Brake mod didn't work on my 04 MCS -ideas?
 

Brake mod didn't work on my 04 MCS -ideas? Got the cathodes from Radio Shack. Followed instructions on thread. Silver marked band on cathode side to number 1 and other side to number 4. Viola...no upper brake light. Does the mod work on only some builds?

You may have mistyped, but you need diodes, not cathodes for this project. Otherwise I can't can't think of why it not's working.

I was assisting Drsms22 on this mod and everything went in normal. We used Diodes and it just didn't work. :sad:

Try it without the Diodes. I use solid coper 14 gauge wires around 2 inches long and slip it in where the wires enter the connector. I never saw the need for the diodes and mine has been fine for almost three years now.

I know you had two pairs of eyes looking at this but you probably still did something incorrectly.

Take a deep breath. Don't have a beer and look at it again.

Rich

Interesting Idea Wolf. I will get with Drsms22 and see if we can give it another go.:smile:

I'm not familiar with the '04 brake light arrangement as I had an '02 and now an '05 MCS. If the rear foglamps are integrated into the rear brake lamp assembly and you want to activate them, then you will need to use diodes. If you're just trying to get the upper bulbs to light when the brakes are applied a simple wire jumper as suggested above should do the job. On my '02 I used a straightened jumbo paperclip as the jumper which worked fine, although a piece of wire would be better as a paperclip isn't designed to carry current. When I activated the rear fogs I replaced the paperclips with diodes and all worked fine.

We used the instruction by a fellow great MINI owner:smile:

http://www.littlemini.us/technical/brakemod/index.asp

It might of been my fault. I only tried one side and one of the 2 diodes. Something in that one diode or side of the car might be to blame. Not sure.

Hmmm. I used a paperclip and two light sabers on mine.

Well. I think each side works independently, as the mod is done it should work, you don't need both sides modded the same for you to see something.

Maybe a diode is bad or not working, try another or test it.

Could the wiring be different? You can try the wires in slightly different connections- does it work?

Let us know if it does work.:grin:

I did the brake light mod on my 04 MCS. I used a different how-to (I think) than you did. It was through a link I ran into here on NAM - I'm guessing, but I think was posted by Octane Guy.

Anyway, I also had a bit of trouble with the mod, but finally got it to work. :thumbsup: Fortunately I purchased 2 sets of the diodes from Radio Shack at the same time so I didn't lose much time(I don't have to actual part numbers handy but I can post them if you need them. Just say the word.).
The first thing I think I did wrong was to bend the end wires with a pair of needlenose pliers. I may have pulled the wires lose from the diode in doing so. The second time through, I simply bent them with my fingers. worked fine.

However, I think real key to my success was as follows. The places were you poke the two wires wires into are not actually designed as connectors. You are simply jamming the wires in beside the actual connector and making contact with the outside of it. When I poked the wires into the holes the fit was sloppy and lose, AND THE LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK :mad: . To remedy this, I spent a few minutes with the needlenose pliers and bent the ends of the wires into a shape that resembled a tiny "P" trap like is under you sink, but much flatter than that. The whole idea was to make a sort of spring that would wedge tight against the actual connector. It took a few tries to get the bends to produce just the right tension to wedge in tight, but in the end it worked really well. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

The instuctions I read said to use a little zip tie to hold the diode in place. I did this, but the way I wedged the wires in held everything in place just fine.

It IS a simple mod but I can attest to fact that it is not fool-proof. I would suggest getting some more diodes and giving it another go. Let me know if I can offer any more suggestions. Good luck.


Edit: I checked, and I did use the same instructions you did. BTW Radio Shack Epoxy Rectifier Diodes - part no. 276-1141

Sorry, I meant diodes and thanks for all the help.
 

Sorry, I meant diodes and thanks for all the help. Yeah. Mdsbrain was helping me out. Maybe it was the diodes or the contacts or whatever. Will try again. Thanks for all the suggestions. Steve

Here is another one:

http://www.smokymountainmini.org/techtips/tip2.htm

i"ve done 8 or 9 mini"s with diodes &paper clips. either
way worked great. just make sure that the ends that
are inserted have a slight (s) shape to them to hold
them firm in the 1&4 slots
doug

If you try and try again with no luck using diodes or even wire, remove the lampholders and double check to make sure the bulbs are installed. Perhaps they were left out for some reason. Wouldnt be the first time!

It is important that the correct diode is used and that the stripe is on the correct side of the connection. Here is Octane Guy’s instructions (scroll down) http://www.littlemini.us/technical/brakemod/index.asp

And here are some additional photos that I took of my installation using Octane Guy’s instructions. http://www.northamericanmotoring.co...brake+light+mod

The littlemini.us link didn't work just now for me, so I'm posting this link http://www.3forces.com/mini/technica...emod/index.asp

When I did mine, the driver's side install was flawless, but the passenger side didn't work when I first did it. As a couple of other posts have mentioned, I had to verify that the wires were actually making contact ended up bending the wire a bit. Works fine now for me.

P.S. the diodes cost me $1.39 (inflation rears its dirty head):eek:

I'm trying to PM you back and it says your box is full.

Occasionally my site host likes to cause havoc for me by taking the servers off line! The alternate URL provided here is fine, though not consistently updated since it's where I hosted my articles before going to my outside host. The 3forces.com URL is hosted off a little PC on DSL! :lol:

Anyhow, feel free to PM me if anyone has any problems. I've done a few 04's without any problems.

Richard