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One brake light not working - s10 pickup

94K views 46 replies 22 participants last post by  oldeerslayer 
#1 ·
I have an 2000 s10 pickup. I am not getting voltage to the brake light/signal on the driver side. Passenger side and front lights all work fine The parking light (same bulb) works fine - does this info eliminate grounding and switch related problems because the parking lights and other brake lights are working?

Are there separate fuses for right and left sides? The turn signal blinks fast indicating problem with bulb. Bulb is fine and I have confirmed no voltage. Not sure how to proceed with troubleshooting. I would like to check the easy solutions before looking at the wires.

Thanks for help
 
#2 ·
I had the same problem on mine. Left side wouldnt work with a good bulb. Turned out to be a bad wire in the harness under the bed. If somebody else doesnt come up with a better solution then do what I did and just take the tail light out, let the bulbs hang down with the brakes applied and get under the truck and start wiggling wires to find the messed up wire.
 
#7 ·
I had the same problem on mine. Left side wouldnt work with a good bulb. Turned out to be a bad wire in the harness under the bed. If somebody else doesnt come up with a better solution then do what I did and just take the tail light out, let the bulbs hang down with the brakes applied and get under the truck and start wiggling wires to find the messed up wire.
I would start with this.
 
#3 ·
check ya switch in teh truck i had the same prob. and turned out to be teh directianl switch i didn't avea r/r break light nore the directinal and was the switch adn wasn't cheap got my from GM and cost me 300 but had no choice cause i crashed my truck 4weeks ago but got it back so check the switch in ya truck its a project but check it there hope could help you
 
#5 ·
300 for a switch haha funny, what a dumby lol.

if no lights are dim then its probably not ground issue.

try testing wire before socket to see if its good. to see if its just a bad socket

usually a bad multi function switch assembly causes loss of both brake lights., never seen it cause only one to fail.

check wiringing rear, all splices plugs etc have someone watch the lights as you mess with them.
 
#6 ·
if it was a ground the parking lamp wouldnt work either, would it?

check the wiring good from the bulb to the multifunction switch. could be a broken wire or a bad connection

could also be the multifunction switch or the hazard switch, it is possible for one side to work and the other sid not work if the multifunction switch or the hazard switch fails
 
#9 ·
The problem I found on my 98 Sonoma was the wiring harness on the drivers rear frame rail. It has a green junction connector where the wires plug in. This is right where snow accumulates in the winter and causes the connections to corrode and the terminals rust off or break.
 
#12 ·
Find the short causing the light to blow.
 
#15 ·
On daughters 1999 s10 the driver side break light will work and then not work.
Without moving the truck if you turn the hazard lights on and then hit the break petal a few times and then turn off the hazards and then the break light works.. Then later won't work. Could this be the hazard light switch itself..
Every thing points to it being the problem. I just wanted to get someone Else's opinion. Also if so, could I do that GM Hazard switch repair Kit part # 15174447
fix??
Thanks!

Bill
 
#19 ·
On my 96 s10 I'm having a terrible issue with the tail lights, but everything up front is working perfect. My brake lights will only work when the headlights are off. When I turn my turn signal switch on to either direction both tail lights in the rear blink, but very dim. When the headlights are on nothing on the tail lights seems to work. I've replaced the Multi-function switch (which fixed my wipers) and I've replaced the brake light switch, the flasher relay AND the blinker relay. At this point I'm guessing it has to be the wiring in the immediate rear, but if anybody has anything else to add I am all ears.
 
#20 ·
Check the grounds from the battery to the frame and from the frame to the core support. Also check the grounds on the back of the frame rails. This sounds like a ground issue, and they work as long as there is low power consumption, but with the headlights on, there's more power demand and the ground doesn't have a proper connection. So be sure to check all of the ground wires from the battery.
 
#21 ·
Well, I cleaned off all of the grounds when I had the engine tore apart, BUT instead of being lazy I went out and recleaned them all. I found one I missed under the battery tray. Unfortanately the problem persists! I feel like this is a ground issue as well, I've had nearly the same problem on a tractor before. How many grounds are there on the frame rail? I've nailed the one on the rear driver's side twice. It holds one white and one black wire. I've even rewrapped the trailer light harness twice. Ugh. I also hit my head on my tail gate sooo I'm twice as frustrated now lol.
 
#23 ·
You know what, I am going to eliminate it. It was filthy before I took it apart and cleaned it so maybe the inside is nothing but filth and corrossion. Thanks for the quick replies, you're keeping me motivated at this point.
 
#24 ·
That didn't work, but it did change some things. My brake lights work right now, even if the head lights are on. No tail lights though. Flashers work, unless I press the break which makes the tail lights stay on, but dim. Turn signals are flashing on BOTH sides at the SAME time, but now they alternate from the large bulbs to the small bulbs. If I press the break while either turn signal is on, it does the same thing as when the flashers are on.
 
#25 ·
I'm getting confused trying to figure what it's doing, so do this for me. Test the circuit as follows.

With the Headlights and Parking Lights Off-
Do the turn signals/flashers work correctly? do the brake lights work?

With ONLY the Parking lights on-
Do the parking lights all light up correctly? Do the turn signals/flashers work correctly? do the brake lights work?

With the headlights ON-
Do the parking lights all light up correctly? Do the turn signals/flashers work correctly? do the brake lights work?

Also, have you changed any of the lights recently, I've seen a bad/wrong bulb cause odd issues and even bad connectors make things quirky.
 
#26 ·
With the headlights and parking lights off, only the breaks and flashers work.

With the parking lights on, the front lights work, the rears do not. The breaks work and flashers work.

With the headlights on, the front lights work, the rears do not. The breaks work and flashers work.

The turn signals go crazy throughout all those steps.

I've changed all the bulbs
 
#28 ·
All of the bulbs are correct. The flashers work unless I press on the brake pedal, that makes them stick on, but makes them dim. I'm thinking about replacing the headlight switch next.
 
#30 ·
I'm at a complete loss then. I'm honestly thinking about rewiring the entire rear light harness myself to eliminate the possibility of a snagged wire being the issue.
 
#31 ·
Okay. Here's something odd. With the truck off, if I leave the turn signal switch on and press the brake, only one brake light will brighten. It switches sides according to the position of the turn signal switch. Could I have purchased a defective Multi-function switch? Maybe that is STILL my problem?
 
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