Electricks leaked out of brake lights

My retired 97 XJ 4l aw4 came back from failing inspection yesterday with a report of no brake lights, no back up lights. My wife daily drives this heap so I was surprised she hadn't been pulled over or flattened by a semi tractor from this condition. All sockets are cold. I checked the grounds behind spare tire - all good. Checked the wires going to the high mount - all good. Checked fuses at the kick panel pass side - all good.

The backup lamps (which I could care less about) have always been slow to illuminate but I blamed the hacked in and chopped out aftermarket aux backup lamps for that. Now I suspect the NSS. So I'm looking at the NSS and the brake light switch under the dash as two possible culprits. I don't understand how the NSS can keep the brake lights from working after starting? I would also love quick and dirty instructions on removing the lower DS trim panel so I can get a good look at the brake light switch - which I would much rather replace than the NSS. Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks.


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Hmm, if only I had some cash to spare... and a need for a third jeep.

Removing the lower trim is easy - it's like four or five screws. Remove all the screws you can see on the piece you need to remove, then fiddle with it and it should pop out. IIRC it's held in with 2-3 clips at the top and pulls straight back horizontally toward the driver's seat. The NSS you can either clean out or get a new one for 100-150 in various places online, hopefully yours comes out easier than mine did, mine was frozen to the shift shaft and came out in 4 (or more?) pieces.

turn on the hazards, if they work then the shared ground is good

Thanks for the replies. I will pull the dash and bench test that switch first thing tomorrow.