[Alpines] Brake switch and door window questions

[Ron Tebo]

Rob:

 Post 5+6 (end) of that thread.

Ron Tebo

ubject: Re: Damn Brake Light Switch
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 15:00:50 -0800
From: Sage <ssage at socal.rr.com>
To: Jay_Laifman at countrywide.com
CC: alpines at autox.team.net, Tigers at autox.team.net

Jay_Laifman at countrywide.com wrote:

 >I was actually thinking of using an old door light switch for it.  I've
 >got one and it has a very light spring mechanism.  I actually have two
 >Rootes factory original GT ones, but thought I'd use one from another car!
 >
 >I'm not sure I understand about the wires in the passenger compartment.
 >Are there two leads that will complete the circuit?  If so, what about the
 >wires next to the hydraulic switch?  Do they need to be connected?  Left
 >separate?  Any idea what colors these extra wires are?  My wiring harness
 >is from a very late SV Alpine - though it is in a S3 body.
 >
 >Jay
 >
Jay:
Since I couldn't find the wires that are supposed to be in the passenger
compartment, I just pulled out the two wires that plug into the switch in
the engine compartment, attached long wires to those, and ran them back
through the firewall to the "new" stop light switch above the brake pedal.
If I take the time to find the wires in the passenger compartment, that will
be a lot cleaner install.
Steve Sage
ubject: Re: Damn Brake Light Switch
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 17:09:18 -0800
From: Diane and Roland Dudley <csx2282 at juno.com>
To: Jay_Laifman at countrywide.com
CC: ssage at socal.rr.com, alpines at autox.team.net, Tigers at autox.team.net

Jay,

I had a similar problem with my Cobra's hydraulic brake light
switch.  More pedal pressure than is normally required in street
traffic was needed to turn the brake lights on.  Actually this is
kind of a generic problem for Cobras, because the gearing is so
low.  At 80 MPH, the engine is running at about 4k RPM.  Engine
braking does about 95% of the stopping in street traffic.

I tried replacing the switch, but it didn't make any difference.  Since
I'm a cheapskate, I came up with a very inexpensive and simple
solution.  I bought a limit switch at a local hardware store.  This
is a switch with a long metal tab for the switching mechanism.  I
mounted it so the back of the brake pedal arm presses on the
tab and holds the switch "on".

The switch can be wired to be normally-on or normally-off.  I
wired it for normally-on.  In other words, the switch conducts
current when the pedal is pressed and the arm is no longer in contact
with the tab.  I don't know what the pedal setup is like on your
Alpine, but on my Cobra I didn't need a bracket to mount the switch
on.  In fact it's held in place on an adjacent frame tube with nylon
cable ties.

As for the wiring, I ran extra wires from the limit switch to the
hydraulic switch and connected them in parallel with that switch's
terminals.

Actually I'm on the second switch now.  I managed to mangle the
first one while doing some brake work a couple of years ago.  But
the first one did last more than 10 years.

Roland

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 14:45:05 -0800 Jay_Laifman at countrywide.com writes:
 > I was actually thinking of using an old door light switch for it.
 > I've
 > got one and it has a very light spring mechanism.  I actually have
 > two
 > Rootes factory original GT ones, but thought I'd use one from
 > another car!
 >
 > I'm not sure I understand about the wires in the passenger
 > compartment.
 > Are there two leads that will complete the circuit?  If so, what
 > about the
 > wires next to the hydraulic switch?  Do they need to be connected?
 > Left
 > separate?  Any idea what colors these extra wires are?  My wiring
 > harness
 > is from a very late SV Alpine - though it is in a S3 body.
 >
 > Jay