Cruise control/brake light

[582Boat]

Question and comment: On my 1999 Vette the brake light went out and so did the cruise control at the same time. Finally finding 20 amp fuse number 8 in the panel in front, on the passengers side was burned out, replaced same and all is well. This has happened three times within the last year. Question is, would a power surge cause this problem or could there be another problem that I should address. Could this be a general weakness in the electrical system on that year Vette.

 

[Eric]

This is a shot in the dark. I don't pretend to be a C5 expert yet since I jsut got mine but...

The brake lights and the disengage of the cruise are both controlled by the brake pedal switch. Perhaps the switch has a short in it which is causing both the cruise and the lights to malfunction. The switch is depressed when the brake pedal is at rest. When you press the pedal, the switch springs out (like the door jamb dome light switch in an old car) and opens the circuit to both light the brake lamps and disengage the cruise.

I had the same problem in my old 90 Z24 and after I replaced the brake light switch, it cured the problem.

The switch is a bit of a pain to get to. If you get on your back on the floorboard and stick your finger up about one inch along the back side (the side facing the rear of the car) of the brake pedal you will come in contact with the switch. Getting it out appears to be a tight squeeze but it may just require removal of the bottom trim panel under the steering column.

Someone here can probably do two things. 1)Say if I'm off base or not and 2)tell you how best to test the switch.

Good luck!

 

[582Boat]

Thank you Eric, I will check the brake switch out. Doc

 

[Eric]

Thank you Eric, I will check the brake switch out. Doc

Doc,

Sorry but I made a location error above that I noticed this AM when I reviewed my post. I originally typed "front side" of the pedal because I was looking at it from the point of view of the seat. From the perspective of front-to-rear of the car, it's the back side of the pedal.

- Eric