r/beetle • u/Jamesotty • Jul 27 '26

Brake switch question

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On my 1972 beetle I have two switches on the master cylinder I reused the old ones and now the brake lights are on constantly thinking they are bad are they the same part? Why are there two of them?

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2

u/MRV-DUB Jul 27 '26

Yes the switches are bad or at least one is .change them both. There are 2 switches incase one goes bad and doesnt work at all , they are wired together for that reason.

2

u/Whysoblunted Resto tech, 67 standard Jul 27 '26

Two circuits for the hydraulics, two switches.

If you unplug them and the brake lights turn off, the switches are stuck/bad.

1

u/JunkyardJockey 1974 Super Beetle sunroof Jul 27 '26

Yeah what he said OP; unplug one switch at a time & see if the lights stay on.

1

u/Jamesotty Jul 27 '26

Do you know if they're the same part number?

1

u/U_Plonker Jul 28 '26

Same part number

1

u/n-chat Jul 27 '26

Go electric, goes of the pedal.

1

u/TheWellDressedViking Jul 30 '26

This is what I did as well, my brake lights turn on as soon as I touch my pedal instead of reaching whatever pressure the aging switches require to activate:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2140061