I just noticed tonight, a rainy night, that I now have two electrical problems with my car, perhaps they are related?

Cruise control will no longer engage. I noticed this tonight on the highway, I love cruise control and when I try to apply it, nothing happens. I checked the horn because I just replaced the clock spring (Cable reel") and the horn does work. It must be something else. I do know that if you tap or apply the brakes, this will immediately terminate the cruise control mode.

Also, now the brake lights now stay on all the time. Not even shutting off the car would make the brake lights go out. I looked on the floor of the drivers side compartment and found white plastic broken bits of plastic, sort of circular in shape. I then looked way up on the brake pedal and found the brake light switch. It is there and it is working, however, where it meets the pedal, there is a small plate with a round hole in it. The switch goes right through the hole. It is as if some sort of plastic bushing or "cork" should go in that hole to press on the brake light switch. I put a small screwdriver tip in between the switch and pedal to put pressure on the switch and checked the brake lights and they are out now.

I think that whatever is supposed to be in that hole at the top of the brake pedal is broken and gone now so the car thinks that the brakes are on all the time. This makes the brake lights always stay on and the cruise control cannot work this way.

The question is what the hell is supposed to go into that hole and how can I fix it? For tonight, I guess it will be the "Whatever the hell I can jam in there with duct tape to make it work" repair but I want this fixed right.

Can someone help me please?

Thanks.


Modified by Ohmster at 5:22 PM 9/4/2007


Modified by Ohmster at 7:18 PM 9/4/2007

 

check ur brake light switch. check the pin on it

 

most likley its the plastic stop thats installed on the brake pedal. over time they wear and then break and fall out so basically the brake light switch has nothing to make it depress when you get off the brake causing the lights to stay on. As for the cruise well, beats the hell out of me.

Buddy

 

Yeah Buddy, it was just like you said. the plastic stop got brittle, broke, fell out, and then left a hole on the brake pedal where the brake light pin should rest. This also disabled the cruise control because as soon as you depress the brake pedal during cruise control, the control immediately shuts off. If the car thinks you are continuously pressing the brake, cruise control won't come one. What to do about this? Cannot leave it alone, by morning I will have a dead battery from the brake lights being on all night.

Advance Auto Parts has a small, cheap set. "Rubber Bumper Assortment", Stock 45392 that costs $3.88. You get a bunch of small rubber plugs that go in holes and pull through to lock in place with a ring that is cut into them. Most are bullet shaped, but one was sort of disk shaped and had a bullet on the end of it with the lock ring cut into it. This part pulled through the hole in the brake pedal and now serves as a cushion for the brake switch and turns it off when there is no pressure on the brake pedal. That is all it took, now my brake lights work properly and go off when not on and the cruise control works like it always had. If I press the brakes while in cruise control mode, cruise control shuts off just like it should. It just could not activate with an open brake switch.

All fixed for the amazing amount of $3.88.

 

My cruise control would intermittently cease to work. Knowing about the frequent failure of the plastic-rubber stop on the brake pedal arm where the brake switch probe contacts, I checked it first. Sure enough my Civic's was cracked. Like Ohmster says, go looking for miscellaneous "rubber bumpers" at your nearest aftermarket auto parts store. I found a set for $2.29 at Autozone (made by Dorman, labeled "rubber bumpers," part #961-375). One of them fit fine. Use a little liquid soap to push it in easily. I added a thumbtack to the top of the bumper for a firmer, hopefully longer lasting bumper.