stop or breaklight fuse heating up and melting

[stormbringer]

I noticed that my break light fuse is heating up and melting. the fuse is not breaking but it heats up. is it a defective breakswitch or a grounded wire? If its the break switch where can I find it? what should I do? I have a 1994 galant. I need your help please. thanks

[WhiteGalant]

Check your wiring harness near the tail light it may just be a small short

[Jeffylou87]

Changing out the brake light switch would most likely be the poblem*



*I am not a professional, if you break your shit, dont blame me.

[stormbringer]

thanks for all the replies..where can I find the break light switch? im planning to check on that one too and the harness

[WhiteGalant]

Where is it on the car? Or where can u buy it? Most likely at the dealer I would think but idk if they have parts for that old of a galant, if not check out the junk yard.

[Fishboy55]

Before you go to all the trouble to source a brake light switch, try the simplest solution first. Open the trunk and carefully examine the wiring to the tail lights. Pull the bulbs and make sure the connectors are solid and not corroded. Look for any exposed wiring around the trunk hinge or around any tie off that might have frayed the insulation on the wiring.

[stormbringer]

I took off all the connections of the breaklights in the trunk and without all of it connected, it dont heat up. then I tried connecting it one at a time, and stepped on the breaks, the fuse heats up, all of it tried one at a time. and still the fuse heats up.

[stormbringer]

white galant....I mean where is it on the car. LOL sorry bout that. anyway I found it under on the break pedal lever. thanks

[Jeffylou87]

Its right under the bake pedal up towards the top.. You can find it at your local auto parts store..

[stormbringer]

I changed the break switch, check all the bulb connections...it still heats up. next check will be the harness. if the harness is ok.... what do you think will I check next? a new fuse box assembly?

[Fishboy55]

I knew it wasn't the brake switch. Sorry you spent the cash for nothing.
Troubleshooting this properly without randomly shotgunning and replacing parts is going to be a bitch. You said that you hooked things up one at a time and it heated up. That sounds like whatever side you hooked up first might be causing the problem. Verify that by disconnecting everything again and hooking up one at a time starting with the OTHER side. How do the sockets themselves look? No corrosion, pitting on the contacts? Examine them closely. This may sound stupid but it could be a bulb. Try a different set just for grins. The harness is the next likely candidate. The taillight harness runs up and under the back seat and then along the rocker panels on the 8G. Not sure on the 7G. Sorry, man but this is probably not going to be an easy fix. The only way to eliminate the harness as the problem is to temporarily bypass it with another connection from the fuse box directly to the bulb sockets.

[stormbringer]

I have it fixed by an auto electrician, he did a bypass on the brakelight fuse. thats the easiest way he can do it, instead of buying a new fusebox assembly. he did quite really a neat job on the bypass.It's Ok fishboy55, the break light switch only cost about 2 dollars here in the philippines, and about 4 dollars for the 2 hour bypass job. its really a bitch doing a DIY on electricals, but its a good experience and a new know how for me while looking at the man working on a bypass. Thanks people for the replies

[stormbringer]

Anyway he told me that the main problem there was the breaklight fuse terminals or fuse holder receptacles, he said due to vibration and moist this will fail causing heat and melt on the fuse holder and the fuse itself. and I need to change the whole assembly. but instead he bypassed it. thanks people