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We've had a lot of rain down here in Tampa lately. Some water seeped into my driver side tail lamp and blew the bulb in the lower right corner brake light. I replaced the bulb, and everything was fine. Then the failure light started to come on when I turned the headlights on. A tap on the brake pedal would turn it off. Now its on all the time, but the lights still work when the headlights are on, as well as when the brakes are used. I cleaned the bulb sockets and made sure the connectors on the backs of each individual light was making a good tight connection. I have a spare bulb failure relay somewhere. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Justin
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When I jiggled the driver side connector like Tony suggested, the high mounted brake light went out, but then came back on. It wasn't seated correctly on the board. My guess is that the spare tire had battered the plastic cover a few times over the years and it eventually took its toll on the connector, which was jarred in my attempt to change the bulb that originally blew.
I'll tell ya, these cars seem to get set in their ways, and don't like changing them without a fight. I wonder if the engineers at volvo intended it that way ; )
Maybe perfection in design isn't the key to longevity, rather its the smaller flaws that are necessary to distract us as time and miles go by.
Thanks for all of your help Dan, Tony, and Lucid.
Justin
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Replace the bulbs in pairs and see if that works. Dan
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Replaced the bulb opposite of the one that went out. Light's still on. But so is my high mounted third brake light. It shines when the headlights are on, on low like the others, and lights up bright when the brakes are pressed.
Have I lost it, it's not supposed to be on when the headlights are on, only when braking, right?
For some reason I can't recall this myself...
Justin
P.S. If this is abnormal, should I dig up that spare bulb failure relay, or should I get a new brake light switch, before I start hunting for snags in the wiring?
I think I forgot to mention that this is a sedan.
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Third ligh on with Running lights is not normal.
Did this happen when you just replaced the burnt out bulb or did it do it after going and replacing the Opposed bulb?
Welcome to the club and the fun of these Tail light Circuit boards. I get the same scenario of the Dashboard light illuminating even though all is working fine. Step on the Brake and then the Dash light goes out. I literally hardwired my Bulb sockets... I still get this from time to time. The socket to bulb must get slightly oxidized which causes a different Current draw from side to side.
In my experience: take a pencil eraser to the copper on the printed circuit board and the metal pins of the socket to clean them.
Do not twist the sockets all the way tight, especially the lower corner Brake light socket. Let the pins of the socket stay on 'New' copper
The third light illuminating....first I ever heard that.... you sure the sun wasn't just reflecting through it?
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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Yeah, I'm sure it's illuminated. I think I might have the wrong bulb in there. Should it be a two stage bulb, or a single stage? Because there is a two stage bulb, like the other brake lights. Anyways, I will give the eraser a try, after the rain stops...
I might take out the high mounted brake light just to see what happens with this situation.
Correct me if I am wrong, the high mounted brake light is not on the bulb failure circuit, right?
I don't see that as a paired circuit like the left and right brake lights are.
And, it should receive its power from the brake light switch, right? Hence it doesn't light up like the other lights when the brakes aren't applied.
Is there a common place where all of the brake lights "meet", like the brake light switch, or maybe a relay, where if it were to fail, the third high mounted brake light will illuminate like a running light?
I have been tossing this around in my head all day. Bulb failure light with headlights and without headlights only when the brakes are applied, high mounted brake light illuminated like a running light with the headlights on, all of my lights work... That orange light is so annoying...
Thanks,
Justin
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The back window brake light is a single filament bulb, #1156.
The power feed for that light does run through the bulb out sensor. The circuit runs Fuse 7 to brake light switch to post 9 on the bulb out sensor. The circuit is then split three ways, separate circuits to the left, right and top mounted brake lights.
While the top mount brake light does run through the sensor, I'm not sure if it is part of the bulb out sensing system.
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"While the top mount brake light does run through the sensor, I'm not sure if it is part of the bulb out sensing system."
As you know, the basic BFS principle is that an equal current thru two opposing coils (having the same number of turns) will cancel each other, and thus have no effect on the reed switch inside the coils, which grounds the Warning light.
The 3-Light Brake Light test circuit is similar, except that the Left bulb is tested by one coil (say a nominal 20 turns), which is opposed by two coils end-to-end, nominally 10 turns for the Right bulb and 10 turns for the High Stop bulb.
As long as all three bulbs work, the 20t coil and 2 x 10t coils cancel out. However, a failure of any one of the three bulbs will upset the 20:20 "magnetic balance" and the reed switch will light the BF Warning light.
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The third light IS part of the Failure sensor. So taking out the bulb will screw things up.
You must still have moisture ( a lot) in the Tail light lense causing a voltage to run through the third light when you turn on the Running lights.
Did the Lens fill all the way up to the White connector that plugs into the circuit board?
For giggles: Running lights ON...unplug drivers side connector at Tail lights and see if Center brake light goes off. do same with Passenger side. It may help trouble shoot this voltage to the Center light.
I have never had to replace the Center light Bulbs.. not sure what goes in there.
No Common point for brake lights.; you have 12 V on one side of Brakelight switch. Step on teh brake, Voltage goes to other side of switch up to Bulb Sensor. From there it splits to two wires. Yellow and yellow/gray which run to the back of the car. One yellow is for Drivers side and one is for Passenger side. somewhere along the line, one wire(or both) feeds the Center light.
Those corner bulbs are two filiment bulbs (1157).
It doesn't make sense that the Third light will light with the Running lights and not the Brakelights. If one lights the other has to.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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