parking brake light

[mikey99cobra]

Every time i start off hard or slow down really fast and even between shifts my parking break light comes on. anyone else have this problem, its my 99 cobra. i have a friend that has a 01 gt and his was doing the same thing then he got new brakes and his doesnt do it anymore. is the breaklight coming on a sign i need new brakes?? thanks for any help

 

[SVTHorsnake]

Originally posted by mikey99cobra
Every time i start off hard or slow down really fast and even between shifts my parking break light comes on. anyone else have this problem, its my 99 cobra. i have a friend that has a 01 gt and his was doing the same thing then he got new brakes and his doesnt do it anymore. is the breaklight coming on a sign i need new brakes?? thanks for any help

:dw:

wierd, good luck with that...

 

[mikep01]

check your brake fluid level its low.

 

[SVTHorsnake]

Originally posted by mikep01
check your brake fluid level its low.

wouldn't that be the ABS light?:shrug:

 

[mikey99cobra]

the light im seeing is the same light i see when i pull up my e-brake

 

[mikep01]

check your brake fluid.

 

[mikep01]

anything yet, currious?

 

[mikey99cobra]

im waiting for the snow and ice to melt. i have been stuck in my apartment for 3 days now. ill let yall know when i check it

 

[TXFLYME1]

I'll throw in that on my 96 Probe GT, I too had this exact problem and it turned out my fluid was low due to a bad caliper/leaking. Replaced under warranty thank goodness, but def check the fluid. Hope it quits snowing for you soon!

 

[IUP99snake]

Originally posted by mikep01
check your brake fluid.

The parking brake is cable-operated.

If i'm not mistaken, there is a pin-switch that is threaded through a bracket somewhere in the parking brake mechanism. All youll have to do is screw the pin-switch in a little bit more so it stays depressed a little bit longer.

or, try adjusting the parking brake cables under the car.

If all else fails... take the stupid bulb out.

-Homer

 

[mikey99cobra]

I feel stupid, i just read the owners manual yesterday and it siad when the parking break light comes on between shifts(which is what it is doing) then i need to check the brake fluid level and the braking system. im gonna dig my car out today and check it. thanks for all the help guys

 

[mikey99cobra]

ok, so i checked the brake fluid. It was not at the MAX part of bottle, say about an inch below that. should i add some? the bottle is not empty by no means. i have 38,000 miles on the cobra, should i go ahead and just change the brake fluid?

 

[SLOWBRA]

Yes..

Add it to the MAX line.. If it's looking filthy you should change it..

Mine was looking nasty after 8,000 miles of driving.. I changed it over to the new Synthetic Fluid and she is as good as new.

If it's an 1" down thats enough for the sensor to trip when you are hitting the gas.

 

[mikey99cobra]

i added brake fluid seemed to fix it. i was also out of washer fluid. i put a whole gallon in it. i thought that was weird that it would hold a gallon of washer fluid. thanks for all the help and info

 

[Venomous98Cobra]

Its weird...everytime I pull my e-brake the brake light comes on...j/k. Good that you found the problem.

 

[DamageInc]

I've been reading the reply's with interest as I had a similar problem with my brake light intermittently not illuminating when the parking brake was set. Sometimes it would illuminate for a second then go out, sometimes it would illuminate a couple seconds after the handle was pulled, sometimes not at all.

I knew from having a brake light switch go bad in my F-150 that the easiest place to start looking would be the parking brake light switch that is accessible by removing the center console storage bin that is held in with two screws. Sure enough if I wiggled the plunger shaft the light would flicker. I removed the switch and it looked fine except for some corrosion on the extremely cheap metal contact points. Even after cleaning the switch up it still didn't work consistently. Luckily the fix for this situation was an all time world record low-price of $4.82 for the switch. Oddly enougth, the switch design was changed in September of 2001, the changes were that the area where the plunger occupies when depressed with the brake on is now shrouded in plastic and the clip on the wire connector post is now in a horizontal position as opposed to mine that was in a vertical downward position as well as the plunger contact point with the metal frame being a smooth surface versus serrated. My car was built in August of 2001.

I know the manual say's that a flickering or otherwise irregular brake light display may be indicative of low brake fluid or some other braking system problem, I just don't see any system present on the master cylinder such as a brake fluid level sensor or otherwise. The ABS light is a seperate circuit and I'm not aware of any warning capability for worn brake pads either aside from metal to metal squealing.

Just my experience, and for $4.82 it was a breeze to fix and also gave me the incentive to dig into the dash to try to isolate a random buzzing noise that is triggered by the drone of my exhaust at certain rpm's. I removed the radio, A/C controls, and the bezel and now just need my girlfriend to ride along with me and try to isolate the noise to a certain rubbing spot, loose something or other.

The part number for the parking brake light switch is F58Z15A851A

The new switch is on the left in the pictures.

 

[DamageInc]

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