Installing NC Third Brake Light Pulser

by Joanne Heckmann

There are numerous third brake light flasher units out there. Problem is, they may not be legal. Then there is the Pulse (www.pulseprotects.com), which pulses the brake light (it never goes completely off) and is claimed to be legal in all 50 states... but it can only be installed by a dealer at a cost of about $300.

Finally, I found the Mr Brakesafe on eBay. The demo video on YouTube shows it working in an NB Miata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU1fU1NWRlQ. The price was only $17. I found the seller very responsive, the item was shipped First Class Mail and arrived in four days. I installed it that evening.

The instructions are simple: use the supplied Posi-Tap to connect to ground; cut the positive wire; yellow wire connects to the brake light side of the cut wire, red wire to the harness side.

Remove the back trunk panel. There are six buttons, just pull out the center and pull out the button.

Follow the harness from the third brake light past the white connector. The black wire with yellow stripe is the positive wire that needs to be cut. To give yourself more room, use an Xacto knife to slice off the black tape wrapped around the wires near the connector (arrow).

Due to the size difference between the wiring harness wires and the Mr Brakesafe wires, I chose to solder the connections. The trunk is a bit awkward to work in. Lay something down under the wires to catch any solder bits, and be careful not to burn other wires with the solder point.

A "third hand" makes this job much easier. Strip the wire ends about 1/4 inch, twist and tin with solder. Remember to slip a piece of heat shrink tubing onto the wire at this point.

Use the third hand to position the tinned wire ends parallel and touching. Solder.

Connect the larger end of the Posi-Tap to the harness black wire. Unscrew the smaller end, insert the black wire from the Mr Brakesafe, and tighten.

Test. Position the heat shrink and shrink with a hair dryer. Use several small tie-wraps to secure the wires. Replace the panel. Done!

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Mr Brakesafe, just a happy customer.