This vehicle came into the shop with a customer concern of no working brake lights. The vehicle had been taken to another repair shop a few weeks ago and the customer was told it would cost several hundred dollars to repair the problem.
I confirmed that all three brake lights were inoperative. This model has the customary two brake lights on the rear and a brake light called the Center High Mount Stop Light, or CHMSL for short. All three brake lights were inoperative. (After doing some further investigation after I repaired the truck, I found the CHMSL bulbs were blown.)
This led me to a quick look at a wiring diagram, which led me to take a look at the Underhood Fuse Panel.
When I removed the cover something caught my eye, even before I could check any fuses. I noticed something was missing. Where I am pointing you will notice four empty cavities. This is where the CHMSL Relay is suppose to be . . . but it's not! The relay would look like the relay above my finger (the grey rectangle).
I happened to have one in the shop. I plugged it in. Below I am pointing to the now present CHMSL Relay.
Sure enough, with a quick test of the brake pedal . . . presto! the brake lights were working.
This is a quick post just to remind us not to overlook the small things. Before pulling out the PowerProbe or Test light or whatever else, be sure to give a visual inspection of the components. As this job reminds us, first make sure they are where they are suppose to be; and second, make sure they are in good/working condition.
Sometimes the easy, simple solution is the right one.
