How to Run Wires for 3rd Brake Light Mod?

[randywebb]

if you mean RTV, no - that does not waterproof an electrical connection

(I found that out after skiing an electronic datalogger and some instruments up a mtn. on my back decades ago...)
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1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans.

[madspaniard]

finally finished 3rd brake light install, my 3rd brake light is the very last item on this page below
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html

drilled a hole and ran wire from center of van to left side where you can see stock ground wires coming out of hole. I used a coat hanger wire to fish 3rd brake light wirs. I then used a grommet and some irrigation black tubing to protect wires as they run into the van. Pics below explain everything.

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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[Mang]

Hi Mad, where did you get the irrigation black tubing? I was trying to find a roll of it when I wired up my over-the-bench light.

Nice job!
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'87 Westy 2.1 WBX

[madspaniard]

[Ahwahnee]

Since this has come up again I'll mention yet another way to run the hot wire for a 3rd brake light that is mounted on the tailgate/glass.

I ran the single hot wire thru the same little boot used for the rear window defroster, then along the inside of the top section above the rear glass. Finally, out thru a small hole drilled behind where the lamp is mounted (hole is under the curtain rod in the pic).

Only one wire was run as the light is grounded right there where it mounts to the hatch.

[RBEmerson]

Ahwahnee, is that a Daniel Stern light, too?
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Lord, give me coffee to change the things I can change, and wine to accept the things I can't change.

[Ahwahnee]

[hans j]

This is going to be one of my first mods for sure, but I'm going to add in a flasher module for the center high light.

Similar to this: http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=181


Link

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1986 Canadian Syncro Westy TDI - 1989 Syncro Single Cab - 2001 Audi S4 - 1981 VW Caddy ABA - 1980 VW Caddy EV - 1973 VW T-181

[RBEmerson]

Three comments on brake light flashers: 1) they work best with LED's (incandescent lamps are too slow for fast blink rates to be effective), 2) some flashers aren't legal in some states (the idea being to avoid confusion with emergency vehicles), and 3) it's been shown the "impaired" drivers often fixate on blinking lights and forget what they should be doing. That being said, a brief burst of fast strobing seems to be legal, gets people's attention, but doesn't give a target to fixate on.

I looked into this for my motorcycle and the above is the distillation of what I found out. I have a quick burst of strobing in the LED brake lights and... eh, so far, nobody's tagged me from behind.
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Lord, give me coffee to change the things I can change, and wine to accept the things I can't change.

[Chris Vellat]

Scotchlok's (aka vampire clips) are about the worst connection that can be made, they're easy and just as sleazy...The cutter is biting through the insulation of the original wire and usually does damage to the stranded conductors. They're often the source of a wiring problem, not the resolution.
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(3) '69's
'67 Baja
'74 Super
'73 Bay
(2) '77's

[RBEmerson]

I can't say as I'm a fan of them, either. It helps to use the right size clip for the wire being used. Using blue clips with 18 gauge wire, for example, isn't a winner and the same is true of using a red clip and 14 gauge wire. But, yeah, "vampire clips" often cause more trouble than they avoid.
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Lord, give me coffee to change the things I can change, and wine to accept the things I can't change.

[climberjohn]

[RBEmerson]

Plan A is to actually do soldered splices and follow up with heatshrink tubing. Plan B is using well-crimped butt splices. That doesn't always fly if you're combining, for example, two 16 gauge wires - too big for a red connector at one end and too small for a blue connector at the other end. Although you can always pack the single wire end with an extra bit of the same wire. The trick is to get a good crimp on everything.
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Lord, give me coffee to change the things I can change, and wine to accept the things I can't change.

[madspaniard]

interesting reading on those tap splices or vampire clips

http://tech.bareasschoppers.com/resources/the-problem-with-wire-tap-connectors/
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[climberjohn]

[Franklinstower]

i installed a volvo third brake light this afternoon. Thanks to Jeff (a914622) for the light. Free from the local pick a part! It came out of a Volvo Wagon. He had his mounted to the rear window, but I found that it fits snugly onto the A/C cabinet shelf.

For a nice fit, I cut off extra plastic mounting on the back side of the light that was not needed:

there is a little tab on the back of the light that happens to create a nice snug fight on the shelf return lip.

Also I found I didn't need to try to fish the wire down by the A/C hoses. I was able to "saw" the wire back and forth into position right where the cabinet and body intersect. Then I grabed the wire from the engine capartment and soldered it inline with my trailer wires. I probable spent an hour on this total.

Great Mod for Safety!

Paul
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'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug

[EastWest]

Hey Franklinstower..really neat install. I have a '90 w/AC in White body also. From what Volvo year did your 'salvage brake light' come from ? Is this LED or bulb? How did you attach to A/C shelf. There's non mention of Ground wire...did I miss something ? My West is in for a full paint job (her first in 22 years!!) so I want to have a Brake Light mod -from the inside- before having the windows tinted. Thanks.

[a914622]

The lights are from 97 and newer volvo wagons. I think it was a s70? the rear glass has the same angle as the vanagon so you can also glue the right to the glass if you want. Thats how i ran mine,the wires are fished thru the stock ruber boot that the defrost runs thru. The leds only use a tiny wire. My ground is the screw for the curtins. If you cut off the back like Pual did the cutins will close even when glue to the glass


They are bright LEDs. You can see the red glow in the socker moms eyes at the stop lights. A mildly comforting sight

jeff
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87 gl powerd buy 2.5subaru
75 914 getting 2.2t subaru scratch that SVX subaru

[Franklinstower]

i used some velcro to keep it secured in place, but it fits snugly on the A/C cabinet. The brake light has power wire and a ground. I used an existing ground that was right there by the cabinet so I only had to run one wire down to the tail light.

Very simple install.
Paul
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'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug

[EastWest]

Thanks Paul and Jeff for the added info.
Will start looking up availability in the car salvage lots for the Volvo S70 wagons.
BTW, I can see that Paul has gone Vanaru. I'm not there just yet. Still got some years left in my West's engine. But have been driving daily, Subarus since 1999. Cheers!
Rick