Brake lights won't turn off and keys won't come out of ignition

nebulus703

New Member
Hey, guys. First time I've ever posted here and I'm hoping I can be a more active member here in the future.

But I'm having some trouble right now with my car. I was on my way outside after when leaving a friend's house so I could go home and get some sleep. On my way out I noticed that my brake lights were on. No other lights on my car were on, just the brake lights. I decided to see if I could start the car and at least make it home. Well the battery was dead... probably because of my brake lights being on the whole time.

The odd part is that my brake lights weren't on when I got out of my car hours earlier yet there they were, all lit up. Now my car is parked at the curb completely useless. I do have some jumper cables and I'm going to get my car jumped in the morning (since my friend was nice enough to let me crash at his place) but I need to know how I can fix this problem with my brake lights because if it keeps happening then I'll wind up in this situation again and again.

I've also been having a problem removing my key from the ignition. I've tried turning the steering wheel and that usually helps a little bit but it's still pretty difficult to pull out. I find that it's getting more and more difficult removing my keys from the ignition so I would also like to get that fixed as soon as possible.

My car is a 1995 Integra just in case you need that info.

Thanks for reading and I hope you guys can give me some advice on what to do. Please get back to me quickly if possible.
 

Tam4511

CI BOOST FIEND
for the brake lights, it might be a wire came loose and is touching other exposed wires..im not sure, youl just have to get back there and cehck it out

for the ignition, is ur steering wheel locked when it wont come out? you might need a new ignition cylinder
 

heykosal

Angkorian
Have you had a new key cut recently? I mean, the key that's stuck, is it new?

What happens is, a key and it's corresponding cylinder will wear together. If you try and stick a brand-new key, with perfect/sharp ridges and valleys, into a worn cylinder, you'll have problems.

All you can do is just yank it out and hope you don't break or chip something, or worse, pull the whole cylinder out(wouldn't happen I don't think)

There's a type of oil/grease that you can inject into the cylinder that will solve the problem, I can't remember what it's called.
One time we had a new key cut for a restaurant I used to work at and we had the same problem, called out a locksmith and he just took some pliers and yanked it out, pushed some grease in and voila!
 

ari_one

New Member
For the brake light, check the switch on the brake pedal, if it breaks the light will always be on.
 

nebulus703

New Member
I did find the problem to the brake light. I managed to find a way to temporarily take care of it so my battery won't die on me. I just have to wait for a certain part to get in before I can completely fix it.

As for my key getting stuck, no, it's not a new key. It's the same key I've always used. It's just recently started doing this but it's getting harder and harder to remove the key each time. I'm afraid that it's going to wind up stuck in there without me being able to remove it. The weird part is that I have no problem getting the key in and starting the car but the problem is only when I try to remove my key. How much do you think a new ignition cylinder will cost me? And is it easy to replace?
 

mirrorimg

Well-Known Member
nebulus703 said:
I did find the problem to the brake light. I managed to find a way to temporarily take care of it so my battery won't die on me. I just have to wait for a certain part to get in before I can completely fix it.

As for my key getting stuck, no, it's not a new key. It's the same key I've always used. It's just recently started doing this but it's getting harder and harder to remove the key each time. I'm afraid that it's going to wind up stuck in there without me being able to remove it. The weird part is that I have no problem getting the key in and starting the car but the problem is only when I try to remove my key. How much do you think a new ignition cylinder will cost me? And is it easy to replace?
Click to expand...
$100+ And you will have a different key for the ignition and the door/glovebox/trunk.

You would have to drill out the snap screws that hold it in. They are special screws that the heads break off of when they are tightened down, for security reasons. You would need new ones when you re-install.

You may be better off removing it, cleaning it out and lubing it up a bit, and seeing if its ok. It may be gummed up.
 


heykosal

Angkorian
I say try the "low tech" solution first and push some graphite into there.

And no, I don't mean stick a pencil in there:lol:

Go to your local parts store or home improvement store and ask for graphite grease for your lock cylinder/barrel or whatever it's called, they'll know what you're talking about.
 

nebulus703

New Member
I tried using my spare key for the car and it's really not much better. I've heard about using graphite before but I haven't ever used it. How would I go about using it? Would I just put it on my key and insert and remove it a few times or is there another method?
 

nebulus703

New Member
Yes, it is an automatic but it's not really an issue anymore. I used some graphite and it really did the trick. It's working a lot better now. Also, my brake light problem is now fixed. Thanks for getting back me and giving me advice.
 

StoobyMcDooby

New Member
the key, i dont know.

but for the brake lights,
either your 'stop switch' has gone bad, or the little plastic nub that is attached to pedal and is supposed to make contact with the switch, has broken.. Both items are very cheap, the switch can be had for <$20 from any parts store, the plastic nub is $3 from Acura...
Crawl under the dash and look at the pedal assemblies. Press the brake pedal with your hand a few times and you'll notice how when the pedal is in the dormant position, it makes contact with a switch. Press the pedal down and you'll see it release off the switch.
That's your stop light switch.

I've owned 3 hondas, 1 of them auto, other 2 manual. All three of them have had this problem. A very easy fix no doubt.
 
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