Boxy style brake light switch!

454cid · Post by **454cid** » 05 Mar 2022, 19:40

I was heading up to the gas station today to fill up.... on coffee. I couple pulled up next to me and let me know that my brake lights were not working at all.

Back home, I sprayed the door sill down with some pet odor cleaner to try and mitigate the skunk stink from the other night, and let it set (it didn't do much)... THEN, pulled the dash panel and crawled in and out a few dozen times. I tried adjusting it, and it was a no go.... nothing I did had any effect on the brake lights. It took me a bit to get that switch un-plugged and removed. Apparently the cylindrical white piece has to be moved for the thing to come out easily. I didn't know that at the time.

There are 4 pins, and I can make and brake continuity with two of them. I suspect that's why I've never had an issue shifting out of park. I don't really know what pin is what, Though.

I guess I'm going to order a new Volvo part through FCP. The existing switch appears to be aftermarket, which I find kinda odd since the car has less than 100K miles on it..... I actually just past 90K miles a few days ago.

Oh..... I did check the fuse, and it has continuity.

454cid · Post by **454cid** » 06 Mar 2022, 21:51

Well, lets see how fast I actually get this thing.... I paid an extra $21 in shipping for it to be here on Tuesday. I'd rather not drive without brake lights any more than I need to, and driving my truck would use $21 dollars in gas very quickly.

Local stores needed to order it, so that wouldn't be much help, for a potentially lesser part. The original supplier appears to be Alps, but it still mystifies me why the existing part is a replacement with only 90K miles on the car.

Post by **misha** » 07 Mar 2022, 17:01

When new one arrives...open the old one and see if there is something wrong with it...cold solders or broken contacts.

454cid · Post by **454cid** » 12 Mar 2022, 11:21

I had no brake lights longer than I intended, but it's fixed now. I did not realize how easy it was to install that switch.

This video is very informative:

This switch also fixed my cruise not disengaging with the brake pedal well..... which I don't completely understand as the brake pedal also has a lot of other hardware attached to it for the cruise.

I took the old switch apart, and I saw nothing burned or obviously broken, but it's a very strangely built switch.