Brake lights stay on....

Chaz · December 29, 2009, 05:10:03 PM

Dang it!!! It's feezing cold and as I'm walking back to the house I glance over at my bus and the brake lights are on!! BUMMER!!
I went over and hit the pedal a couple times....... no avail.
So I threw the main battery switch and came back to the studio to post a quick question:

Where would I look to find this problem??

As far what I have done with it recently.... just took my girlfriend and 5 other couples out to eat on Sunday night. I don't think they were on after that. Then today I fired her up for a little bit and put her back in her spot.
Could I have some sort of frozen water in a brake switch or something?? My gues is that "That would bite"!!
I'm going to do a little reseach tonite but what do you guys think?

Thanx a bunch!
Chaz

luvrbus · December 29, 2009, 05:42:00 PM

I would go for frozen water at the switch when you replace one they are always rusty, well on a Eagle they are

good luck

Van · December 29, 2009, 07:24:54 PM

Chaz, try the hair dryer on the switch, just outta curiviscosity

RTS/Daytona · December 30, 2009, 03:09:26 AM

Chaz

If your 4108 is Anything like my RTS - It's a PRESSURE SWITCH that turns on the brake lights - not a mechanical switch

Pete - Live from Arcadia Florida - 44 degrees this morning - welcome to Florida ??

luvrbus · December 30, 2009, 04:42:51 AM

Chaz, I don't know that much about GM buses but most all buses have 2 switches one for the parking brake that will work with no air pressure with just the master switch turned on the other when the brakes are applied and even Eagles have pressure stop light switches

good luck

Chaz · December 30, 2009, 03:40:09 PM

Thanx guys. I'll look up where the switch (s) are. I would guess they are outside somewhere if they are frozen.
Thanx agin for the help!
Chaz

buswarrior · December 31, 2009, 07:31:03 AM

It would be a good bit of preventive maintenance to change these out.

If they have failed once, they can't be trusted in the warm either.

They will be screwed into an air source someplace, maybe inside an electric panel.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

zubzub · December 31, 2009, 07:59:35 AM

FWIW I recently changed out a brake switch. On my bus (and the aftermarket switch I changed in) it was a dead simple N.O. switch that pressure closes). If the spring that holds it open broke it would fail closed (lights on). I would suspect icing (not icing sugar, but at this time of year that could be a problem as well) as the spring is tougher than the diaphram and I would think that that would fail first.
I kinda wish I hadn't replaced the original switch as the internals were pristine all that needed changing was the diaphragm, and a piece of silicone sheeting ( a la Dallas) would have done that (I'm guessing some safety gurus may object to this, but really the supply hole to this diaphragm is tiny). The aftermarket switch lacked the quality feel of the older aftermarket switch I changed out.

Chaz · December 31, 2009, 10:37:26 AM

Thanx Guys.
Any of you guys happen to know just where that switch would be located?? Hopefully it's somplace where I can just put a small ceramic heater by it.
'preciate it!
Chaz

Just Dallas · December 31, 2009, 11:31:34 AM

Removed

zubzub · December 31, 2009, 01:51:22 PM

which is in the little compartment where the aux air tank is. forward left bumper compartment.

gus · January 01, 2010, 01:53:57 PM

I call this the black hole, nothing in the air system there is easy to reach except the aux tank !!

Bill B /bus · January 01, 2010, 03:56:34 PM

In a Buffalo the brake switch is right behind the driver's side inboard headlight. Almost a zero clearance job. The wires, two, are attached with screws through the ring terminals. Then a large wrench to remove the switch.
I would suspect ice in the switch holding it in the closed position. Try a heat gun or hair dryer to warm the switch area and see if that solves the problem.
After fixing that problem install an air dryer. You can get one through a salvage (junkyard) yard for maybe $50-75. Change the cartridge before installing. GM's did not have air dryers installed through at least 1974 models. The manuals I had did not indicate an air dryer even as an option.

Good luck
Bill

belfert · January 01, 2010, 06:33:33 PM

You can sometimes get air dryers pretty cheap at truck shops in the fall when everybody is getting ready for winter.

By the time you buy a salvage unit, replace the cartridge, and replace or rebuild the purge valve you could be getting close to the price of a new or rebuilt unit.

Chaz · January 02, 2010, 10:34:59 AM

AWESOME!!! Thanx for all the insight guys!! I'll put a little ceramic heater in there and see what happens. If it's a "bear" to switch out - as it sounds like - I'll wait till the weather gets better. I AM NOT a big fan of these single digit temps. It makes even easy jobs into a pain in the butt.......... much less a tough job. I feel for you guys in the Great White North, but then, that was the main reason I bought my bus: to head southwest for the winter. I'm just not there yet. $:-\$ I wouldn't move 10' North!!

And as for the air dryer, I'll keep my eye out. I understand that would be the hot ticket but I'm going to have to find a "killer deal" as this year has been hard on me as well I'm sure plenty of you. Then there's the install.......... But that can sometimes be fun.
So until then, I think I know what to do with the "Airline Anti-freeze". (my other post) It's a bit cheaper and I don't use the "Big Gal" much in the winter.
Thanx again guys!
Chaz