Brake lights not working

CARNIVOROUS1

MEMBER
2008 HYUNDAI ACCENT
1.6L
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
120,000 MILES

All other lights work. Bulbs replaced, fuse and brake pedal switch are good and replaced anyway, no help. There is power at the brake pedal switch. Taillights share ground in the rear, and they work so the ground is good. Pictures- wire mess which is why I would like to (if possible) jump around this mess from the brake pedal switch to the wires by the door (the other picture). Problem, I do not know which wire to jump to, or if it will work doing it that way. I do not want to accidentally jump to an airbag wire and poof (trial and error is not an option). I do not mind rigging it because this car is already rigged and I need the car working (used cars are expensive, so I bought this). Runs good and good on gas, cop was nice enough to let me know about the brake lights and follow me home. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

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Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 AT 5:48 PM

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,071 POSTS

Hi,

I'm looking through the schematics. The power supply (stop lamp fuse at the instrument panel fuse box) sends power via a red wire to the brake light switch. From there it goes to the ABS module under the hood via a green wire. Both the red and green wires should be at the brake light switch. If it was an automatic, it would also go to the PCM, but this has a manual transmission.

From the green wire, power is sent through an orange wire at the panel. From there, it goes to the bulbs.

See pics 1 and 2 below for the wiring schematic. I had to cut the pic in half to make it readable. I did overlap the two so you can easily follow them.

Now, pic 3 is your pic. Please understand, I'm looking at a picture, but I have an arrow pointing to what I believe is an orange wire. Please confirm that for me.

You may want to check the orange wire for power with the brake depressed to confirm. However, if there is an open circuit, that won't work. Here is a link you may find helpful:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below. I highlighted the relevant wires.

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Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 AT 7:34 PM

CARNIVOROUS1

MEMBER
5 POSTS

Thank you, Joe you are awesome.
So, could the ABS module be causing the brake lights to not come on? I did notice when I hit the brakes hard on a rainy day all the wheels locked up and I slid into an intersection. Lucky no cars were coming. On snow the car was horrible, I thought it was because it is so small and light. I imagine I cannot bypass the ABS system like I mentioned by directly wiring to the brake lights (green to orange). Gee no wonder the car was cheap (save $400.00 to $500.00 and will cost me $? To fix). They rigged the wiring, and the ABS does not work. Since no ABS or engine light is on, they probably disabled the warning and sold the car. As is, no warranty. Probably not something I can save up for and do myself. Are they hard to install for a person with basic tools and some mechanical knowledge?
Again, thank you for your help.

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Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 AT 9:04 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,071 POSTS

The green and orange wires are already connected to the rear brake lights. In this case, you would disconnect the power to the ABS module.

As far as replacing the ABS module, it's not hard. The worst part is bleeding the brakes after replacement. I attached the directions below for you to see what is involved.

Let me know if you have questions or if I can help.

Take care,

Joe

See pics.

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