90 Legacy "STOP LAMP" issue

[Baddog]

So my girlfriends 90 Legacy brake lights don't work when you press the brake pedal. More often than not the "STOP LAMP" light comes on, on the dash.

What should I look at?

Brake switch? Any other suggestions?

[topsecret888]

I've never heard of this being an "issue". Just replace the bulb and move on. It's that simple. my 2 cents

[Baddog]

How could all 4 lights be out?

[SILINC3R]

Stop lamp all ways comes on to let you know it is pressed i believe. Just like the ebrake light comes on when you have it pulled. I would check the swithc as you mentioned and that should do the trick. they are like 54 bucks at autozone if i remember correctly.

[Legacy777]

The STOP lamp is there to let you know when the bulbs are burnt out. If all the bulbs don't work, I would suspect the wiring is in question. Does the normal rear, reverse, and turn signal lights work?

Here are the wiring diagrams for the 90 Legacy. You can trace out the wiring and see where exactly the stop lamp get's it's juice from, which may help.

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com/s ... agrams.zip

[Baddog]

Reverse lights and all that work. But all 4 bulbs don't light up. First gens are a nightmare. Had 2 of them now. My 2nd gen at 201k has had almost no problems and gets beat harder than the first gen.

I will try the switch. Wiring is not something I like to touch and diagrams for wiring throw me off easily.

Everything works in the rear just not the brake lights.

[Legacy777]

If everything but the brake lights work, yeah try replacing the brake switch.

[Baddog]

Just replaced all the bulbs and the brake switch. Still no go.

[Baddog]

Should also mention the "3rd brake light" doesn't work either. The one in the window.

[Baddog]

Anyone? I know many of you just come here to browse or do simple mods and haven't wrenched on a car much.

I am open to suggestions. This is very frustrating.

[topsecret888]

The car being that old (over 20) I won't be surprised if it turned out to be some wiring issues. Electrical wires can deteriorate over time, and this is where it gets to be hard part. Trying to figure out which one is the culprit. Good luck!

[James614]

Sounds stupid, but I assume you already checked for blown fuses.

Other than that, wiring, as much as I'm sure you'd hate to hear it. I had an issue on my '93 where all the parking/brake lights went out without my knowledge. Replaced the fuse thinking nothing of it, and they went out again later that day. Turned out to be an occasional short at the wiring that connects to the side marker light on the front fender. Would've taken days to find, except I had a clue to start there as that side had been in a collision and repaired before.

[Legacy777]

If you look at page 31 of 82 of the diagram I posted, the only common thing between all three brake lights is the ground. The diagram shows two ground spots, one is right below where the trunk latch is, and the other is under the passenger seat carpet where the ABS controller bolts in (if you have one; if not the ground is still there in that area). The chances of both these grounds being bad is pretty slim, so it may be a wiring issue.

If you're not up to reading electrical diagrams, you may want to take it to a shop or a friend that can trace the wiring for you.