Tail Lights Stay On - 1990 Accord LX

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John R. Reyes - 05 Aug 2007 05:40 GMT

This evening noticed my tail lights wouldn't turn off. Engine was off,
checked brake pedal to see if it was stuck, pushed pedal up & down several
times & drove around awhile, no luck. Disconnected battery cable for now,
any suggestions how to fix or test for a defective component.

TIA,
Ray

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Matt Ion - 05 Aug 2007 05:41 GMT

> *This evening noticed my tail lights wouldn't turn off. Engine was off,
> checked brake pedal to see if it was stuck, pushed pedal up & down
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> *TIA,*
> *Ray*

Brake lights, or tail lights? Two separate circuits... two separate
troubleshooting paths.

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Matt Ion - 05 Aug 2007 06:50 GMT

>> *This evening noticed my tail lights wouldn't turn off. Engine was
>> off, checked brake pedal to see if it was stuck, pushed pedal up &
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Brake lights, or tail lights? Two separate circuits... two separate
> troubleshooting paths.

Well you replied "brake lights" by email... but I'll reply here in case
it can be useful to others.

If it's the same as my '87 Accord, the brake switch is a normally-closed
type positioned above the pedal, near the pivot (as seen here:
http://moltenimage.com/freebies/g3accord/brakes/20-5.JPG). In its
"normal" state, the switch is a closed contact and the lights are on;
when the pedal is all the way up, it pushes the switch in and breaks the
connection. If the switch or the bracket that it's mounted to are
loose, then the whole thing is probably moving with the pedal instead of
being depressed.

That's your most likely culprit, and the first thing to check.

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Frank Boettcher - 05 Aug 2007 16:12 GMT

>This evening noticed my tail lights wouldn't turn off. Engine was off,
>checked brake pedal to see if it was stuck, pushed pedal up & down several
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>TIA,
>Ray

There is a plastic pin on the brake pedal that contacts the switch.
It has crumbled. Replace it with a round head screw or something
tough. Then adjust the switch to get the proper contact point. I used
a round head non metallic screw that came with my liscence plate
frame.

The first time it happened, I bought a OEM replacement part. Didn't
cost much but only lasted two years.

If you look on your floorboard, you will probably see some small
pieces of plastic, what used to be the contact pin.

Frank

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