[FC] Brake lights

[Clark Hartzel]

I had a weird situation with my Rampside.  Kept blowing fuses on the brake
light circuit.  I checked for obvious shorts but didn't find anything.
Frustrated me so bad I finally added extra temporary brake lights so I could
drive the vehicle.  One day I finally found the problem by accident.  The
dome light didn't work either, so I reached under the driver's side A-pillar
and unplugged the dome light wire.  The brake lights worked fine after that!
Must have been a short up in the roof area.  It never dawned on me that the
dome light was connected to the brake light fuse.
I second the thinking about the brake light switch being stuck.  It has
happened on every FC I've owned.  Fortunately the switch is used on every
vehicle with a pedal that goes thru the floor so I was able to buy the
switches at any auto parts store.
The other major FC problem is the crappy turn signal actuator mechanism
inside the steering wheel housing.  So much play in the actuator mounting
that it won't slide the switch far enough to make the contacts.  If I ever
own another FC, I'd come up with something else, like add-on turn signal kit
that clamp to the steering post or something electronic that starts the
signal blinking and then times-out after 10-15 seconds and shuts off
automatically.  I don't think I ever had an FC that the brake lights and
turn signals worked consistantly.
Clark Hartzel
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