Is there a front hydraulic brake switch superior to others? I have replaced two on my mk3. Got one from a vendor that was supposed to be made in England only lasted three or four pulls on the lever and it quit working. Vendor replaced it with a new one and it lasted a couple of weeks. Good electric feed to and from switch!! Puzzled!!!
front brake switch
- Thread starter hershey
- Start date
- Joined
- May 7, 2005
- Messages
- 7,163
The switch is notorious for not lasting long, but an upgraded version is made for Jaguars.
They have a US site too
SNG Barratt UK | Keeping your Jaguar on the road
Classic and Modern Jaguar Parts Specialist. The world's largest independent supplier and manufacturer of parts and accessories for Jaguar Cars.
www.sngbarratt.com
They have a US site too
SNG Barratt UK | Keeping your Jaguar on the road
Classic and Modern Jaguar Parts Specialist. The world's largest independent supplier and manufacturer of parts and accessories for Jaguar Cars.
www.sngbarratt.com
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2019
- Messages
- 1,067
on my 74, i replaced mine with one from Old Britts here in the states (gawd, i miss those folks!). i'm fairly sure they were a distributor/vendor for andover-norton parts, so you may want to give AN a try. anyway, 4 years now without issue. not sure how the Mk3 is configured, but on my Mk2, i cut a 1/4" hole in the rubber boot, directly below the switch pins, so the wires ran straight down, and not thru the hose opening. my reasoning - not having to make those sharp wire bends and causing undo stress on the electrical pins, especially during installation. right, wrong, or indifferent, no problems to date. BTW - used the cheap gasket hole punch set from harbor freight to punch the hole in the boot.
Thanks, I ordered one today. I'll see how long this one lasts.
That sounds like a good idea but one of my new brake switches quit working before installing the boot. It was replaced by the vendor and the second one only lasted a couple of rides. The switches were made by Lucas.on my 74, i replaced mine with one from Old Britts here in the states (gawd, i miss those folks!). i'm fairly sure they were a distributor/vendor for andover-norton parts, so you may want to give AN a try. anyway, 4 years now without issue. not sure how the Mk3 is configured, but on my Mk2, i cut a 1/4" hole in the rubber boot, directly below the switch pins, so the wires ran straight down, and not thru the hose opening. my reasoning - not having to make those sharp wire bends and causing undo stress on the electrical pins, especially during installation. right, wrong, or indifferent, no problems to date. BTW - used the cheap gasket hole punch set from harbor freight to punch the hole in the boot.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2019
- Messages
- 1,067
please, i'm NOT trying to be argumentative here, and while having two switch failures is not impossible, to me, it's worth looking at this from another direction. i know some folks have issues with lucas, but i find it odd to have multiple failures of the same new part. couple switch questions - are you experiencing an electrical failure or mechanical, such as a broken or loose pin on the switch? if electrical, how are you testing the switch - are you using a multimeter, testing the switch itself? have you tested the the entire circuit, including the ground, bulb connection, quality of any and all crimp lug connections within the harness, etc.. there's a lot of connection points within the brake light circuit - the more connections, the more potential problems. another area worth a look - the physical, switch to master cylinder connection. the switch is activated my hydraulic pressure. everything good and clean withing the master cylinder? MY 2-CENTS - you need to look at rhe big picture here - it just may not be the switch that's the problem. if you've ordered a third switch, and you have another failure, i'd bet good money, it's not the switch(s). just sayin'....
Last edited:
- Joined
- May 7, 2005
- Messages
- 7,163
I had one fail and the replacement failed not long after (green Lucas Box), they both failed internally confirmed by mutimeter with no external damage or lack of brake fluid flow once unscrewed. The Brit car forums also show the faulty switches are endemic and the fix until the improved switch came along was to add a mechanical switch to the brake pedal.
Both switches were tested at the switch terminals. Hot wire going into the switches had 12v, terminal post coming back out of the switch with the brake lever pulled had no voltage. Pigtailed the two wires together at the switch and brake light worked. Both switches malfunctioned.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2019
- Messages
- 1,067
as i said, odd, but not impossible. it would be interesting if the failed switches has any type of date code or batch code associated with them. i don't know who supplies andover-norton's switches, but mine 's been good for some 4-years now. as i recall, it didn't come in any lucas packaging, but just a gerneric zip lock bag. anyway, good luck with the fix abd keep us updated - 
Should be getting the new upgraded switch very soon. I will let you know how it does.as i said, odd, but not impossible. it would be interesting if the failed switches has any type of date code or batch code associated with them. i don't know who supplies andover-norton's switches, but mine 's been good for some 4-years now. as i recall, it didn't come in any lucas packaging, but just a gerneric zip lock bag. anyway, good luck with the fix abd keep us updated -
Have you tried one of these switches on a commando and did it have the same diameter thread size?
marshg246
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2015
- Messages
- 4,917
This is another weird one. I've sold or used 26 Genuine Lucas (from Wassell) in Red Box and sold or used 6 from AN. I've never had a failure or return. The one I installed from AN in my rider has been there since June 2018 and works fine.
