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help...brake lites not working!

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07-15-2011, 03:41 PM
beeoh
help...brake lites not working!
trying to trouble shoot non working braking lights. no 12v. to either lites or toad plug. with air brakes where would I find brake lite switch? Also, wouldn't switch be on the ground side of circuit? to trouble shoot, shouldn't I find 12v at lite if I were to ground one of the supply wires? my system also has braking circuit separate from turn signals. thanks for any input especially on where the brake lite switch should be located.


Bob and Jan Orr
Canadian Barth owners
94 30ft. Breakaway/3116 Cat/ Allison 5 speed/ Gillig
07-16-2011, 12:16 AM
MWrench
Hey Bob, the brake light switches are usually located on the air foot peddle accuator. There should be 2 of them.

I Recently had the same problem and found the connections on the switches were very loose. Tightened them up and the trouble went away. I do have a Spartan chassis though so there may be some differences.


Ed
94 30' Breakaway #3864
30-BS-6B side entry
New Cummins 5.9L, 375+ HP
Allison 6 speed
Spartan chassis
K9DVC
Tankless water heater
07-16-2011, 10:57 AM
beeoh


I'm assuming the front two larger switches would be brake lites as air lines go directly to treadle valve. Are they switching the ground or 12 v side? Why 2 switches? thanks


Bob and Jan Orr
Canadian Barth owners
94 30ft. Breakaway/3116 Cat/ Allison 5 speed/ Gillig
07-16-2011, 11:44 AM
MWrench
Probably 2 swiches for redundancy. Those 2 switches should be the ones I am talking about. Looking at those terminals thety look BAD, clean then real good and see if that corrects the problem


Ed
94 30' Breakaway #3864
30-BS-6B side entry
New Cummins 5.9L, 375+ HP
Allison 6 speed
Spartan chassis
K9DVC
Tankless water heater
07-16-2011, 12:14 PM
Bill N.Y.
I think I see the problem - it looks like your supply wire, circled in red, is corroded. It might even light up your test light without a load on it.



the slight bump and discoloration you see, circled in red, looks like the wire is probably rotted away in there.

Check it with brake pedal depressed. It might still have power but then looses it when under a brake application condition.

When you move the wires to clean it up it may start making contact again. Move the wire at the spot to see if it feels different inside of the plastic.


˙ʎ˙u ןןıq- „ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„

Regis Widebody1990 Barth Regis Widebody
8908 0128 40RDS-C1
L-10 Cummins
Allison MT647 Transmission
Spartan Chassis
Regal Conversion1991 Medical Lab Conversion
9102 3709 33S-12
Ford 460 MPFI
C6 Transmission
Oshkosh Chassis



Quick Link: Members Only Link To Send Me A Private Message
07-16-2011, 02:50 PM
MWrench
I was more concerned about all that green scuz on the right switch back terminal. The switches are in parallel so if any terminal that has three wires connected to it had a bad connection or corroded wire, it would effect the entire brake light system.

When mine went bad, the cruise control would not shut down, a bit scarry, had to switch it off manually.


Ed
94 30' Breakaway #3864
30-BS-6B side entry
New Cummins 5.9L, 375+ HP
Allison 6 speed
Spartan chassis
K9DVC
Tankless water heater
07-16-2011, 03:53 PM
Tom and Julie
Your elctrical schematic in the coach has numbers for each wire. in my Gillig manual there is a schematic with each wire identified. The number on the wire looks like it says 10a-14. You can determine where it connects and whether it is power or ground.


1993 32' Regency Wide Body, 4 speed Allison Trans, Front Entry door, Diamond Plate aluminum roof &
1981 Euro 22' w Chevy 350 engine and TH 400 tranny
07-16-2011, 04:18 PM
Bill N.Y.
I know it might sound like I have stock in NAPA, but if you need the switch you should try there.



