HELP,no brake lights

jncg · Post by **jncg** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 2:17 pm

Hi all,
Have got a problem i need help with.Last week one of my day running lights failed,but brake lights still worked,so i left it for a while.
This morning i changed the bulb and now i have no brake lights whatsoever.After a bit of checking i found threads about the 21/4 offset bulbs so i checked and the one that was working was a normal 21/5 brake bulb so i went to halfords and got two 21/4 offset bulbs and placed them in.

AAARRRGGGHHH

,still no brake lights.Anyone had a similar problem or got any tips to sort this out,Its a bit worrying when the car behind gets very close when braking hard at a roundabout.
thanks in advance.
John.

tim · Post by **tim** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 2:57 pm

im no expert but in all th manuals and stuff it reccomends that you use only volvo bulbs as others can cause other parts of the electric system not to function properly; this may be just a marketing ploy I dont know?

Website · Post by **coyote1980** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:16 pm

The day-running lights require 21W/4W bulbs, the rear-/brake lights require 21W/5W bulbs, both have different offset in bajonet-pins.

David Thornber · Post by **David Thornber** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 4:32 pm

This could be unrelated to the running ljghts, have you checked that the switch on the brake peddle is functioning correctly?

dabac · Post by **dabac** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:05 pm

The rear lights have a tendency to develop a grounding fault. Check the connection first to the grounding terminal (left lower rear corner of trunk), then check the connector between cable harness and the lamp assembly. pay particular attention to the ground cable.

Website · Post by **coyote1980** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 7:47 pm

Doesn't help the thread, but today I saw a petrol blue 480 in Groningen where the alarm lights at the rear lit up when he was braking... I wonder what went wrong there...

gerrsvolvo · Post by **gerrsvolvo** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 10:32 am

Also check the bulbretainer (lampfitting) often there is corosion to
and so you do not have any brake light.

On the subject of the dayrunninglights the following.
Sometimes people switch the connectors I mean the black rbber connector on the back of the lampunit.
Then the lamps do nott work.
Succes
Gerrsvolvo

pol · Post by **pol** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 7:24 pm

I always check the pedal switch first. Had to replace mine a few months back. If you can get upside down with your head in the footwell, the switch just turns by hand and can be pulled out..

pol

hebruins · Post by **hebruins** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 7:49 pm

my brakelight stopped working to, it was the switch under the pedals

volvofox · Post by **volvofox** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 11:17 pm

to coyote : what you saw was a ground problem. the alarm lights light up as the brake lights havent enough /or no ground., as the brakelights than get ground through the lamp assy ground strap to the alarm bulbs, that of course burnn dim than.

To the daylight running lights I miss always a fact in this discussion that the 480 brittisch lighting is different than in the rest of the world (reffer electric diagram) Maybe this is that they have such trouble there with em, (dim-dimmer lighs and such)

to the topic poster: I would get a piece of wood of correct size, push it on the brake pedal (ig. on) and wedge it to the seat

than, (to stay cheap in tools) I would get a brass checklight, with a needle on one side (you can stick in through a wire) and a crocodile beak on the end of a wire. Find a good ground spot (the mayor boot groundspot LH) and start checking uptil where the power goes.
These lights are found in any cheap tool grab box in the hardware store.

2 nd test the other way around: put the beak on power supply, and test the brown ground wires on quality.( this will be your problem I think)

simple as that.

Luck
JPF

James Paul · Post by **James Paul** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 5:17 pm

Hi,

Mine was the switch at the top of the brake pedal, new one sorted the problem.

Good luck

James

Volvo 480 Club Europe

HELP,no brake lights

HELP,no brake lights

brake lights

Re: HELP,no brake lights

no brakelights