Volvo Repair: Brake Lights - 1987 240 DL, bulb failure, brake switch

Question
Hello there Roger. My 87 240DL has recently been giving me some problems with the brake lights. When I bought it from a university colleague all of the lights worked fine except the faulty brake indicator light would always illuminate - I confirmed that the lights were all working with the help of my father in law so I never really worried about it. This week, however, I was told that my brake lights were not working by an angry driver. Turns out that he was right so I checked all of the fuses and the bulbs and they are fine but there was no voltage reaching the bulbs when the brake pedal was being depressed. Could it be the faulty light relay or the brake pedal switch? I look forward to your response.

Thanks,
Dennis

Answer
Dennis, test for power at the brake switch.  If you have power on one side and then power on the other when you push the pedal down, then its okay.  The bulb failure unit is usually the culprit.  Its the red round relay under the steering column area.  Roger