Part Number: MBI BE13250
Product Line: Midland Brake Products

Brake Light Switch


˙ʎ˙u ןןıq- „ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„

Regis Widebody1990 Barth Regis Widebody
8908 0128 40RDS-C1
L-10 Cummins
Allison MT647 Transmission
Spartan Chassis
Regal Conversion1991 Medical Lab Conversion
9102 3709 33S-12
Ford 460 MPFI
C6 Transmission
Oshkosh Chassis



Quick Link: Members Only Link To Send Me A Private Message
07-16-2011, 10:44 PM
beeoh
Well brake lites are up and working as they should. 12v. supply wire was corroded about 3 inches from connection as pointed out to me from pic. Fixed the corroded wire (looked as if someone had proded it with a test lite at that point)Cleaned up all connection points on brake switches. Applied brake and tested for 12v on both switches...nothing except for supply side. BOTH switches were shot. Replaced with 2 new ones. Now all is as it should be. Thanks guys for the excellent help.


Bob and Jan Orr
Canadian Barth owners
94 30ft. Breakaway/3116 Cat/ Allison 5 speed/ Gillig
07-17-2011, 07:23 AM
Wharf Rat
Eagle eye Bill! Good call, looks like somebody had poked it with a test light.


I'm going to see that Grand Canyon......and I'm going to do it in style!
07-17-2011, 11:11 AM
Bill N.Y.
You'll notice that a lot of times we'll ask "Got pics?" This is because we like to look at what you have and it makes it easier to diagnose on our end.

You might ask... how did you know, in that gaggle of wires, what was power supply and what was feed at the brake light switch?

Power supply wires, after awhile, will tend to have a green tint to it. To combat this, you should spray the connection with a battery protector spray.

I would like to see the repair that you made to the brake light switch. Did you splice it? did you butt connect it? Was heat shrink tubing used? Did you just cut it down and install a ring connector? How far up the wire did you go?

The correct answer should be: I cut the wire back until I no longer saw the green (could also be powder white or rust red) corrosion in the wires. Because I had enough room, I placed a ring connector on the end of the wire and installed it. I then sprayed it down with battery spray protector.

Now, if I was doing this job and I used the same type of switch, I would also use the center connection for the power supply wire. Why??? It's farther away from the ground case of the switch and if the power did leech out, it wouldn't corrode as bad.

Here's a tutorial I did a few years ago... Failed wiring and how to protect against it. FYI...


˙ʎ˙u ןןıq- „ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„

Regis Widebody1990 Barth Regis Widebody
8908 0128 40RDS-C1
L-10 Cummins
Allison MT647 Transmission
Spartan Chassis
Regal Conversion1991 Medical Lab Conversion
9102 3709 33S-12
Ford 460 MPFI
C6 Transmission
Oshkosh Chassis



Quick Link: Members Only Link To Send Me A Private Message
07-17-2011, 01:24 PM
MWrench
As always great advice Bill!

Bob, I would like to add if you are experiencing a slow air leak, check the small air switches located just behind the ones you replaced. I searched and searched for my air leak and found these switches were leaking. I still have a slow leak on the rear air system and think it is from the park brake valve.

At least your switches are in a very accessible spot. My brake light switches as mentioned are on the foot valve and almost inaccessible.


Ed
94 30' Breakaway #3864
30-BS-6B side entry
New Cummins 5.9L, 375+ HP
Allison 6 speed
Spartan chassis
K9DVC
Tankless water heater
07-22-2011, 02:09 AM
beeoh
corroded wire would have been too short if new ring connector had been attached at bad point in wire...used a butt connector and shrink tube...no bat spray as of yet. New brake switches had a different terminal configuration than oem with both terminals equal distance from case. New switches came from truck part supplier as our napa didn't list them. Just got home from 4 days of mh use and all is well.


Bob and Jan Orr
Canadian Barth owners
94 30ft. Breakaway/3116 Cat/ Allison 5 speed/ Gillig
07-22-2011, 04:47 AM
lenny and judy
I do not know if you have relays but if you do, it could be tha one that is for the lights in the back
lenny
PS bill knows if you would have one(HE KNOWS ALL)CLUB TRAKER
SHINSEI


lenny and judy
32', Regency, Cummins 8.3L, Spartan Chassis, 1992
Tag# 9112 0158 32RS 1B