Brake light...strangeness....help!

[Accord13&BA4]

Hey whats up guys...

Okay, i picked up a 90 Lx Accord last week...did some few things to it...radiator replaced, battery, valve cover gasket replaced along with spark plug O-rings...


I am having trouble fixing the rear brake light...the bulb works fine...i changed them twice. When you press on the brake, that bulb is supposed to light up...does not light up at all.

I dissassembled the housing, checked the grounds, everything seems okay...
(i doubt it's the fuse, because the other, right brake light works fine)
I also sanded down the crust inside the contact points...
This is mind boggling...
any tips?

(Im new here, please keep the flaming down
)

thanks in advance!

[Neriah06]

test the wires...aka put them together you see sparks? lol and if so then the wires are good and its the harness, if not..then you have wiring problem thas how i tested my headlights when they didnt work....ended up being the wiring harness

[zipcreature]

test the wires...aka put them together you see sparks?

Or just use the tool to check them... But yes, go ahead and look at the fuse to just check it.

- Zipcreature

[accord91lx]

i'd do a search reguarding the 3rd brake light sensor... i think those going faulty causes the bulb to stop working... if not i'd check the wires grounds ect trace them back..... if you have a manual i'd suggest looking over the wire diagrams.

[Neriah06]

lol...ok im 17 with no tools, well no specialty tools, got a craftsman like 500 pc tool set...that is it

[Accord13&BA4]

yeah, thanks guys for the quick responses...


I used a circuit tester already, fuse is fine because if fuse is blown, both the front and rear wont work...(i know from experiences with other Hondas).

This is my first sedan Honda, or first Accord...does these 4th gens have electrical problems? i dont think so, it's still a Honda, not a Volkswagen lol!

Im gonna check the manual, but this is an extremelly strange problem...

maybe the brake pedal sensor isnt hitting the sensor switch all the way??

hmmmm...let me check it out...

any more ideas fellas??

thanks!!!

[sj960]

You keep saying you know it isnt the fuse, you know from experience, etc..... did you actually go down and check the fuses??? That is the first thing I would do, I would rip all fuses out inside and under the hood for anything regarding lights.... just to be sure

[mugenaccordlx]

i have experienced this before.. my right and center brake light juz didnt work one day , all fuses and stuff are ok , but im sure its the wiring itself.. well i dont have time to look around coz im busy all day.. all i did was get a wire, strip the stop light wire from the other side and the non-working side, then connect to each other , then my brake light worked fine.. i used that bypass technique 1 yr ago and still no problem today.. so mine was the wiring , i guess yours too..

[Accord13&BA4]

Wow, thanks man, im going to try that...


I've been pondering all day what it could be...

Will let you know what i find out when i attempt this tom.

thanks Mugenaccordlx...

[gloryaccordy]

I have the same problem...it's probably a wiring thing. I'm gonna 'steal' the current from the working side as well...

[HondaFan81]

On my 91 DX Accord all lights work in the rear except the high-mount brake light. It does not light up and after a couple taps of the brake, that red brake dummy light on the instrument panel shows up. I actually broke out the Helms manual and since the other rear tail-lights work, this by default means the under-the-hood fuse and brake switch are fine. If either one of the two are bad, it would cause the whole rear lights not to work.

Anyhow, I put in a new bulb on the rear high-mount brake light and still nothing. I removed the short wiring segment from the rear main wiring harness to the actual bulb and tested that (with bulb in place to complete the circuit) and it had continuity. So basically I've narrowed the problem to the rear main wiring harness side of things. At that point I stopped because I had something else to do, I still have to check back, find and fix the problem. However, it does make sense that I diagnosed it to that area because I noticed someone in the past was in there because there is electrical tape wrapped around that wiring.

[mugenaccordlx]

Wow, thanks man, im going to try that...


I've been pondering all day what it could be...

Will let you know what i find out when i attempt this tom.

thanks Mugenaccordlx...

if all else fails.. time for a pro to check.. good luck on the bypass..

[Accord13&BA4]

I took my Accord to the shop this morning to diagnose leaking transmission fluid...yes, i searched and it was a loose metal line via the radiator, which i replaced on Fri. searching is next to godliness...lol!

So, while at it, i told them to check out the taillight...he pulls it out, shows me...yes, the contact point of the bulb is no more. I asked him, what can I do? can i just share the connection with the other brake light? he said, try...

So when i get home from work, im going to solder a half inch on that one contact point for the bulb...hope it works...it should...Its just tooo damn cold at night, only time i can work on the Accord...

Funny thing, when i pulled out the bulb, it exploded in half...and i suppose that bulb was Original since 1990!!! -bleh!

...thanks again Accord fantatics!!! you guys are very helpful and im already enjoying this community a lot!!

[timmy0tool]

try this: there are two sensors in each taillight that send a signal to the instrument cluster that your taillight is out (red indicator "brake lamp" under the car icon under the fuel/temp needles). that usually tends to break/short out over time. mine failed always indicating that i had a bulb out when it really wasn't.

i say check the taillight sensors before doing any bypass. it's a small box on each outter taillight (they are specific for each side L and R). you will need to remove the taillight to replace if found defective. good luck and here is a diagram: it's either 28 or 29 depending on the side.

[Sthrnba711]

I am having the problem with the brake lamp on the car diagram and think it might be the brake sensors. Does anyone know where to get these and about how much they run. I took a look at them today and its just some copper coils but they are really exposed so I guess that makes them easy for moisture to mess up.