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View Full Version : 2004 zx10r brake light issues



rapid van cleef
7th June 2010, 23:02
hi folks

i have 2004 zx10. after washing it today i noticed that my rear brake does not trigger the brake light, but the front brake lever does turn on the brake light.

i had a close look by the rear brake lever and noticed there is a small relay with 3 terminals. the upper terminal has no wire connecting to it. the middle terminal is connected, the lower terminal had came adrift.

i re- connected the lower terminal and the brake light came on and stayed on, neither brake pedal or lever have any effect.

i dis-connect the lower terminal and the brake ever works the brake light again, as normal(but no brake light response from the rear brake)

hmmmmmm

so i need to get the brake light working from the rear brake pedal, and what do i do about the lower of the 3 terminals, that makes the brake light stay on once connected?

help please

imdying
8th June 2010, 16:01
i had a close look by the rear brake lever and noticed there is a small relay with 3 terminals. the upper terminal has no wire connecting to it. the middle terminal is connected, the lower terminal had came adrift.There are three main options for what has gone wrong:

- You have connected the switch back up wrong. Try every permutation of this; it's only a switch, you can't do any harm

- The switch is incorrectly adjusted. The allow you to adjust the brake pedal up and down, and thus they need to make the switch adjustable as well to cope. Generally the body is threaded and you raise or lower it to suit. Note that the switch might work backwards to how you first envisage.

- The switch is faulty, and no amount of adjustment or rewiring will fix it. To test this, take the switch off, and check across two terminals with your multimeter. In resistance mode it should read infinite (no connection) when the switch is idle and 0 ohms (or close to) when the switch is activated. With three prongs you will need to check every permutation to find which pins it is.

One of those options should fix it or figure it out. It's pretty basic shit, you can't go far wrong.

quickbuck
9th June 2010, 19:51
And if option 3... Then fill it with CRC CO Contact Cleaner and try it again....
They can get fitted with moisture and crud that causes it to "Close Curcuit"....

Worth a shot if you have contact cleaner laying around... Else, might be cheaper to buy another switch than a can of that...

CookMySock
9th June 2010, 21:42
Those relays dont like water in them - the contacts go unreliable. Just get a new relay from repco and try it, or bring it out and we'll put the test lamp over it.

Steve

rapid van cleef
9th June 2010, 23:28
thanks guys, ive soaked it in wd40(the switch that is) the brake pedal needs re adjusted as when i lift it up, the brake light goes out. so, the pedal is not going back to its zero position. full of cold at the mo so i ll sit in me garage at the weekend and fiddle with it. i f i have difficulties, ill be i touch DB. cheers for the replies guys