tail lights won't turn off

[jcjcsoccerkid]

i noticed it a while back...it's been sitting for a while as i'm working on it but i wanna figure this out at the same time so when i'm done fixing stuff on it it'll be ready to roll.

i was driving it one day, came home and parked it, turned the lights off, and the tail lights and 3rd brake light won't turn off. is it a crossed wire or something? the only way to get them to turn off is to take the fuse out.

could it be a crossed wire or something. what's some stuff i need to check that i'm missing?

[JunYa]

Could it be the stop light switch under your dash? try unpluggin it and see if your lights go out.

[JunYa]

Should be mounted infront of your brake pedal.

[kmanuel]

rubber plug on pedal that works the brake light switch

they go bad A LOT


(only if the lights stay on all the time; if pulling the fuse turns them off even after the fuse is back in, then I would try the switch)

[Jokr]

I agree it sounds like the switch isn't getting pushed back in. I used a bolt in the pedal to keep it pushed in

[JunYa]

It should be adjustable.

[tt660]

Mine did this. The little rubber bumper that hits the switch fell apart. So I replaced it with a small bolt also..

[jcjcsoccerkid]

it's just the tail lights, not the brake lights. should i try the same thing?

[david29]

it's just the tail lights, not the brake lights. should i try the same thing?
You said in your initial post that the lights and 3rd brake light were on.
This would mean the little rubber stop that the switch rests against, this activates your brake lights when you push the pedal. When you let off the pedal it closes the circuit by pushing in the pin on the switch and it rests against the rubber stop.
Now you are saying its not the brake lights that are on? It has to be if your 3rd brake light is on. That light doesnt come on unless the brakes are activated.

[jcjcsoccerkid]

let me clarify. the 3rd brake light is the only brake light on. also, the tail lights are on. the ones that are on with the headlights. so it is the taillights and the 3rd brake light.

i'll check under the pedal and see what happens. i can always go get one from the junkyard

[JunYa]

they are like 5.99 at oriellys

[david29]

let me clarify. the 3rd brake light is the only brake light on. also, the tail lights are on. the ones that are on with the headlights. so it is the taillights and the 3rd brake light.

i'll check under the pedal and see what happens. i can always go get one from the junkyard
Then I would say bad bulbs or bad connections, dirty bulb sockets.
If you got the brake light on for the 3rd light and not the tails, then clean the sockets or you got the bulbs in wrong.
What style of bulbs are they.
1157(round type) or
3057(rectangle type)?

[1lownismo]

Does it have an aftermarket alarm did u mess with the wires at all before it startes happening.

[jcjcsoccerkid]

it's the 3057s

and no alarm...it was sitting up for about a month, then i started it back up, took the cd player out, and then noticed this happening

[david29]

it's the 3057s

and no alarm...it was sitting up for about a month, then i started it back up, took the cd player out, and then noticed this happening
It could be a wire that ties into the lights through the radio. Put the CD player back in and see if it works right.

[jcjcsoccerkid]

okay after looking at it it is the brake lights...i unplugged the switch and they turned off. about to go to the junkyard and get that switch from a fronty and see if it helps

[alabama_lowlife]

did you make sure the plug in the pedal isn't broken? did you depress the switch to see if they would go out?

[jcjcsoccerkid]

i read the haynes manual and it said the switch is adjustable but i couldnt figure it out. the book makes it look so easy, but there is zero space to maneuver your hands in there.

i didn't depress the switch, but i unplugged it and that made them go out, but that only makes sense that that would happen right?

when the plug is connected and the fuse is in, the lights are on constantly. when i push the pedal in nothing happens, they just stay on. i dont even know how to take the switch off to replace it

[alabama_lowlife]

when the pedal IS NOT pressed, it will press on the plunger of the switch and open the circuit which keeps the brake lights OFF.

when the pedal IS pressed, the pedal moves away from the switch which lets the plunger on the switch go out and close the circuit to turn the brake lights ON.

at the point when actual physical contact between the pedal arm and the switch occurs, there is a rubber/plastic stopper in the pedal arm to keep it from wearing the plastic on the switch. over time, the stopper will deteriorate and break to pieces. when this happens it leaves a hole in the brake pedal arm right where the switch is. this hole prevents the arm from pressing the switch and opening the circuit. this makes the lights stay on all the time. when you removed the switch, it opened the circuit which makes the lights go out.

look on the brake pedal arm and find where it touches the switch. if there is a hole there you need to get something to replace the stopper with.

[jcjcsoccerkid]

ohhhhh i get it now. i was thinking just the opposite for some reason. thanks a lot man, i'll go check that out when i get home from work

[jcjcsoccerkid]

i bought a new switch yesterday at advance...i put it in, and the pin is going thru the hole in the brake pedal. what i'm trying to figure out is why nissan thought it was a good idea to put a hole in the brake pedal arm right where the pin is supposed to contact it....why not just leave it as a flat piece of metal?

so i figured the problem out? that rubber plug was gone. i glued another rubber plug in the hole and i'll check it and see if it works today or tomorrow.

how did you guys get a bolt in that hole? i can barely fit my arm in there. what size bolt did you use?

[alabama_lowlife]

damn dude, you went and bought a switch and went through the effort to install it without looking to see if the plug was in? lol

[jcjcsoccerkid]

haha yea i found out the hard way. it was only 8 bucks tho. no big deal. we'll see if it works today

[david29]

rubber plug on pedal that works the brake light switch

they go bad A LOT


(only if the lights stay on all the time; if pulling the fuse turns them off even after the fuse is back in, then I would try the switch)
This was mentioned way back on the 1st page. I take it you didnt try this way back when it was suggested.
Sure glad you got it fixed.

[jcjcsoccerkid]

well i didnt have time to mess with for very long when i first asked. and i didnt know where that was exactly, but i finally figured it out