brake light circut??

[NewYorksbmwe36]

my computer says brake light circut? but both brake lights work..sometimes it goes on and then i wont see it for a day or two.anyone have this problem?n what can i do to fix it?thanks

[RacerJames666]

Check for moisture in the connectors at the taillights.
Do you have aftermarket tails installed by chance?

[Tassie_328i]

Originally Posted by NewYorksbmwe36

my computer says brake light circut? but both brake lights work..sometimes it goes on and then i wont see it for a day or two.anyone have this problem?n what can i do to fix it?thanks

Brake Light Circuit failure is generally a failure of the sensor/switch behind the brake pedal.

Must be on the way out.

[Manolito]

Back up to a wall and watch the rear-view mirror as you press the brake 15-20 times. Make sure that the lights light up EVERY time you press the brake. If they fail to light even once, get a new brake light switch that fits behind the pedal arm.

The switch is inexpensive, but it is a bit of a PITA to get at. Replacing it involves standing on your head, and small hands and small tools are helpful. You have to crush the old switch to get it out, which tends to bend the bracket, so be sure to straighten the bracket to center the switch on the brake pedal arm after you snap in the new switch.

On one of my e36s, I had some trouble with continuity in the tail lights, so I removed the assemblies (you have to stick a pry bar in through the bulb holes in the body and pry to break the rubber seal loose from the body). I then ground off the tips of the plastic pins that hold the sockets in place on the tail light assembly, and then soldered the pins to the metal traces. The pins are just dry-crimped to the traces, so loosness and corrosion are possible. After soldering the pin connections, I used JB Weld to epoxy the plugs back on over the pins. I also buffed up the traces around the bulb sockets with steel wool. The whole job took about an hour, plus time for the epoxy to dry before reassembly. With that and a new brake light switch, I eliminated brake light warnings for the past several years.

[gixerdave1983]

yeah on most e36 brake light switches they have 4 wires goin to them where most only have 2, a positive and a negative as such, on e36s they have to circuits, one for the actual brake lights themselves and the 2nd circuit is to tell the abs when the brakes are on, the abs circuit needs to be a much lower resistance which is why they have 2, this is why you can have a warning but still have brake lights

[NewYorksbmwe36]

allright thanks guys ill try some of those ideas over the weekend and tell you how they worked out.

[Jaffa_007]

i had that problem with my car, i replaced the brake sensor and it still happened, turns out that is was the bulb holder itself.. the contacts had huge hole in them simple 10$ fix

[moonpie_murders]

mine does the same thing. i haven't found out what it is yet. everything works. it had HID's installed by a previous owner and i know they are on different circuits but that's the only thing i can think of. nothing is wrong with my break lights.

[nousablenames13]

There's another switch in the tail lights somewhere. I didn't do it cause I didn't feel like electronics hunting. It's about $20. If you see the brake light circuit failure it's either the switch by the pedal or more likely the switch by the lights. I got my light switch replaced and the error went away.

[RacerJames666]

Originally Posted by moonpie_murders

mine does the same thing. i haven't found out what it is yet. everything works. it had HID's installed by a previous owner and i know they are on different circuits but that's the only thing i can think of. nothing is wrong with my break lights.

Aftermarket tails by chance?
Or improper bulb wattage?

[NewYorksbmwe36]

no they are stock taillights.i just changed the brake light buld like maybe a month ago and now that just went out.i dont know what is going on with my left tailight.

[RacerJames666]

Get a friend, a bentley (wiring diagram) and a multimeter.....and maybe a brew for you and your "pedal pushin" friend.
EDIT: Do your bulbs look funny when they burn out? I had a problem with water running down into my taillights, and with hot bulb and cold water they went POP, and looked kindof blackish brown(sometimes exploding)....its little more rare than brake switch, but it can happen

[ballin_e36m3]

i had the same problem and the same symptoms it was just the brake switch behind the pedal

[tciambotti1]

clean off any rust or anything that might have gotten on to the holders for the brake lights themselves. Mine did it till i got fed up enough to rid both taillights out and clean everything. No more problems and sqeakky clean taillight housings!