Parking brake light

[H.D. HUMPERDINK]

Recently my parking brake light came on and stayed on. I thought it might be because my brake fluid was low or something so I check everything out and nothing was wrong that I could see. Then I looked at the pedal and realized that the pedal was hanging and not making contact with the sensor that turns the light off. I was wondering if there is a way to adjust either one so that the light turns off.
Thanks Nick

 

[projectSHO89]

Unplug the single wire terminal from the switch on the parking brake mechanism.

Steve

 

[rangerj]

Humperdink,

Ah Steve, I hate to do this but I have to respectfully disagree . Disconnecting the hot wire from the switch will turn the brake light off, but it will not solve the problem.

****, check your emergency brake cables. They may not be fully releasing, and not allowing your emergency brake pedal to return to its full up position, and thus not making "contact".

The other possibility is the return spring on the pedal. It could be weak or broken. There could also be something interferring(sp) with the pedal, such as corrosion or a foreign object.

If all you want is for the light to go out, follow Steve's advice.
And Steve, there is no hidden meaning in that last sentence. It just came out that way! shrug
rangerj

 

[Bizzy]

I agree with Ranger. At one point in time I had a rubber band that spanned the gap between the pedal (looped it under) and the parking brake release handle. It held the pedal up enough where the light didn't come back on. This is a temporary fix to make the light go out.

When I had my problem the parking brake cables were replaced (not because they needed to be, stupid shop cut them off to get the calipers off) and I haven't had any problems since they were replaced. In retrospect, I could have adjusted the cables underneath the car and solved the problem, but the shop who did the last work on my car solved that problem for me.

On a side note, never again will my car go to a shop to have brake work.... The look on my face must have been horrible when I pushed down on the pedal only to find I had no parking brakes. Funny how they didn't tell me about that little detail.... madflame

<small>[ January 09, 2004, 09:04 AM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[projectSHO89]

Heh!

That was a tongue-in-cheek response! lol

Seriously, fix it.

Steve

 

[rangerj]

Steve,

I figured as much, but I could not resist. evil_gri As Lou Costello would say, "I'm a bad boy". PS You and I are old enough to get that!

Bizzy,

The mechanic who cut the emergency brake cables should have paid to replace them. Then, the SOB should have been prosecuted for knowingly letting the car leave the shop in an unsafe condition, and for fraud. Thats the kind of stuff that really makes my blood boil. rant rangerj

 

[H.D. HUMPERDINK]

It seems that the spring must be weak, because the pedal just kinda hangs there. I can lift it up with my hand, but as soon as I let it go it just falls back down. Well, I guess its time to do some ghetto rigging