# 2005 X Trail with no brake lights!!



## marstafitta (Feb 28, 2015)

I am in New Zealand and you have to be able to fix things here to exist!! My 
2005 2.5 litre petrol automatic NZ new and is without brake lights. There is a supply to the switch by the brake pedal and power out when the pedal is in the rest position. ( 2 wires to this switch)When the brake pedal is depressed the circuit is broken which would lead me to believe that there is a relay some where but where?? The upper switch on the brake pedal controls the gear shift lock switch and that works correctly.
The loom is partially exposed in the boot as it is wired for a trailer and all the lights were working last trip out two weeks ago. Testing for a voltage on the brake circuit here has reaped nothing, even going direct to earth from the expected brake loom cable.
Any ideas would be most welcome as I have seem to run out of ideas or places to search for the elusive hidden relay if in fact there is one!!
Thanks for your time it is appreciated.


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## Farley1 (Feb 7, 2015)

marstafitta,
here is the clue............."all the lights were working last trip out two weeks ago."
something has changed in the mean time. 
1] Have you checked EVERY fuse in the cabin and under the hood?
2] IF you reconnect your trailer/lights do the trailer lights work?
3] "The loom is partially exposed in the boot"..............has a wire from the factory harness gone to ground? Causing a short. 
4] I have a trailer hitch with harness and it is stored in the LH side storage cubby. I pull it out and hook it up when needed. Is your exposed?
5] Is the trailer hitch/wiring harness new?
6] Have to assume bulbs are OK!
Let us know how you make out.


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## marstafitta (Feb 28, 2015)

Hi Farley 1,
Thanks for the reply and suggestions.
I have done everything you have suggested and still there was no live feed to the brake light clusters. I do have access to the rear wiring loom where the trailer lights are wires so can test the various connections there. 
Whilst doing that I found an ignition controlled live feed there and decided to take the brake light circuit from the loom. I ran a cable from the output of the brake light switch to a relay in the spare wheel well using the live feed to power said relay and connected the switched contacts to the now isolated brake light cables. Two in line fuses were fitted to the relay supply and brake bulb circuits and all works correctly. There have been other problems associated with this conversion so where the original fault was is a mystery to me but at least I am back on the road again!!


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