jonathanrn

Hey all,
I think this is the last problem I need to iron out before selling my wife's '01 RX. The brake light warning on the dash comes on when I depress the brake pedal. The 3rd brake light is the culprit. It's not lighting up. Thanks to this forum, I followed the steps to replace the bulb. I bought one from O'Reily (Sylvania brand), and when I took the old bulb out, it was obvious that it had burned out. The new bulb didn't work, unfortunately. I noticed there were some slight burn marks on the gray plastic bulb holder so I'm wondering if I need to replace that part as well. It also doesn't really hold the bulb all that securely. I disconnected the bulb holder and stuck the two probes from my multimeter to the "car side" of the connector and used a weight to depress the brake. I didn't see any voltage at that spot so it's possible the problem is somewhere else. The other two brake lights work fine.
Any suggestions on where I should look next? A fuse?

Thanks in advance!
Jonathan

salimshah

I have seen the socket get heated up and a bit charred. Trace the socket wire and it should go in the connector to the harness. You can check the parts diagram and order one from dealer. You can also hunt through the salvage yard and replace it for cheaper.

I would suspect testing method or crud on the socket. Other than that you will need a wiring diagram. The fuse that I know of will impact all brake lights and not just the 3rd (high mounted).

Salim

jonathanrn

Solved.
So I'm not totally sure why I didn't get any voltage with my multimeter before. User error, I guess. I tried it again this morning and I was getting ~10.8V from the connector. The light still wouldn't come on so I figured it was the bulb holder that was a little burnt that was the problem. I went to the dealership today and stopped by the parts dept. I told him I wanted a new bulb holder and that it wasn't holding the bulb particularly well. He came back and said he could order the part ($10 or something), but he bent the pins inward and that seemed to hold the bulb better, at least. Not sure why I didn't think of that. I tested it in the parking lot and it worked (the brake light turned on and there was no warning light on the dash)! So basically it was a poor connection with the bulb. I feel a little stupid, but I can't complain about the outcome :-)

Thanks for your help Salim!

...now I just need to figure out the coolant leak and I'll be all set!