[T3] turn signals/brake lights

[Daniel Nohejl]

> That has to be a short either in the TS switch, in the E-flasher 
> switch, or in the wiring to the left turn signal bulbs. Looking at 
> the wiring diagram in the Bentley, you could try finding the 
> splitters that show to the left of the E-switch. Disconnect the short 
> wires that come from the E-switch to the splitters and see if the 
> fuse still blows. If it does, the problem is not in any of the wiring 
> out to the bulbs.
> 
> You should also reach up under the dash and very carefully feel the 
> E-switch. They have a habit of coming apart, which could create a 
> short. Don't push on any of the wires, or you may cause a new 
> problem.

I didn’t do any of this yet because the turn signals have been completely fine ever since replacing the fuse for a second time. Should the fuse blow again, I’ll reach around up under the dash. I’m still not sure why the signals are working fine, but I’m not going to complain

> I'm guessing that you have a later MC with 3-pin switches. If you 
> also have a later wiring harness with the plugs, pull them off and 
> see if that turns off the lights. You should also check the wiring up 
> in the trunk to make sure nothing has damaged those wires and caused 
> 2 of them to short together.  

The wires were fine inside the trunk. Our current MC takes two switches, but our original MC had 3 switches, so we have a bundle of wires that connects to nothing. We don’t have plugs, just 2 wires that connect to 2 different pins on 3 pin switches. One of the wires at each switch is actually 2 wires double crimped into a single connector so I guess there are actually 3 wires. I realized when under the car that one of the switches wasn’t replaced last time we had an issue and that’s the problematic one. It’s disintegrating…..the plastic slides in and out of the metal body, one of the connectors is falling out and the other two are crispy looking. I’ll try to get a picture when I replace it. Also, the double crimped wire was frayed and only loosely connected to the female connector. The rubber boot had pretty much rotted away. 

> It's odd that the warning light works normally, because if one of the 
> switches was stuck in its pressurized state, the other one should 
> cause the warning light to come on all the time.
> 
> DoT 4 or DoT 5 (silicone)?

DoT 4

> Sounds like your switches are both going bad, requiring much more 
> pressure than they should.

One other oddity is that our brake pedal free play increases over time. Back in May or so, we adjusted it to 10mm and now it’s well over an inch. I’m going to see if the stop plate has come loose or something but this has always been an issue.