Installed wilwood front discs and drums on rear of my 34 Ford with hydraulic brake light switch. Seems like the stop lights don't come on early enough....come on only when I really get into the pedal. Is there a different switch out there requiring lower hydraulic pressure to activate switch?
I don't know, but I shit canned my inline pressure switch and got a mechanical one. The new switch turns my brake lights on at the slightest touch.
Pressure activated brake light switches have all ways been problematic. Every one I ever had either worked some times or not for long or worked great and leaked. The newer ones also seem worse than the old ones. Plug the hole and go mechanical.
You can get a good pressure switch from your local Harley Dealer. Activates at low pressure and is suitable for use with Silicon brake fluid: Dot 5
I like to use a mechanical brake light switch. Looks like this. Early 60's Chevy/Gmc pickup Available at most any real parts store ... for low prices. .
Ron Francis makes a switch that switches at 20-50 psi - most others switch at 60-100 psi. Part number is SW-32 "low pressure hydraulic switch".
Yea, I had to go to a mechanical switch for the same thing. The car isn't heavy enough to require much pedal pressure for a normal stop.
my suggestion for easy brake light operation, a motorcycle rear brake light switch, just a pull switch with a spring to attach to the brake lever somewhere.. they work quite well as long as the spring is adjusted correctly and they are only like $15 or so....
I got tired of replacing hydraulic brake light switches on Emerson 25K cargo loaders. I also watch what a friend's truck's brake lights look like when the brake pedal is pushed fast or hard enough chose to have taken the mechanical switch route and will NOT recommend the above lever switch if it's not attached on a swinging brake pedal swing actuation. Trust me on that. My placement of that switch was in a straight line mode instead of a swing mode...And could not get past either no brake lights or brake lights on. I bought the plunger type brake light switch that Ron Francis has his name hung on, and made my brake light system work correctly as long as I use the mirror, brake pedal, engine compression together as I drive like I ride a motorcycle. It's hell drivin' a stick car, so little to relearn.
We stopped using them. They would last a little while and suddenly you wouldn't have brake lights. Went to mechanical switches, no more problems. Don
That looks exactly like the switch I pulled from a Jaguar Sovereign Mk 111 1983 model.(either it's the brake light sw, or the sw to kill cruise control) If you have a booster, and the pedal is "touchy" a mech switch with adjustment wins hands down. For safety's sake, piss the hydro switch off mate.
I use a hydraulic switch from a mid 70's jeep-heavy duty switch and low pressure activates it-I think it was about 9 bucks at NAPA. The other aftermarket switches didn't last very long and needed more pedal pressure to activate.
I got the Ron Francis low pressure switch. Everyone said they wouldn't last so I bought two. After 6 years, I gave the other one away to a friend that had the same problem. 11 years later, still no problem.
Harley Davidson motorcycle switches use low pressure, but I'm with most of you guys, I like mechanical switches just like the ones pictured.
Have never found a "reliable" in line brake pressure switch. Go mechanical, or you're going to continue to have problems.
I have the plunger style mechanical one and it works perfect. I've heard the key to using a hydraulic switch is to run the brake lights on a relay, switch actuating the relay. Then you don't have all your current passing through the switch.
Im using a pressure switch at the moment, but will be changing over to mechanical type, I want the extra early heads up on the brake lights..the pressure switches lag a bit behind binder application, and in todays world of sleepdriving Im hoping to give myself a little bit of additional wake up call to the ones behind me
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