We have a 1987 Jaguar XJ6 and the brake light stopped working.

I looked up the switch in the manual and removed the panel under the steering wheel. I found two switches, one for the cruise control and the stop lights.
The stop light switch had "green" wires.
To test it, I shorted out the the contacts on the switch with a screw driver and we had lights!

My wife found a Utube video and I followed that.
I removed the single mounting bolt next to the switch and it came away.
On the back there is an arm which rests on the back of the brake pedal. Sure enough, that arm was stiff. So with a little WD40, I freed it up.

Reinstalling it was difficult, So I undid the two bolts on the top of the bracket (should have done that first).
Re mounted the switch (you can easily see the position it was originally in).
Then re-bolted the two bolts on the top of the bracket.

It all works now!

Hope this helps someone else out.

John

 

Jaguar mantra: remove, clean, lubricate, adjust

Good work.

A lot of other inoperative 'stuff' responds to the mantra: starter relays, window switches, door latch mechanisms....

Cheers
DD

 

It's a little known fact that WD-40 is one of the Forces that keep the Universe working; along with Duct Tape, Baling Wire and Zip Ties. Oh and RTV.
(';')

 

Add Gorilla Glue!!!


Non Jaguar applications I did recently:


1. The wings on my duck whirligig kept coming off. Brads and wood dowels not enough. Re affixed with dowels and Gorilla glue on one wing. It's fine. Oh me the other wing is down....
when bad cold is better I'll fix that.


2. The teeny plastic screw that clamps the lens in one of my spectacles kept coming adrift. I have the tool and the process down pat for fixing it. Used a dab of Gorilla Glue the last time. So far, stays in place.


Carl

 

And, oh my, that delicious smell. It has comforted me for years

However, as aerosols go, this is the one for a true gourmet.....

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1rmh-HKgoL.jpg


This olfactory delight really works on rust. Expensive, though, so I save it for special occasions and really tough cases....making the aroma that much more of a treat. Sorta like that special bottle of Scotch that you pour from only at Christmas

Cheers
DD

 

I had a lot of trouble with the brake switch--either not working or just being difficult to get it adjusted right, simply because I'd have to adjust it, sit down and hit the brake to see if it worked, get back on the floor and adjust again, repeat until stiff and sore.

For awhile I had a little LED wired up that lit along with the pedal switch, so I could tell from sitting in the driver's seat whether the brake lights were working or not. If the LED didn't light, the brake lights wouldn't either. Didn't diagnose every problem, but it's good at telling if the switch is hung up.

 

I have an 87 with the same problem - the brake lights do not come on. I have taken the switch out DAC1308 - the arm articulates fine. What else could cause this not to work? For a while the brake lights would work, didn't work, etc. Anything else I should look for before purchasing a new one...

 

Been a long time, but if I recall correctly, they run a lot of electricity through that switch,and they age rapidly. My dad was the electrical genius in the family--I believe he wired in a resistance shunt to take some of the load off of it. Next time I talk to him, I'll ask him.

 

Between the brake lights and the switch there's a bulb failure module. These sometimes give trouble. If you have a test light or meter I can suggest a couple of easy tests

You '87 should have an upper brake light in the rear window. If it works normally, the brake light switch is OK but the bulb failure module probably isn't. The upper brake light circuit bypasses the bulb failure module

Cheers
DD

 

I have taken the old DAC1308 off; jumped the wiring left - brake lights came on - soooooo, I believe that the switch (DAC1308) is bad. Am going to purchase a used one - see if it will last 40 years - and see what happens.