Brake Lights ?

[Sickboy54]

Sorry if this has been covered before. But, the brake lights on my 54 Special stopped working. All 4 tail lights work, and the fuse is fine(which is the only troubleshoot the manual addresses)..Any ideas? Is there a ground wire on the master cylinder? (a pain to get at as my car's lowered)

[Muley Gil]

I've never worked on a '54 Buick, but the earlier staright eight Buicks had a brake light switch, which was mounted on the hydraulic brake line. When you step on the brake pedal, the fluid fills the switch and completes an electrical circuit, activating your brake lights. It is easy to replace.

[kensgs01]

The switch is on the master cylinder. To test the switch jump the 2 wires (or ground the one wire, if only one), and see if the lights work. Bad switch if they do...Ken

[54_Nailhead]

The stop light switch on my '54 Special is in the engine compartment. It's in a distribution block mounted to the frame on the drivers side near the steering column. I had the same problem with the brake lights when I bought the car, replaced the switch and they have worked ever since then.

[Tom Gallagher]

Sometimes,

The wires which run through the body, come in contact with the hinge that opens and closes the trunk and chafed the wires causing a short. Check the insulation, they are usually connected to a clip close by. The wiring on these vehicles were designed to last only 15 years. The design time limits have been well surpassed at this point and are very brittle. Also Check that all the "grounds" are clean and have not built up any "corrosion".

When "Troubleshooting" all areas of possible failure have to be taken into consideration.