It would be helpful to others when we report a bad product if we say where we got it, when we got it, any details, and what the vendor did about it.
If you bought one in a Green Lucas box, you bought knock off junk, even if Wassel supplied it to the vendor. If you bought EMGO a while back, you bought junk (not sure about today). The current Lucas parts are in red boxes and are quality. I have no complaints about the AN switch either. IMHO, the interesting thing about EMGO is that they make some real quality parts, and the rest are absolute junk - unfortunately I know about a good many of those junk parts
It would be helpful to others when we report a bad product if we say where we got it, when we got it, any details, and what the vendor did about it.
If you bought one in a Green Lucas box, you bought knock off junk, even if Wassel supplied it to the vendor. If you bought EMGO a while back, you bought junk (not sure about today). The current Lucas parts are in red boxes and are quality. I have no complaints about the AN switch either. IMHO, the interesting thing about EMGO is that they make some real quality parts, and the rest are absolute junk - unfortunately I know about a good many of those junk parts
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Messages
- 5,865
If you look at it , as a Oil pressure Switch , they come in differant pressures , so you could fit two or three ' T ' - s , and a half dozen differant pressure switches .
with a half dozen tail light bulbs , more would come on the more you paniked . Like a Mercury Cougar .
well , abrieviated version , perhaps . or just the Hydraulic pressure Switch , if your tight . With the big disc & or master cylinder , tho , it could pay to have a light pressure switch - for fingertip feather'd braking ,
with a brighter one or two , for when you get more dramatic in the stopping department . Thinking these L E D things inside a std lamp , or similar .
theyve beaten me to it !
With a old B M cable handlebar to underseat master cylinder , you could get multitudeinous easilly .
tho no doubt theres a variable Ohm set up switch ( Pressure / current ) out there somewhere .
with a half dozen tail light bulbs , more would come on the more you paniked . Like a Mercury Cougar .
well , abrieviated version , perhaps . or just the Hydraulic pressure Switch , if your tight . With the big disc & or master cylinder , tho , it could pay to have a light pressure switch - for fingertip feather'd braking ,
with a brighter one or two , for when you get more dramatic in the stopping department . Thinking these L E D things inside a std lamp , or similar .
theyve beaten me to it !
With a old B M cable handlebar to underseat master cylinder , you could get multitudeinous easilly .
tho no doubt theres a variable Ohm set up switch ( Pressure / current ) out there somewhere .
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2010
- Messages
- 5,865
dunno if it was just the turn signal walked out across the lenses , or the more segments came on the harder you braked . Or Both .
But , in modern traffic , a lightly feathered brake , activateing a visable stop light , with moderate brakeing operateing a highly visable brake light , and full brakeing operating a blinding brake light ,
might keep the toads of off your bumper . So worth investigateing the local Dick Smith stock ? .
- Joined
- May 7, 2005
- Messages
- 7,163
I had it bookmarked for future purchase, looks like I did the wrong one as Jaguar started with 3/8 UNF as per Commando but then went to 1/8 NPT.
Have 12v hot going into the switches and when hand lever is pulled no voltage is coming out of the switch. There is no fluid leakage or external damage of the switch. I pigtailed the wires at the switch going to the brake light and the brake light works, so it has to be an internal failure of the switch. I really do not know how the switches are assembled but would guess there is a rubber seal before the actual switch mechanism and when the brake lever is pulled the hydraulic pressure pushes the rubber seal against the switch and completes the circuit to the brake light. I think what happing is that the rubber seal is rupturing from the hydraulic pressure and therefore not pushing against the switch mechanism to complete the circuit and therefore no brake light.
Deets55
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,585
Could a air bubble up against the switch cause a problem? I think I would remove the switch and see if there is fluid pressure there and maybe put an air compressor blow gun on the switch opening to test it. Sorry if any of this has been brought up before.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2021
- Messages
- 70
I purchased two of these switches from SNG Barrett after suffering multiple failures on my car and bike. Both switches came with 1/8”-27 NPT unfortunately. However I ran a 3/8”-24 UNF-die down both of them and the threads look pretty decent. Both fitted now, time will tell.
