stop lamp lights up,what it means?

[tigersvx]

when i hit on the brake,the stop lamp lights up on the intrument panel,and it only lights up about 30% of the times when i hit the brake,,,,and now it is fine alltogether for a few days,its back from time to time,.....does anyone know what it indicates?(is my brake pads too thin?)
thanks very muchanyone...

[svxcess]

Its just a brake light that is dying... but not dead.

The easiest thing to do is buy 4 new brake light bulbs and replace them all at the same time. That way the amperage matches and the "stop lamp checker" (which controls that light on the instrument panel) will be happy.

The stop lamp checker uses the amperage difference between the trunk panel and the two body-mounted stop lights to determine if a bulb is bad. Very similar design to a GFCI outlet in your house.

The stop lamp checker works by separating the stop lamps into two circuits, each with two bulbs. The two center panel lights are one circuit and the two outside lights are the other.

The two circuits each go into a sensor and each current draw is measured. If it is not in balance (ie, one circuit has two bulbs, the other only has one working) the stop lamp on the dash triggers.

The manual tells you the only "fooled" instance. If one bulb from the center panel is burned out and one bulb on an outer light is burned out, the indicator will not come on.

It has a fail-safe so if all four bulbs are burned out (zero current flow) it triggers the light.

If you put higher wattage bulbs in the center panel but regular bulbs in the outer lights, it will trigger an indicator even though all four bulbs light.

If you have unmatched wattage bulbs, the difference in amperage can be enough to trigger the checker even if all four bulbs work.

Bulbs are dirt cheap so when I have one go out, I replace all four with the same .


.

[NikFu S.]

A few years ago my stop lamp was coming on for seemingly no reason. It eventually stopped without changing anything and none of my bulbs are burned out.

[LetItSnow]

That's got to do with the notorious water-got-in-the-module thing, found in other threads. Mine is doing it for the third time in 18 months of ownership right now.

[svxcess]

Another common problem is the stop lamp checker relay itself. This is located in the right side in the trunk, behind the panel, in front of the washer fluid reservoir. The design is such that if moisture gets into this area the checker relay acts as a reservoir to collect and hold water.

You can seal it inside a small plastic bag to protect it. It is very small and held in place by just one screw.

,

[tigersvx]

Originally Posted by svxcess

Its just a brake light that is dying... but not dead.

The easiest thing to do is buy 4 new brake light bulbs and replace them all at the same time. That way the amperage matches and the "stop lamp checker" (which controls that light on the instrument panel) will be happy.

The stop lamp checker uses the amperage difference between the trunk panel and the two body-mounted stop lights to determine if a bulb is bad. Very similar design to a GFCI outlet in your house.

The stop lamp checker works by separating the stop lamps into two circuits, each with two bulbs. The two center panel lights are one circuit and the two outside lights are the other.

The two circuits each go into a sensor and each current draw is measured. If it is not in balance (ie, one circuit has two bulbs, the other only has one working) the stop lamp on the dash triggers.

The manual tells you the only "fooled" instance. If one bulb from the center panel is burned out and one bulb on an outer light is burned out, the indicator will not come on.

It has a fail-safe so if all four bulbs are burned out (zero current flow) it triggers the light.

If you put higher wattage bulbs in the center panel but regular bulbs in the outer lights, it will trigger an indicator even though all four bulbs light.

If you have unmatched wattage bulbs, the difference in amperage can be enough to trigger the checker even if all four bulbs work.

Bulbs are dirt cheap so when I have one go out, I replace all four with the same .


.

thanks a lot for all advices,will try to change to all,but i hope it goes away with no reason,it not comes on for a week now,may be it was becos i ha dnot used it for two years,and it gets angry...

[tigersvx]

Originally Posted by LetItSnow

That's got to do with the notorious water-got-in-the-module thing, found in other threads. Mine is doing it for the third time in 18 months of ownership right now.

thanks,mine is kind a strange too,it doesnot come on for a week now,hope mine like nickfu.S,and gone without notice.

[XT6Wagon]

Mine does it cause one of the bulb sockets is horked, so closing the trunk lid often makes that bulb stop working. Open it up and play with the wires leading into the back of it and close the lid very gently and the bulb works again.

[subbieatnz]

my jdm one does that. i had blown blub 1st time but i replaced it. it still does it. was thinking it mite be an broken wire or something
i just play with the bulb or get the light an tap then it works again lol

[kwren]

might try cleaning the socket with emery cloth and wiping it out good with a clean soft cloth. Disconnect the battery first?

Just a thought,
Keith

[benebob]

Does the stop lamp light up when the fluid is low on the SVX (sorry I don't let it get that low on my SVX so I don't know). It did on my Brat and XT6 though.