Brake light Switch mechanical adapter for brake Pedal

[Finster]

Hi,
Has anyone used the brake light switch in the link below? It is sold through Macs. It looks as if you mount this under the dash and have the lever touching the brake pedal.

I guess it makes it so when you touch the brake your lights go on right away - you don't have to rely on the always faulty brake light switches under the hood.

http://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_mercury_late/brake-light-switch-mechanical-ford.html

Thanks

[Ford Only]

I use them on most of my cars, they work fine especially when you do a disc brake conversion and have no place handy for the hydraulic switch.

[Finster]

Hi,
I just installed a brake light switch I bought from Wayne Rollins and it works great. It is simple to use and bolts on in an existing hole under the dash.

Just in case anyone was interested.

[droptopford]

Hi,
I just installed a brake light switch I bought from Wayne Rollins and it works great. It is simple to use and bolts on in an existing hole under the dash.

Just in case anyone was interested.

I'm interested. My brake lights won't come on until quite a bit of pressure is applied to the brake pedal. The switch is original equipment and I don't really understand how the switch works... pedal movement or actual brake pressure.?. Can it be adjusted somehow to activate lights sooner?

In any case, the switch mentioned by Finster sounds like a winner. "Simple to use" and no extra holes is good. Unfortunately, I don't know who Wayne Rollins is. Googled it and got nothing of use. Is this something that is still available?

[oldave57]

The original equipment brake switch is a pressure switch activated by the brake line pressure when you apply the brake. Unfortunately it is not adjustable and can change over time so that it does not apply as quickly (or at all). The mechanical switch is a microswitch with some type of lever that can be mounted to be activated when the pedal is depressed and will light the brake lights with any movement of the pedal. I recently replaced the OEM pressure switch (because it was not activating with normal pedal pressure) to a replacement pressure switch that works much better, but the mechanical switch is a good option.

[droptopford]

Thanks for the prompt response!

I guess I don't really care if I replace the OEM switch with another pressure switch (as long as it works), or with the mechanical setup. I'm hoping Finster will chime in and let me know about the switch he got from Wayne Rollins. In the mean time... where did you find your replacement pressure switch Dave?

[oldave57]

I got my switch from Macs Auto Parts (their part number C1AZ-13480-A) for $9.99 (plus shipping, of course). It is an exact replacement for OEM switch.

[droptopford]

Thanks very much for the info and details. I'll get one of those on order right away!

Edit: Looks like they have a 'low pressure' version also. More money but it might be worth it. I really have to mash my pedal right now to get the lights.

https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_mercury_late/stop-light-switch-low-pressure-ford-and-mercury.html

[Finster]

Hi
I got my switch from Wayne. I have a 1959 Retractable and his switch fit with no modifications to the pedal. Wayne can walk you through how to wire it up. It was very straightforward. I just don’t remember the steps. The key is placing it at the right spot on the pedal. Once your under there it will be obvious. Just be careful you don’t get stuck.

Never a problem since I got rid of the pressure switch 5 years ago.
Hope that helps

[oldave57]

I noticed that lower pressure switch when I ordered my "original" brake switch. It might be worth the extra money, but I can tell you that the original switch version works with very light brake pedal pressure (at least for now). The other thing I noticed about the lower pressure switch was that it "includes the pigtail wiring" which must mean that the switch has different terminals than the original version. I'm sure it would work just fine if that's what you decide to use.

Good Luck,
Dave

[droptopford]

Hi
I got my switch from Wayne. I have a 1959 Retractable and his switch fit with no modifications to the pedal. Wayne can walk you through how to wire it up. It was very straightforward. I just don’t remember the steps. The key is placing it at the right spot on the pedal. Once your under there it will be obvious. Just be careful you don’t get stuck.

Never a problem since I got rid of the pressure switch 5 years ago.
Hope that helps


I noticed that lower pressure switch when I ordered my "original" brake switch. It might be worth the extra money, but I can tell you that the original switch version works with very light brake pedal pressure (at least for now). The other thing I noticed about the lower pressure switch was that it "includes the pigtail wiring" which must mean that the switch has different terminals than the original version. I'm sure it would work just fine if that's what you decide to use.

Good Luck,
Dave

A sincere 'Thanks' to both of you for the info. I'm going to stick with the plan and get the 'original' type pressure switch from Mac's. Certainly not a big investment to try it out. I suppose I should have/could have started there in the first place. I've ordered a few things from Mac's in the past and they've worked out well.

I'm lucky in the sense that my '59 is mostly original... a survivor that has been repainted, but other than that it has just had pretty much normal maintenance over the years. I don't have anywhere near the knowledge some of the folks have that have done your extensive/beautiful restorations. I've just addressed the few, small problems I (or my Dad) had as they arose.

Again, thanks for the prompt replies.

[droptopford]

Update: I ordered the OEM style replacement pressure switch from Mac's last week. Arrived yesterday. Works good. Certainly activates the brake lights with a lot less pedal force than the old switch.