Scratching my head on this one. Brake (stop) lights are out. The hazards work, signals work, running lights are good, bulbs are fine, no blown fuses at all -- my fuse box is different than what's in the manual, i.e. I see no fuse for the 'stoplights'? I put in a new stoplight switch, the one in there looked pretty new. I know the previous paranoid owner had a few kill switches hooked up but they never gave me any problems. Other than bust out a multimeter (or better yet hire a pro) what else could I check?

 

Check the turn signal switch
** The brake lights run through the turn signal switch
Find the wire that feeds power from the brake switch into and out of the TS switch
Verify that power is going in and coming out
Once you do that, there is another connector for the rear harness near the column under the hood

 

Also,
Verify the Hazards are not on

 

Good idea, the auto shut off for the (left) turn signal switch stopped working not too long ago (i.e. when the steering wheel returns to center). Think it's related?

I replaced the whole column turn switch a while back on a '78 and can't remember if I had to pull the steering wheel off or not....?

 

I feel like a real IDIOT.
Must've been sometime year 2022 early. I was headed south on the interstate doing 68-mph when a front tire sidewall let go.
The tires were BFG a/t's in size 35-inch on 16-inch wheels. Ther tires were new in around 2002, so, real old but held air.
Anyways the Van held a straight line, and I had to force a turn-out spot at a steep cut uphill side.
Those semi-trucks made me super nervous as then whizzed buy seemingly inches from the Van.
Anyways, from my best memory, the Hazards didn't work. _ _ what's new there, right ! _ _ especially with an older vehicle.

At the time, I was "chasing gremlins", as I had recently pulled the van out of a 17-year hibernation.

Ok, after a long list of faulty pieces and parts like 23-items, the Van was dependable to drive without worry.
Oh, and yes, late 2022, I had new BFG 285/75-16 mud terrains installed for peace of mind.
I chose to go to a 32" tire from the previous 35's for better braking response and driveability.

I get home from running an errand around the month of April 2025, and my wife says "Your Brake Lights DON'T WORK."
Omg, after doing extended research on the internet, I discovered that the Hazards and Brake Lights are on the same circuit !
At that point I felt like a real IDIOT, for not having checked the brake lights earlier.

The culprit wound up being the fuse up at the upper left corner of the Fuse Block, so was an easy fix.
For checking for power, I took a seat belt buzzer, and added alligator clips to each of the two wires, and I like it.

Since fixing the Brake Lights and Hazard Lights with a simple fuse change-out, I've been sprinting around with a Smile.

Like @manicmechanic007 suggested, make sure you have power in and power out of the switch.
And that the Hazards flasher is functioning.

 

I doubt it is related to the broken cancel cam
Yes, you need to pull the steering wheel to replace the switch. The wires come up and out from the top of the column to replace the switch
I never mess with replacing just the cancel cam that you CAN still get from the aftermarket
Unlikely the switch is the fault for the brake lamps unless it's shorted
** Unless things like hitting the brake and the RF turn signal comes on, are happening

 

The Sockets for the brake light bulds have a "contact" for the ground built into them which corrodes.
To fix this I have cut open the white plastic socket to then solder the contact for continuity of the ground.
Could this be a culprit ? _ _ _ or would this only affect just the one bulb ?

 

OP update: I went through almost all the wiring including looking underneath from the back up into the engine compartment. The van is in super good shape (why I bought it years ago) and the wiring still looks very decent. A couple of old funky splices got some new crimp connectors (one was a CB input adapter wired to the switch harness which had been there for years).

I found the expected broken tab from the cam lying in the turn signal switch, it wasn't causing any problems.
Then the memory of replacing the switch/harness on an former van came back to haunt me so I stopped because the switch looked fine (except the cam of course). As it stands, we're still at square one. I will scope out the tail housings next, then I'll call for backup with a good multimeter...

 

When I took out the old switch there were a couple of zip ties strapped over the switch to the brake pedal shaft - I had not considered this was the #1 clue staring me in the face. After poking around I found a few YT videos saying the bushings can be a problem, so I strapped on a couple of new zip ties while some new bushings are shipped to me. An epic case of chasing my own tail....

 

I installed a new inner bushing and the fit is tighter for sure, but the problem still persists. Essentially the switch works better but eventually rotates upward on the pin, out of the sweet spot where it activates the brake lights correctly. So I have strapped it down again with more zip ties, and it seems OK - but this is kind of hacky BS and I'm looking for a better fix. I've searched the forums a bit and haven't found anything promising (yet)...

 

We used to have a couple of factory ford switches kicking around for testing
I still have one
You can plug one into your harness and see if the problem is fixed
Then decide if you want to hassle with replacing it
I wouldn't replace it either, for just a broken cancel cam

 

The turn signal switch is not the problem, it's the brake light switch on the brake pedal. I've updated the fuzzy pic below to illustrate the problem. After ___ number of times pressing on the brakes, the switch eventually rotates back upwards on the pin, and then it's not aligned in the general zone where it activates the lights normally, so that's why it's strapped down with zip ties.

This makes me wonder if the end of the shaft coming from the booster (in green).... the push rod? - specifically the metal ring that goes over the brake pin and sits between the two sides of the switch - where it contacts the switch should be flat / square? IIRC the one on there now might not be flat on the outer side like the one pic below...?

 

Another question - this connector for the switch says 'locking mechanism' so does that mean it locked the switch itself in place to the wiring harness etc? or it's just a locking type of connector? Either way I don't have this part.

 

If anyone's still following, some further monkeying...

The push rod looks pretty beat, but still seems to have a flat enough mating surface. I tried a metal shim (using one of those old PC card slot covers) but I think a thicker one might be needed, i.e. the switch still wants to creep upward and not activate the lights. When strapped down with zip ties it's ok, but that's some hillbilly BS I hate doin'.

 

At least it's a good test case to make sure it works before doing something permanent.