Why dosen't every car have a ...

Carnut · February 27, 2007, 06:44:04 PM

Why dosen't every car have a little light on the dash that shows if the brake lights are working?

donsrods · February 27, 2007, 06:48:48 PM

I think I invented that light.

In 1961 I had a bug eyed sprite and too much time on my hands and a left over truck red clearance light. So I mounted it under the dash so that when I stepped on the brake it would come on. After it blinded the h*** out of me a few times it came out.

Shoulda used a smaller light and gotten a patent.

Why I thought this would be a cool thing to do, I have NO idea.

Don

Carnut · February 27, 2007, 06:56:26 PM

Both my 61 Chrysler and my 67 Charger have a little light that comes on when the handbrake is set. Always wondered why it didn't also work with the brake light switch. I seem to have a lot of trouble with brake light switches going away on me.

Pep · February 27, 2007, 07:10:08 PM

I assume you are referring to a light that comes on when a brake light is out?...Yes, quite feasable with a little circuitry. I recall a Fiat I once owned has a fuse fail light as well..No other modern cars seem to have adopted it...Don't know why. Would save a bit of stuffing around when something stops working.

Carnut · February 27, 2007, 07:18:08 PM

Quote from: "Pep"I assume you are referring to a light that comes on when a brake light is out?...Yes, quite feasable with a little circuitry. I recall a Fiat I once owned has a fuse fail light as well..No other modern cars seem to have adopted it...Don't know why. Would save a bit of stuffing around when something stops working.

Well, no, actually I'm more concerned about seeing a light come on every time I hit the brakes. Then if it fails to come on, I'd know something in the brake light circuit wasn't working.

Pep · February 27, 2007, 07:21:41 PM

The only thing you are checking then is the switch....doesn't tell you if the bulbs are blown. A light that comes on when you operate the brakes would be annoying to me as I'm conditioned to look at red lights when they come on.

Carnut · February 27, 2007, 07:26:30 PM

Quote from: "Pep"The only thing you are checking then is the switch....doesn't tell you if the bulbs are blown. A light that comes on when you operate the brakes would be annoying to me as I'm conditioned to look at red lights when they come on.

Yeah, I know, but the switch is what I would be concerned about. I think the current turn indicators do a pretty good job of letting me know when a brake light bulb might be out.

Did have a 69 Corvette that had fiberoptics that showed when the bulbs were working, but I don't remember them showing when I hit the brakes.

Pep · February 27, 2007, 07:30:32 PM

A little different here in OZ. Our brakes lights and indicators are seperate bulbs and circuitry. You generally don't know that a buld is blown until someone tells you...or if your unlucky, a cop will book you if he is an a-hole

Carnut · February 27, 2007, 07:42:14 PM

Quote from: "Pep"A little different here in OZ. Our brakes lights and indicators are seperate bulbs and circuitry. You generally don't know that a buld is blown until someone tells you...or if your unlucky, a cop will book you if he is an a-hole

Humm, I always thought cops only did that when they couldn't get you for what you really did in front of them.

heh, heh, I can remember coming home from the 73 NSRA nats in Tulsa, Ok, and being pulled over by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol and being given a warning for driving in Ok without fenders on my coupe. Think I muttered something about 3,000 or so other cars in Tulsa that were cruising around fenderless.

Really think he just stopped me to look at my car.

river1 · February 27, 2007, 07:54:32 PM

Quote from: "Carnut"Did have a 69 Corvette that had fiberoptics that showed when the bulbs were working, but I don't remember them showing when I hit the brakes.

i had an 82 olds that had fiber optics, they showed both turn signals and brakes, the headlights had some too.

later jim

rooster · February 27, 2007, 08:04:46 PM

I had a old Old's cant remember what year, seems it had something out on the front fenders that showed if lights were working.

Also had a caddy that had some kind of lights that were above the rear view mirror, made into the bracket. Dont know how or if it was wired, never gave it much thought.

enjenjo · February 27, 2007, 09:22:51 PM

I had a Toronado that had fiber optics for the tail, turn, and brake lights, installed in the inside garnish molding on the rear window. You could see them in the rear view mirror. It wouldn't be a big deal to install them in most any car. You just need one end of the fiber optic near the light bulb, and the other end where you can see it.

They work good for dash turn signal indicators too. you can put the bulbs where you can change them without tearing the whole car apart.

phat46 · February 27, 2007, 10:25:27 PM

My '02 Dodge truck has a light that comes on that says "Bulb Out" then you just have to figger out which bulb....I had this happen about a year ago so I turned on the lights, got out and looked at all the light, they were all on...hmmmm, next day a guy at work that was behind me the day before asks if i know there's a brake light out on my truck...

the next time it happened I knew if all the regular lights were on it had to be a brake light. BTW did you know that the lights on the newer Dodge truck are a pain in the rear to change?
A Couple weeks ago i was behind my daughter on the way to her house, she had no brake lights at all, not even the third brake light, i just thought it had to be a fuse, but that was O.K. all three bulbs for her brake lights were blown at the same time, luckily they are much easier to replace than my truck lights

oiler · February 27, 2007, 10:26:59 PM

on my 32 roadster I plumbed in the hydraulic brake switch which everyone says don't use because they all fail.
I installed small LEDs behind the 40 Ford speaker grille for the signals and the hi-beams.
Had a extra one so I installed it in the brake circuit so at least I knew whether or not that switch was working.
Never did fail in 4 years of cruising
guess it knew I was watching.
Jeff

Rich Guzman · February 28, 2007, 04:09:57 PM

I have a 32 five window that I've put the fiber optic cable into. It has 39 teardrops and i just drilled a 1/4" hole ito the housing installed a gromet and super-glued the fiber optic cable to the gromet routed it up to the dash in the wireing harness and put bezels in the dash insert. It'l always show the tail lights, brakelights and turn signals working

And the best part was it only cost about 10 buck for a hundred foot of the stuff on e-bay. I originally bought it to keep an eye on the fuel management system for my converted hilborns to efi, and had plenty left over...