-lights are off
-keys are out
-foot is <U>not </U> on pedal

For some reason the tail lights just won't go off. I'm completely stumped as to what the problem might be. Is there some kind of stopper or something that prevents the pedal from depressing that may have broken, causing a constant electrical signal to be sent to the brake lights?

Please help, this sucks when I have to park the car....I fear killing my battery.

Bump for views and any help.

 

On the brake pedal arm there is a plastic plug that the brake light switch hits against. If that plug has fallen out or broke(In my case disappeared) the lights will stay on. Mine did this and I quick fixed it with a Penny and electrical tape. Thinking about it reminded me I never fixed it that penny is still there after 7 months.


If thats not it then its most likely the brake light switch. There cheap but its a pain to change.

 

lol yeah, been there.

 

yeah, seems like it's the brake plug thing. I just looked in the footwell and found a few broken pieces of plastic, the most notable piece had a kind of cone shape to it. It looked like a crayola crayon at first to be honest [lol]. So is it really that bad to replace? Should I buy/search for it new,I mean, is it worth it?Or should I just try to pull 1 from the junkyard?

 

junkyard

 

ok, sow i never even knew that this thing was there, so what am i looking for when i find a car to pull it from?

 

I never saw what the plug looked like. Mine just disappeared one day. You can save $ and gas $ by just placing something thin and about the shape of the plate where it mounts and wrap electical tape around it.

Heres mine. theres a hole where the dip is in the black tape. Thats where the plastic plug goes in.



O yea I'm really cheap thats why I never really fixed it. Also my plug disappeared some time right as I was getting on the highway. I drove for 2 1/2 hours with my brake lights on. I finally stoped and someone pointed them out to me. Fixed it is the gas station parking lot in 2 min.

 

i would thionk any civic, just take yours off, unplug it use a 14mm and unscrew it out. then tak it with you to the junkyard to make sure it's the same. i wouldn't pay more that a couple bucks for it.

 

or if you want you could get a new one only 12 buck from majestic, i looked it up for the hell of it, i thought it would have been more.
http://www.hondaautomotivepart...PEDAL

 

I picked up a new gromet from Honda for like 3 bucks when mine fell apart.
Its old plastic so replacing old plastic with old plastic from the bone yard is asking for future failure. Imo suck it up and buy the new part.

 

same thing happened on my eg just went to my local dealer and picked up the part, like he said only 3 bucks and a bone yard one could very well do the same thing.

 

second the last two posters... it is a cheap little plastic button shaped thing. Most older hondas use them, and they break after 15 years or so. $3 from a dealership, and it takes one finger to press it into place. It isn't a big deal.

 

you guys are gr8! This is why I'm a honda-tech user

 

to be honest, i would just replace it yourself with sumthing faaar more durable then just that little piece of plastic (not worth paying for). and by the way, i almost drove myself crazy when i found a piece of "crayon" in my car that has'nt moved out of my driveway in months (broken piece of course)!! lol

 

I replaced it with a 10-32 screw and nut. Will never again wear out.

 

I just replaced mine with a rubber stopper from kragen when mine decided to explode and make me jump the car like 9 times that day.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maxbore.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I replaced it with a 10-32 screw and nut. Will never again wear out.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

I just had the same problem. My battery drained overnight and I thought maybe the cheap battery just wasn't holding a charge, but put on a battery charger/checker, it showed it was still good to go. Then I put it back on my car, walked away to get a drink before I drove home and on walking back, saw my brake lights were on.


So searching "honda civic brake light stuck on" lead me here and to the very simple fix. I was thinking I had a short or maybe a stuck relay or something and was gonna break out the helms.

All I did was losen up the set nut, screw the push switch in a little farther, then locked the set nut back up. Don't see that causing anymore damage then taping a penny onto the brake arm to push the button in.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Herc130 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just had the same problem. My battery drained overnight and I thought maybe the cheap battery just wasn't holding a charge, but put on a battery charger/checker, it showed it was still good to go. Then I put it back on my car, walked away to get a drink before I drove home and on walking back, saw my brake lights were on.


So searching "honda civic brake light stuck on" lead me here and to the very simple fix. I was thinking I had a short or maybe a stuck relay or something and was gonna break out the helms.

All I did was losen up the set nut, screw the push switch in a little farther, then locked the set nut back up. Don't see that causing anymore damage then taping a penny onto the brake arm to push the button in. </TD></TR></TABLE>

well, I'm confused... All you did was move the switch up??? What actually presses against the switch?

 

yo
i tried using a penny and electrical tape but it came off..hahahaha

use a quarter and some jb weld!

 

JB weld and zip-ties hold EF's together.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Maxbore.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I replaced it with a 10-32 screw and nut. Will never again wear out.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That sounds like the best course of action.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jpciii &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

well, I'm confused... All you did was move the switch up??? What actually presses against the switch? </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have a 98 civic DX coupe, the arm of the brake pedal pushes on the switch. I don't know if the arms are different on "CRX/ EF CIVICs", but for my car the arm has a metal plate directly under the switch. I screwed the push switch in just enough so my lights go off when I am not pressing the brakes. Hopefully the switch holds up.



On that pic, you can even see that under the electrical tape and coin is a metal plate that is right under the push switch. Just lossen the top nut (the one not welded on), take the connector on the switch off, screw the switch down maybe 2 or 3 turns (just enough to get the lights to go off reliably and no more. Otherwise the brake arm does not do its full travel), then tighten the nut back up. Unless I am just not seeing that under the tape is a big hole.

 

under the tape in the pic is a hole. There should be a plastic plug in the hole but on most 88-91 civics and crxs it gets old and brakes into little pieces.

 

hahaha everyone uses electrical tape same here

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tippyman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">JB weld and zip-ties hold EF's together. </TD></TR></TABLE>

damn strait!!! buddy used zip ties to hold rear sway bar, still works to this day!!! lol....

bout the brake light thing, i need to go do it, cause its been like this on my car for while... lol.