2000 Mazda Protege: No brake lights!! Why?

"johnny p." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Before you start looking at the electronics, you should buy a pack of
>taillight bulbs and see if both main brake light filaments did actually
>both blow out at once. Worse come to worst, you'll have only spent
>$2.75, and you can stick the bulbs in a drawer, and someday you'll blow
>out a bulb and you'll already have the replacement at hand.
>
>For one thing, you could have had two of the three bulbs blown out for
>weeks but you never noticed.


Guess what guys..... this was the problem!!

I replaced ALL lamps in rear tail lights and now have
working brake lights again!!

I guess above poster was correct..... the lamps did NOT
go al out at once but must have gone out one at a time
and as long as one was working then no one stopped me
to tell me. When the last one went out.... an older
lady stopped me to tell me I had no brake lights at
all!!

Bottom line I am deeply thankful to ALL who offered
help!!

Now I just have to figure out why cruise control quit
abt a month ago

On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:34:29 -0500, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:


>
>Now I just have to figure out why cruise control quit
>abt a month ago

That would be the interior light ....I'veheard sillier
suggestions....which turned out to be correct.




OzOne of the three twins

I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Geary Morton <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Since the cruise isn't working, I would go straight to the stoplight
>>switch on the brake pedal. Mazdas with cruise have a combo switch that
>>is both for disengaging the cruise and actuating the brakelights.
>
> OK thanks will do!
>
> However, since the car is 9 yrs old and have never
> changed any taillights I'm going ahead and change ALL
> lights front and back since it is summer and easier to
> do now.
>
> Knowing my luck even if I get the brake switch fixed, a
> bulb will burn out say in dead of winter and much more
> unpleasant to change then as I have no garage.
>
> Also, one of the bulbs had odd ball socket "tabs" on it
> that were NOT 180 degrees apart but instead more like
> 120 degrees apart! So had to have Oreillys special
> order them . <sigh>

since your cruise control is not working, i encourage you to download the
service manual and follow the problem resolution procedure. it seems very
straight forward. it would be nice if changing the bulbs helped but i think
that is a fantasy. fwiw, stepping on the brake is the most common way to
deactivate the cruise control, so it seems reasonable that there is an
interaction between the two, though it seems odd that they didn't design the
switch on the brake pedal with multiple distinct functions (one circuit for
lamps, one for cruise control), probably saved a few pennies by making it a
single function switch, but might have been some sort of safety feature that
escapes my imagination.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "johnny p." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Before you start looking at the electronics, you should buy a pack of
>>taillight bulbs and see if both main brake light filaments did actually
>>both blow out at once. Worse come to worst, you'll have only spent
>>$2.75, and you can stick the bulbs in a drawer, and someday you'll blow
>>out a bulb and you'll already have the replacement at hand.
>>
>>For one thing, you could have had two of the three bulbs blown out for
>>weeks but you never noticed.
>
>
> Guess what guys..... this was the problem!!
>
> I replaced ALL lamps in rear tail lights and now have
> working brake lights again!!
>
> I guess above poster was correct..... the lamps did NOT
> go al out at once but must have gone out one at a time
> and as long as one was working then no one stopped me
> to tell me. When the last one went out.... an older
> lady stopped me to tell me I had no brake lights at
> all!!
>
> Bottom line I am deeply thankful to ALL who offered
> help!!
>
> Now I just have to figure out why cruise control quit
> abt a month ago

wow! well then ignore my other post.
so now i wonder if your cruise control is also suddenly functioning again?

"Christopher Muto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>wow! well then ignore my other post.
>so now i wonder if your cruise control is also suddenly functioning again?

YES!! The cruise control now works as well!!

I guess the two systems are interlinked somehow

On Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:23:31 -0500, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>"Christopher Muto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>wow! well then ignore my other post.
>>so now i wonder if your cruise control is also suddenly functioning again?
>
>YES!! The cruise control now works as well!!
>
>I guess the two systems are interlinked somehow
The cruise control probably gets 12 volts through the bulbs when you
aren't braking. It sees 0 volts when you apply the brakes. If all
the bulbs are burned out, it sees 0 volts all the time and thinks you
are applying the brakes all the time.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:23:31 -0500, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
>>"Christopher Muto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>>wow! well then ignore my other post.
>>>so now i wonder if your cruise control is also suddenly functioning
>>>again?
>>
>>YES!! The cruise control now works as well!!
>>
>>I guess the two systems are interlinked somehow
> The cruise control probably gets 12 volts through the bulbs when you
> aren't braking. It sees 0 volts when you apply the brakes. If all
> the bulbs are burned out, it sees 0 volts all the time and thinks you
> are applying the brakes all the time.

great explaination, and clever safety feature.

"Christopher Muto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>that 2002 workshop manual has excellent step by step troubleshooting and
>repair procedure starting on page 01-02c. it appears that the lights can
>fail if there is a problem with the cruise control module. is your cruise
>control working?

Christopher

Can you look in above manual and see how in the world
you change the HIGH rear brake light?

For the life of me can not see how you get to it to
change it!!

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Christopher Muto" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>that 2002 workshop manual has excellent step by step troubleshooting and
>>repair procedure starting on page 01-02c. it appears that the lights can
>>fail if there is a problem with the cruise control module. is your cruise
>>control working?
>
> Christopher
>
> Can you look in above manual and see how in the world
> you change the HIGH rear brake light?
>
> For the life of me can not see how you get to it to
> change it!!

you should download the entire manual, it is really good.
but if you want me to send you the couple of pages then email me privately.
the manual does have the information you want with graphics for the hight
mount brake lamp, and for the spolier version as well...