Brake light stays on all the time
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 68
Likes: 1
Brake light stays on all the time Did some searching but I haven't come across this particular problem.
I was looking to swap over to LEDs, at least for the rear.
As expected, they wouldn't flash with the stock flasher unit but I had already purchased a Tridon EL12 to solve the problem.
With the EL12 in place the signals flash correctly but the pass. side flasher stays illuminated at the low intensity setting even with lights off and the keys out of the car.
I pulled the EL12 and replaced with the stock thermal flasher and the turn signal is off but of course, won't flash.
With the stock bulbs back in their sockets everything seems to work correctly - no obvious sign of an electrical issue.
Any thoughts?
Jon
I was looking to swap over to LEDs, at least for the rear.
As expected, they wouldn't flash with the stock flasher unit but I had already purchased a Tridon EL12 to solve the problem.
With the EL12 in place the signals flash correctly but the pass. side flasher stays illuminated at the low intensity setting even with lights off and the keys out of the car.
I pulled the EL12 and replaced with the stock thermal flasher and the turn signal is off but of course, won't flash.
With the stock bulbs back in their sockets everything seems to work correctly - no obvious sign of an electrical issue.
Any thoughts?
Jon
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
First things first... model and year of car? I'm going to guess Firebird since Camaros have separate amber turn signals that don't have bright and dim circuits.
My first thought is that you have an incorrect bulb type or a defective bulb in the problem position. A 3156 single "filament" LED bulb looks exactly the same as the proper 3157 dual "filament" bulb but functions differently. Also, there is a CK version of the 3157 bulb that looks identical but is wired differently. The easy way to check is to swap the problem bulb with one from the other side of the car. If the problem stays in the same position after swapping then it's probably something in the wiring. If the problem moves to the other side with the bulb then it's the bulb causing it.
My first thought is that you have an incorrect bulb type or a defective bulb in the problem position. A 3156 single "filament" LED bulb looks exactly the same as the proper 3157 dual "filament" bulb but functions differently. Also, there is a CK version of the 3157 bulb that looks identical but is wired differently. The easy way to check is to swap the problem bulb with one from the other side of the car. If the problem stays in the same position after swapping then it's probably something in the wiring. If the problem moves to the other side with the bulb then it's the bulb causing it.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 68
Likes: 1
Oops! '96 Camaro convertible.
Being the older tail light design I have dual filament bulbs for the indicators and no amber portion in the lens.
The problem is a little weirder than I realized. I couldn't replicate the condition today and had decided that either I have an intermittent problem or that I was crazy and I had in fact left the lights on and that was lighting the bulb ...until I opened the trunk lid.
With the trunk closed everything works as it should. With trunk open the interior lights come on (they've always done that) and that pesky right indicator comes on - solid, low intensity. Close the trunk and the interior lights stay on until they run out of retained power but indicator goes off immediately.
I began to wonder if My third brake light was still working. Sure enough the bulbs are burned out. I had some LED replacements on hand so I stuck them in. They do not light when the brake pedal is depressed. But with the trunk open they light some what faintly as well.
This is all with the El12 flasher installed but I don't imagine that that would have anything to do with the brake circuit.
Jon
Being the older tail light design I have dual filament bulbs for the indicators and no amber portion in the lens.
The problem is a little weirder than I realized. I couldn't replicate the condition today and had decided that either I have an intermittent problem or that I was crazy and I had in fact left the lights on and that was lighting the bulb ...until I opened the trunk lid.
With the trunk closed everything works as it should. With trunk open the interior lights come on (they've always done that) and that pesky right indicator comes on - solid, low intensity. Close the trunk and the interior lights stay on until they run out of retained power but indicator goes off immediately.
I began to wonder if My third brake light was still working. Sure enough the bulbs are burned out. I had some LED replacements on hand so I stuck them in. They do not light when the brake pedal is depressed. But with the trunk open they light some what faintly as well.
This is all with the El12 flasher installed but I don't imagine that that would have anything to do with the brake circuit.
Jon
Launching!
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 237
Likes: 1
From: Henderson NV
My 99 does something similar. But only the third brake light stays on faintly when the car is on. I only notice it at night. I'm sure it has something to do with parasitic current through that Tridon flasher, because I used the same thing... AND i converted all the lights in the back to LED (brake, side, and turn).
I plan to add some load resistors and put the old flasher back in. It's the easiest way to fix that issue.
I plan to add some load resistors and put the old flasher back in. It's the easiest way to fix that issue.
