MG Car Repair: short in brake lights, brake light switch, corroded

Question
79 Midget, tail light work, flashers work but no brake lights. Wires at the brake light switch get hot to the touch, I cut the wires off the brake light switch and connected the wires, still no brake lights and wires get hot to the touch. Where do I start here. Totally frustrated here.

Answer
Hi Bill.  I do not think you have a short in the brake light circuit, otherwise it would just blow fuse #3.

If the wires are getting hot, that is where you have a problem.  

For example, if the wires to the brake light switch get hot, this normally indicates that the terminals on the wires to the switch have corroded, in which case you need to cut them off and replace them.    

Before you replace the terminals, twist the bare wires together.  If the wires still get hot when you twist them together, then you have a problem with the wires themselves.  This is usually a layer of corrosion on the copper wires where the surface of each wire has oxidised.  If you scrape the black coating off with a sharp knife, you will find bright copper underneath.  Crimp new terminals onto the bright metal and the lights should then work.