.

 

[fabianyee]

check the fuse first, which is the easier thing to do before u check the brake switch.

 

[MeanStreak]

Yup.. agree with Fab.... have you checked the fuse yet?

 

[sengkiang]

ok...will do first thing when i reach home today. thanks a lot fab and mtek. appreciate all your advice.

 

[fabianyee]

better have them checked ASAP, driving without functional brake lights is asking for trouble. if u're lucky, nothing happens, if u're not, ANYTHING can happen...

btw, the normal fuse is only 50sen each.. IIRC, it's shud be a 7.5A fuse...

 

[ALBundy]

Chances are the brake switch has given way. On the E34 its located on the passenger side below the console box. If OEMreplacement part it will be less than 50 bucks if I remember correctly.

 

[fabianyee]

I had the same problem not too long ago, instead of checking for the fuse, I assumed it was the brake switch, took the extra trouble to zoom in on the brake switch, only to find that it's working. Then it took less than 1 minute to find the faulty fuse.

So don't be like me, check the fuse first.

 

[samms]

Originally posted by MTek1318@Sep 5 2005, 01:52 PM
On my E30, there is a limit switch in front (sorry, not underneath) of the brake pedal arm. When depressed, the brake pedal arm rests against the limit swith, thus presses on it. When the brake pedal is pressed, it release the limit switch, thus triggering the brake light circuit. But this is on an E30. Not sure if its same on an E36. Take out the cover underneath the dashboard, above the pedals and try to trace this thingy along the brake pedal arm.

Yep.. it is the same like E30.. I've changed mine for rm60.00.. but check the fuse first before you replace the switch.

 

[MeanStreak]

Originally posted by samms+Sep 6 2005, 04:31 PM-->QUOTE (samms @ Sep 6 2005, 04:31 PM)

 

[samms]

Originally posted by MTek1318@Sep 6 2005, 05:09 PM
Thanks for the clarification Samms. BTW, is the type of E36's brake switch same as that of an E30? I might have to change mine as the mounting lever of the switch broke and I have secured the switch in place with super glue. Don't know when this will give way.

Not sure if it is the same switch coz I haven't seen one on E30..

 

[fabianyee]

no news from sengkiang on the brake lights yet?????

 

[sengkiang]

hi guys, sorry for not replying earlier. solved the problem already. yup...luckilly it's the bulb only. very small matter. my mechanic (ahmad - in glenmarie) don't know how to charge me also. thanks for all your feedbacks. really learn a lot of mechanical stuff from u guys. long live the club. :yahoo: