brake light switch

[86turbo]

my brakelights have gained a mind of their own, they stick on and flicker when I'm driving, and even if I pull back on the pedal to turn them off at some point in the night they turn themselves on again and my battery is drained in the morning. After finding no trace of a switch under the dash, I called my mechanic who said the brake switch was under the large panel under the front bonnet, behind a circuit board of some sort, but removed the panel and all I see is the heater motor and vent, nothing that looks like a circuit board or a brake switch. Any idea where it is?
Thanks,
Dan

[adrianmugridge]

I dont know if it's the same on newer cars as older cars, but if it is then the brakelight swith is on the brake pedal. My GT3 was forever doing just what you have. It would stick, make the lights flicker and drain the battery. So, stick your head in the footwell and have a play with it, it's maybe a bit dirty and needs a clean.

Adrian
Sport350

[lotusguy]

86turbo said:

my brakelights have gained a mind of their own, they stick on and flicker when I'm driving, and even if I pull back on the pedal to turn them off at some point in the night they turn themselves on again and my battery is drained in the morning. After finding no trace of a switch under the dash, I called my mechanic who said the brake switch was under the large panel under the front bonnet, behind a circuit board of some sort, but removed the panel and all I see is the heater motor and vent, nothing that looks like a circuit board or a brake switch. Any idea where it is? Thanks, Dan

Dan,

Your brakelight switch is located in the pedal box in the car's cockpit. It is not a circuit board module, rather it is a plain On/Off switch which screws into a tapped hole and rests against the brake pedal arm. When you apply the brake, the arm contacts and energizes the switch. The distance the switch lives from the brake pedal arm is adjustable and your adjustment is off.

It's a simple matter of loosening the locknut and electrical conector and backing the switch out (away from the brake pedal arm) and then tightening the locknut and connecting the electrical connection (once you manage to get into the proper LOTUS position of course.. !).

These do come loose over time also, as the Master Cylinder ages, it doesn't push the brake pedal back to it's original height either. Make the adjustment I describe and your problem will be gone for good (or at least a goodly amount of time). Total job start to finish should be less than 10 min. Happy Motoring!... Jim'85TE

>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 24th June 23:28

[86turbo]

thanks for the help guys, I guess its time to crawl under the dash again.
Dan

[Skerd]

There was a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB-9) which addressed this problem. It is the brake pedal return spring not pushing up on the brake pedal hard enough. Mine did it too and this fixed it perfectly. I don't think TSB-9 addresses your year car, but it would probably be the same.