The 'E' Type Forum

Like many E type owners, I recently was informed by other motorists that my brake lights were not working. The pressure switch was only 6 month old and now only worked under heavy braking. There has been much discussion on the forum about various 'fixes' for this problem including 'low pressure' switches and the use of additional relays, however the basic problem appears to be that the switches cannot handle the 3.5 amps required to operate the 21watt brake light globes and the contacts burn out. The fellow who sold me a new one expressed the view that these should be considered a 'service item'!
So.... having previously converted my MGs over to LED bulbs I bought some of the direct replacement BAY15D diffuser (red) 21/5 replacement bulbs from Classic Dynamo and Regulator Conversions. These require no modification to use and draw less than 0.5amps. Even on the side light setting the light is impressive and visible from a considerable angle. Hopefully the low current draw will reduce or eliminate the arcing in the switch and it will last. If people are interested I'll keep you informed as the longevity of the new switch with these bulbs.

Andrew

Photos are of side light only..... i.e. 5W equiv.

I was convinced the reason my brake light switch failed, twice, was intolerance to heat. If you get another failure with low wattage bulbs, that might be your conclusion as well. A mechanical switch is preferred by many.

Most of us use a mechanical switch in parallel with the hydraulic switch. A very easy modification (although I have had a mechanical switch fail on me hence my relay mod): http://www.myetype.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3134

I did a lot of experimenting with LED lights and I concluded they did not work well with the S1 reflector and lens: http://www.myetype.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4845

Best option is to use the mechanical switch, a relay and the latest generation fast acting filament lights: http://www.myetype.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6376

I have kept the hydraulic switch, added a mechanical one, stock bulbs, and added a third led brake light: held by magnets.
Easy to fix on the panel just behind the hood, and easily stored back in the trunk upside down, the wire just wraps under the trunk rubber seal. Few thousand km already, never moved. A little bit of scuff that gentle polish recovered. Here are some pics:

Some more:

What you really need is one of these:

awesome! can we get a good deal with a group buy?

Heuer wrote:What you really need is one of these:

PEW PEW LAZERZ!