Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

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Tex Rickard
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Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

I have a Berlingo and both brake lights, the two cluster ones and the high level one have stopped working. I assumed it was the brake switch and changed this, still no joy, then checked all fuses in passenger footwell and engine bay and again no joy. So out with the multi meter, I havent been able to find a wiring diagram, so its been a bit hit and miss, but I've now run into something I can't fathom and wondered if anyone on here could help.
Basically, with the switch fitted in the connector, I have placed a test light on the second wire (with the connectors release button facing upwards) and there is power only on this wire, and when the plunger is depressed, the first wire (from the left) then lights up aswell, so I presumed that the switch is Ok, that power goes in through terminal 2 and out through terminal 1, and there must be faulty wiring between the switch and the cluster, but if you take the connector out of the brake light switch, its green and has four wires going into it, with it held with the release button at the top again, if I bridge connectors 2 and 3 the lights come on, so the wiring must be good.
My problem is that the switch seems to switch between 1 and 2, but I get nothing when these are bridged and I can get lights if I bridge 2 and 3.
Hope that's clear and makes sense, any suggestions on what to try next would be much appreciated, thanks in advance Gents.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by RichardW »

Hi, welcome along!

If you can post or the PM the VIN, I can see if I can find a wiring diag.

There are 2 sets of contacts in the switch; one normally open for the lights, one normally closed for cruise control (even if not fitted....). I suspect the switch is the problem TBH, given that you can make the lights work.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Thanks for the quick reply, my feeling is its the switch as well, and the new one is faulty.

The Vin No is............VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Would anyone know what the four connectors in the brake switch do? Then I could bell them out and rule out or confirm it's the switch.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by wheeler »

It sounds like you have proved the switch is faulty?
Did you get the switch from Euro car parts ?
A friend of mine a few years ago got THREE faulty brake switches in a row from euros for his daughters Polo, Genuine VW switch sorted it.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

The switch has power supplied to it at pin 2 and pin 1 is dead, till the plunger is depressed then pin 1 has power, so have I proved the switch is faulty? The switch is only faulty IF it should supply power to pin 3 as well, as that's where I can get the lights to work when bridging the connections.
The switch isn't OEM came from GSF so could be dodgy, but both the original and new one do exactly the same thing, ie what pins they supply power to when depressed and the same results when all pins are belled out, seems a coincidence, that's why I wanted to know what connections do what.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by RichardW »

Here you go:

Brake light function:
brakes.JPG
Pin 1 should be live, and pin you should get continuity to pin 2 when the pedal is pressed.

Here's the other side:
brakes2.JPG
Pin 2 should be live, and you should have continuity when the pedal is NOT pressed, connection should be broken when you press the pedal.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Ok, thanks for that.

Bit confusing as there are four pins on the switch and which pair is which depends on which way around its held, since nothing is numbered 1 to 4.
Having belled out both switches, they do as you say they should, though not 100% sure I'm pinging it the right way around, because 1 and 2 have a connection/continuity and so do 3 and 4, which as you say one when plunger is depressed and nothing when not and the other pair vica versa. I was in Euro carparts today and for the sake of £6 bought another and that's exactly the same and the lights still don't work when its connected, so I'm assuming all the switches is must be OK and the fault is elsewhere. That takes me back to original thought that a connection or the wiring is faulty between switch and light clusters, but I know that can't be the case as I can get the lights to work by bridging the middle two pins of the four. Though they should be separate according to wiring diagram? as 1and 2 have continuity and 3 and 4 do but there is no continuity at all between 1 or2 and 3 or 4. Any Ideas?
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Strange, from the VIN I get a slightly different diagram Richard - the 4 pin one... not sure if this helps or hinders, but thought I'd chuck it in as it's the only diagram I'm getting for this RPO, and Utility Van body type / Engine.
You'll need to click to zoom these:
Berlingo Brake Lights A.PNG
2110: Additional Brake Lamps
So 2120 (Twin Brake switch) is then broken down into this:
Berlingo Brake Lights B.PNG
2120: Brake Twin Function Switch
1320: Engine ECU
BSI1: BSI
BFDB: Fuse Box at the Battery Outlet
PSF1: Engine Compartment Fusebox Panel
Wire - 7309B: Fail safe stop signal
Wire - 210B: Stoplamps Control
Wire - CM21: Batt Pos to Earth?
Wire - E210: Crimp One Information, (or Equipotential 210 Wire)
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by RichardW »

Oddly, I got the full diagrams at first, then I went back to check again I got the diagrams you posted, Marc! They are both the same essentially.

Tex if you look carefully at the wiring plug on the car, the pins should be numbered - although the are VERY small. May not be easiest to see upside down in the footwell!! If you work out which pair is open and which closed on the switch, then you should be able to transfer this to the plug, which will allow you to see if either of the pins on the lights side is live, and if bridging this out to the other side puts the lights on. I think what is happening is that you have lost the live to the switch on that side, and you are managing to bridge it from the other live feed to get the lights to come on. Have you checked fuse 1 on the underbonnet fuse box?
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Richard and Marc can I thank you for your help and patience. I have checked the fuses, but the diagram in my manual doesn't match the fuse pattern in the engine bay. I am going to start again and pull all the fuses and test them and go from there.
Just a quick question, on the diagram that Marc posted up, what does the image that looks like a football pitch with 5 legs either side stand for ? as there is one of these on both sides of the switch.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by RichardW »

They're the fuses I think? The one that powers the actual lights appears to be on top of the battery, rather than in the underbonnet fuse box.

If this diagram is diagramatically correct, then it should be F1, 2nd from the right as you look at it :rofl2:
berlingobrakes3.JPG
BTW does it have a tow bar? This is often the cause of electrical maladies that can blow fuses....
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Tex Rickard wrote: 14 Apr 2018, 08:41Just a quick question, on the diagram that Marc posted up, what does the image that looks like a football pitch with 5 legs either side stand for ? as there is one of these on both sides of the switch.
That icon represents a major ECU / Computer - which the engine ECU is - and as you can see, there is also one for the BSI in the diagram.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Just an update.

Richard it hasnt got a tow bar.

Started from scratch, all fuses seemed fine. But with the diagrams I now know I should have live at pins 1 and 3. Pin 1 was dead, as I couldnt find a fuse that was blown, I put one end of multi meter in connector on pin 1 and then touched the tops of all fuses hoping to get continuity, that never worked. The diagrams explained why I could get lights if I bridged 3 and 2 as 3 was obviously live and taking the place of pin 1, so I came up with the idea of splicing the wire to pin 1 with pin 3, so the wire that supplies pin 3 now supplies both. Then I bridged pins 1 and 2 and hey presto lights.

As usual one step forward and two back, connected the brake light switch and nothing, tried the other new one and the old original and still nothing, belled them all out pin 1 and 2 continuity when plunger NOT depressed and none when depressed. I then reconnected the switch and with it in place, bridged 1 and 2 and got lights, so can I safely assume that all three switches are not working? Seems to much of a coincidence, but can't think of anything else.
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Re: Berlingo Brake Lights Not Working

Post by Tex Rickard »

Another aside, my son drives one of these for work, mine is 09 and his a 13, we just swapped brake switches and mine all work in his van, He's an electrician, not auto though,and its baffled him aswell. But we can now rule out the switch.
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