I Took Apart My Brakelight Switch - PICS

[blown240]

I had a code for a bad brake light switch. I replaced it this morning, and took the old one apart to see what was bad. I figured I would post pics of whats going on inside, since this is a common issue....

The truck is an 04 Yukon XL 1500, with power adjustable pedals...

First off, here is where its located:



And here is what it looks like with the cover off:



Notice there are 3 normally closed connections and one normally open.

Here you can see what it looks like when you press the pedal:



On my switch, the normally open side was not closing all the way. You can see in this picture the burned terminals from making intermittent contact:



Here is a pic of the all the terminals. The ones at the top of the pic are the ones that were having an issue:




Hopefully this will answer someones questions about why the brake light switch can be a problem.
I put a new switch in. That only took about 15 mins. Now I have to go get the ABS light turned off and hopefully my issue is solved!

 

[PG01]

And?

 

[blown240]

Hopefully I can get the light turned off later today. I should buy a scan tool, but for now I just go to the local parts store to reset codes...

 

[2011SSVHOE]

Mike nice pics, those switches are pretty cheap, but if you were cheap like me You could have fixed the switch with a nail file ,or emory cloth. but its easier to change the switch.

 

[iamdub]

Nice to know it's so simple inside and easy to repair if someone was in a bind and had a few minutes to clean the contacts. Mine's a GMT900, so it's probably got some ******** like Hall effect, infrared or microwave proximity sensors for each circuit instead of simple contacts like that.

 

[blown240]

Thanks!

I got the light turned off, and all seems to be good now.

 

[CincyTahoe]

The brake lights on my '05 Tahoe just stopped working. I checked the fuses and the bulbs look fine. I presume it too is the switch so I ordered one from AutoZone tonight. If all goes as expected I should be able to take a crack at this in AM. Any tips/tricks you would share for the removal of the brake light switch clip?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CincyTahoe]

So I replaced the switch this AM and it did not resolve the issue. Frustrated, I started chasing the wiring harness and found nothing loose/unplugged. On a last ditch effort I plugged in my trailer harness and suddenly had brake lights. Woohoo! Well, not too fast...the two lower lights work but the 3rd row is not. I also noticed that I now get a "service stability" message and my cruise control isn't working. My guess at this point is that I have the wrong brake light switch installed. Thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PG01]

Pull your trailer harness apart at the reciever, it plugs in from behind and try tge brakes, see if it works... if not put original switch back in and with trailer harness at rear still discon try brakes.... the plastic housing maybe shorting out inside due to corrosion etc

 

[CincyTahoe]

Pull your trailer harness apart at the reciever, it plugs in from behind and try tge brakes, see if it works... if not put original switch back in and with trailer harness at rear still discon try brakes.... the plastic housing maybe shorting out inside due to corrosion etc

Pulled the plastic harness. Still no 3rd brake light. I then swapped the switches. No again on the 3rd brake light but my cruise works now and no more "service stability" message. Defective switch that has now cooked my 3rd light?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk