The purpose of the brake light is to warn drivers behind you about braking. It should turn on as soon as the brake pedal is pressed. If the stop is faulty, it can cause an accident. The article discusses the brake light, the principle of operation, typical malfunctions, methods for eliminating them, and provides instructions for replacing them yourself.
The principle of operation of the brake light
The brake lights are located at the rear of the car. Red lanterns. They light up automatically if the driver brakes. When the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal, they are also automatically turned off. The presence of stops is mandatory for vehicles.
The lights should be located symmetrically and burn brighter than the side lights. Brake lights are installed on the sides, on the rear window, in the center above the line of the side stops.
Primary and secondary brake lights can be a single bulb, a neon tube, or a set of LED bulbs. The car enthusiast is additionally equipped with a brake light repeater. The rear brake light can also serve as a fog light. You can install a formula 1 brake light (the author of the video is Mikhail Ermolaev).
The simplest brake light includes a breaker (switch) and a flashlight. The brake light switch is often called the frog switch. The plastic body of the breaker contains two terminals, a rod and a spring. This device is installed on the brake pedal.
When the driver presses the pedal, the rod enters the breaker body, the contact closes and the light comes on. As soon as the driver removes his foot from the brake pedal, the spring pushes out the rod, the contacts open and the light goes out.
LED brake lights consist of a chip and a sensor, which in this case is a frog, it sends a signal when the driver presses the brake. As with the single lamp, the frog is mounted under the brake pedal.
Foot control device diagram
Any pedal has free play. Therefore, although the driver presses the pedal, the car does not brake immediately. The brake light comes on as soon as the brake pedal is pressed. Drivers of vehicles behind will become aware of braking before the vehicle begins to brake. This way they have time to prepare for braking.
Old style sensor
On Lada Granta, Kalina, Priora and Lada 4×4 cars with E-Gas, a brake pedal position sensor with article number 1118-3720010 is used.
- Screw the sensor until the pedal goes down.
- Turn the sensor slightly (counterclockwise 90 degrees) and secure with a lock nut.
As a result, when the brake pedal is released, the switch rod should be completely “recessed”, and when the pedal is pressed, it should completely come out of the switch body. Details in the video:
Possible malfunctions: signs and causes
If the feet do not burn, the reason may be the following:
- bad contacts;
- damage to the wiring located in the corrugation between the door and the body;
- burnt out lighting elements.
There is a situation when the brake lights are constantly on if the side lights are on. In this case, the headlights may not light up. If they are turned off, additional lighting fixtures operate normally.
In this situation it is possible:
- the contacts of the parking lights and stop lights have been short-circuited;
- there is no weight on the dimensions;
- the two-pin lamp is faulty;
- the circuit closed, but did not open.
If the parking lights and brake lights are on and the ignition is turned off, then you need to check whether the lampshades are shorted to the housing. The reason may be poor contact of the negative wire with ground.
Replacing a stop repeater with your own hands
If repairing the repeater is not practical, it should be replaced.
The replacement process consists of the following steps:
- Using a wrench, unscrew the fastenings of the rear part of the stop and remove it.
- Then we connect the positive wire of the lighting fixture to the terminal where the brake light frog is located. To do this, you need to run the wire into the luggage compartment, unscrew the trim on the right side, and connect it to the desired terminal. The disadvantage may be a bolt in the luggage compartment.
- Heat shrink should be applied to the wiring. To prevent the wires from dangling, they need to be secured with insulating tape.
- The final step is to check the device for functionality.
Photo gallery
If a repeater with incandescent lamps is installed on the car, then when connecting a device with LEDs according to the above diagram, the lamp control will not work correctly due to different loads. In this case, you should insert the positive wire into the light bulb control unit and connect it to terminal 54H.
As a brake light, a strip with LEDs can be glued to the upper part along the entire length of the rear window. It needs to be connected to a standard device, and it will work in the same way. It is important to maintain polarity. To make the tape less conspicuous, it can be painted black. Attach the tape using double-sided tape. We check for functionality.
Video “Replacing a foot on a Mercedes”
This video demonstrates how to replace a brake light with your own hands using the example of a Mercedes (the author of the video is Ivan Poknya).
The reverse sensor turns on the rear white lights when you back up. The opinion that the device is unnecessary is erroneous. The signal sent by the reversing sensor to the white lights tells other road users that you are moving back or have already started and are driving in reverse. At night, these white lanterns illuminate the path back for your convenience, signaling your intentions to others. The rear light signal device is a necessary thing. As has been said in other articles, everything in the car must work properly!
Location and performance check of the DZH
You can easily find out where the reverse sensor is located by looking up at the suspension of the fourteenth. It is located on the gearbox; there are two meters in total: the one we need and the one that signals the speed of movement. If it is not possible to get under the bottom of the car, you can get to the reverse sensor by opening the hood. But the first option is more convenient.
- To make sure that the auxiliary gearbox is faulty, you need to turn the wheels to the left, looking from the driver’s side: on the side of the gearbox there is a protection with contacts inside.
- We remove the protection, look at the device and the two contacts that go to it, close them on the frog and start the fourteenth, putting it in reverse gear. If everything is fine with wires, contacts and lamps, then the white lights light up.
- The lights do not light up - with a tester we measure the voltage on the ground and the wire (orange) leading from the frog; if there is voltage, then you should check the board of the white lights and the contacts to it. There is a possibility that the contact between the fuse block and the sensor contacts has failed; you should find it and measure the voltage in it.
- Oxidation of rear light contacts
- The sensor may become loose, it needs to be screwed in deeper
- No contact with transmission wiring
- No contact between plug and fuse box
- Any fuse can blow and disrupt the contact circuit.
It also happens that the DZH is normal, and the contacts are safe and sound, but the reversing lights do not light up . The lamps themselves may become covered (elementally burn out), or the contact may be lost (for the same lamps).
Malfunction of the lights themselves
If during the check from the fuse box to the limit switch no problems are found, then you should move on. Now you should test the wiring from the second limit switch connector to the stop connectors with a tester. If it is working, then you need to check the board. The printed circuit board on which the taillights are mounted is not ideal, and is one of the biggest problems of all VAZ cars.
Its tracks often burn out or peel off, causing the lights to stop working. This problem can be solved in two ways - either re-solder the tracks (which can be done with a regular soldering iron, although not in road conditions) or replace the board with a new one (most motorists choose the second option).
Tail lights of VAZ 2114
Another reason why the VAZ 2114 brake lights do not work may be oxidation of the lamp sockets. In order to eliminate this problem, it is enough to clean all contacts from oxides that have appeared on them.
This is best done in one of the following ways:
- small grit sandpaper;
- WD-40 solution;
- kerosene;
- purified gasoline (“galosh”).
You should absolutely not use gasoline or other solvents to clean contacts.
Light bulb in the foot of a VAZ 2114
The last option for faulty stops is the light bulbs themselves. It makes no sense to give any detailed advice here - you just need to replace the burnt out light bulbs with new ones.
By following all the tips listed above, the car enthusiast gets the opportunity to check the entire electrical circuit of the brake lights, starting from the fuse box and ending with the bulbs in the lamps. Thanks to this, the guarantee that the fault will be accurately detected and eliminated is 100%.
Replacement of reverse sensor VAZ 2114
You can change the frog in two ways: climb into a hole (or drive the car onto an overpass) or do it while lying under the car. Many who have changed the rear light signal device themselves claim that it is easier in a pit, the sensor is clearly visible and does not splash with oil. There is an option, take the fourteenth one to a service center, where they can easily replace this device with a new one (and they will charge you the cost of two such sensors, if not three).
Reverse sensor VAZ 2114
When replacing the DHZ yourself, it is important not to waste time and quickly insert a new one! Otherwise, the oil will pour out of the box and leave a lot of pleasant memories on your clothes and the floor of the pit.
A simple diagram of how to change the reverse sensor on a VAZ 2114:
- Drive the car into a hole or onto an overpass and put the handbrake on.
- Remove the protection from the frog contacts and disconnect them.
- You should prepare some container in advance for the oil that will pour out of the sensor hole.
- Place the container, you can unscrew the sensor (if it does not give in, then you can unscrew it with a wrench with a 22-mm head; it also happens that the wrench does not help either, it can literally become stuck (the oil is nearby), then we take a chisel and a hammer and pray that everything went smoothly)
- They took out the non-working one, inserted a new one, and screwed it on.
- If the box crater is filled with oil, wipe it to remove excess dirt.
- We connected the contacts and returned the protection back.
- If enough oil has spilled out, add the required amount.
What to do if the sound signal on a VAZ 2106 does not work
Car horn not working. very terrible problem. The worst thing is that they will find out about this breakdown precisely at this moment, when the signal is needed most. in an unsafe situation on the road. What could cause the signal to fail?
A malfunction such as a non-functioning sound signal on VAZ 2106 and VAZ 2114 cars is not at all difficult to diagnose and repair in the process, just study the connection diagram and follow the instructions that you will receive by reading the article to the end.
The main reasons for the non-working sound signal of the VAZ 2106. 2114 car include
Fuse failure. The very first and easiest check that can be performed if the sound signal is not working. fuse integrity. If it turns out to be Burnt, it means there may be a short circuit in the car. Try to insert a whole fuse corresponding to the rating (How to choose a fuse. Colors and ratings). If it burns out in the same way, it means there is actually a short circuit
If not, then maybe the fuse has simply exhausted its resource and you should pay attention to other conditions. The horn button does not work. The signal in most cars is turned on by a button in the center of the steering wheel
There are options with a button in the steering column switch or a certain position of this switch, but this is unique. Inside the control wheel there are essentially a whole bunch of places where contact can be lost and this will lead to the failure of the beeper. To understand where exactly they can be located, you need to understand how the sound signal in the car is generally turned on. Let's look at the diagram. Worn contacts. The pressing contacts on the steering column rub into the contact ring with any movement of the steering wheel and wear out over time. At some point, Nastya, there may be a moment when they will NOT reach the slip ring on the control wheel and then pressing the signal button will NOT lead to anything. To avoid this, when removing the steering wheel for any repairs, you need to lubricate the contacts and the ring on the steering wheel with conductive lubricant, for example, graphite. Similar treatment will reduce the friction of the contacts in the ring and extend their service life. Worn slip ring. Exactly the same malfunction can occur in the conductive ring in the steering wheel. It can also wear out and lead to signal failure. The way of fighting is the same. lubricant The wear of the pressing contacts or slip ring has a tricky property: due to uneven wear, the contact can disappear only at certain steering wheel positions. For example, when driving straight the signal works, but when turning. available. Such symptoms almost always accurately indicate problems in the “steering column” contact pair. steering wheel". Oxidized contacts inside the steering wheel. Another “steering” problem. oxidation of internal contacts. Due to the huge amount of oxides, a sufficient amount of current cannot pass through the contacts inside the steering wheel and the sound signal is silent. It is necessary to disassemble the control wheel and clean the contacts.
Price issue
If the price of a VAZ 2114 reverse sensor varies between 100-300 rubles, and you can install it yourself, then the problem in the wiring or with the headlight board will not be so easy for you.
Before purchasing wiring components, clean the contacts and spray with WD-40, this should help. Because the purchased wires also need to be installed wisely, and this is electronics - a delicate matter - available to craftsmen in the service for a good fee.
As for the headlight circuit board, this is also a controversial issue, requiring investment both in the part itself and in the work of a professional who will take care of it. Burnt out light bulbs in a headlight are the cheapest consumables; one light bulb costs 20-50 rubles.
Guys, can you tell me who has encountered this!? how much does a brake pedal sensor (frog) cost? and are there any nuances during installation!?
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Error pop-up P0504: factors
A code for incorrect notification of the brake pedal switches can be seen in situations involving an unadjusted limit switch. So, after flashing the M74, M74.9.7 ECU, engineers made some changes to the operation of the engine control. This results in a reduction in the number of harmful emissions. As practice shows, adjustments in the firmware only strangled the engine, thereby causing a lot of problems regarding sensors and limit switches.
Note. In the domestic car Lada Granta, one body is equipped with a brake pedal position sensor and a limit switch, a stop lamp switch. The first factor in the occurrence of problem P0504 is the incorrect adjustment of the sensor housing.
