Where is the brake light switch, 53 Chevy 210?

I've got no brake lights when I hit the pedal. Where is the switch located in order that I can replace it, and is it an arm-type or low-pressure hydraulic? I've seen both in catalogs, and both listed for my year/make/model.

 

If it's an arm type, it will be under the floor board operated by the brake pedal arm....if it's hydraulic, it will be at, or very close to, the master cylinder. While it is the best place to start, it isn't the only thing that could cause your brake lights to not function. Even a directional signal switch could cause that, but less likely than the brake switch.

Ray

 

Thanks Ray. My directionals work fine (though the switch is currently hanging down from behind the steering wheel). I'm gonna do a little more digging around under there and see what I can find. That's the only thing keeping me from driving the car at this point. Well, that and having to rebuild the two rear wheel cylinders, but that's only ten minutes apiece. Thanks again!

 

The fact that your signal lights work ok does not mean the signal switch is ok for the brake lights. Let me STRESS, I am not saying your problem is in the signal switch. It likely is somewhere else, as you suspect.

That said, though, you need to know that on many/most vehicles, the brake light current runs through the signal light switch on it's way to the brake lights themselves. That is how most cars use one filament for both brake light and turn signal. The signal switch sends the brake light current to both brake lights when no turn is being signaled, but when a turn indicator is selected, the signal switch sends current to the non-turn side brake light filament and routes current from the signal light flasher to the selected turn side filament. So, in a left turn slected situation, the left brake filament gets a turn signal and the right side gets brake light current, and vice versa.

The only reason I am telling you this is that a failure in the brake lights can be difficult to find IF the problem is in the turn signal switch AND you are unaware of it's role in this operation.

Probably you will find a bad brake light switch or a poor/broken connector there and none of this will matter.......this time.

Ray

 

If you're still running underfloor m/c, crawl under the car and find your brake pedal. follow it. it's right about where your foot would be, under the car. Arm type. At least, that's where it was on my '51

 

Thanks amigos! I'll check it out.

 

it's under the floor close to the brake pedal, you can also see it from the engine bay...
mine was hard to see 'cause it was completely covered with almost 60 years of mud and road dirt!