High Mount (third brake light)

[Jay57nj]

Hello All:

The high mount third brake light is out on my '98 Mounty. Wondering if it is a fuse, balast, or the unit itself.

Any suggestions on where to start?


Many thanks,

-Jay

 

[budwich]

search herein the forum.... lots of posts.... meter, swear, if lucky loose wiring as some have found, otherwise swear some more and replace in some form ... either LED or same.

 

[jremington59]

Check the fuse and if that's good then check for power at the light.

 

[bobflood]

That is a neon bulb with a ballast - either one could be out. First thing is to see if you have 12V at input to the ballast when brake pedal is depressed. If that is OK, then problem is ballast or light itself. No way to easily test, unfortunately. I bought ballast/lamp from kbabiak on this forum; in my case replacing ballast fixed it. If I had to do again, I would replace ballast/lamp with an LED unit. Search the internet - you will find pre-assembled LED replacements available, as well as instructions to build your own.

 

[snoranger]

I thought they only used the neon 3rd brake light in 95-97? 98+ has the newer style hatch.

 

[white_shadow]

I thought they only used the neon 3rd brake light in 95-97? 98+ has the newer style hatch.

thats what i was thinking. i have a 98, and its not neon

 

[bobflood]

I thought they only used the neon 3rd brake light in 95-97? 98+ has the newer style hatch.

According to wiring diagram information on line for 3rd brake light, neon with ballast was used thru 1998 - changing to LED in 1999. All I can tell you from personal experience is that my 1997 has the neon light. Suggest that you open the hatch, remove the inside trim, and see if you have the ballast in there at the top of the hatch. Mine was a silver rectangular box with a plug on each end - one end went to the wiring harness and the other to the light.

 

[snoranger]

According to wiring diagram information on line for 3rd brake light, neon with ballast was used thru 1998 - changing to LED in 1999. All I can tell you from personal experience is that my 1997 has the neon light. Suggest that you open the hatch, remove the inside trim, and see if you have the ballast in there at the top of the hatch. Mine was a silver rectangular box with a plug on each end - one end went to the wiring harness and the other to the light.

You may be right, I just thought they changed it when they changed the hatch.

 

[white_shadow]

According to wiring diagram information on line for 3rd brake light, neon with ballast was used thru 1998 - changing to LED in 1999. All I can tell you from personal experience is that my 1997 has the neon light. Suggest that you open the hatch, remove the inside trim, and see if you have the ballast in there at the top of the hatch. Mine was a silver rectangular box with a plug on each end - one end went to the wiring harness and the other to the light.

like i said, i have a 98 and its not neon. maybe i have a late model 98?

 

[Joe Dirt]

98 is not neon.




97 neon.

98 not neon.

 

[budwich]

Yep... one of those times when info resources and various "deployments" don't jive.... but odds are high that its a non working neon tube / ballast as opposed to a LED based "live forever" light...

 

[snoranger]

There's a simple way to solve this....

Jay post a pic of your hatch.

 

[white_shadow]

98 not neon.

i want that hitch. im needing one

 

[Jay57nj]

OK, here is the pic of my third brake light....'98 Mounty

 

[Vic_Ferrari2002]

OK, here is the pic of my third brake light....'98 Mounty

Start checking for fuses and bad wiring because that is LED