Is your brake light on? But no brake? look here.

[ktmrider530]

Hey guys, well recently i was asked a very simple question. "Hey Josh, the brake light on my dash is on like my park brake is set, but it's not set. What's up?"

Well, unfortunately car companies also use the "park" light as a warning.

See, in more modern vehicles they have dual master cylinders (heart of breaking system) So, if one fails you can still stop.

So, if your light is on. But your brake is not set, you have a pressure leak in one of your master cylinders.

Bring it to a shop, they should be able to repair it for under $100.

You may ask "well, i can still stop, so why do i need it?"
And the answer is: Simply, if one of you master cylinders already failed, the other may be coming up soon. And if that happens you loose all your breaks. Bad deal.

So, trust me when i say it's worth it to get it repaired.

Sorry if this doesn't interest anyone. Just a random post.
Thanks.

[Omniscient]

This is good stuff to know. It might save someones life even. I just had my brake pads changed last week on my minivan.

[ktmrider530]

It is very good to know. Because believe it or not, many people can't tell when a master cylinder is out. Especially on smaller cars. A good tip is that if your brake light comes on, It may be your park break. But if when you press the break it takes longer to respond and goes further to the floor, have it pressure checked.

Also, this could save a lot in insurance costs. Say, if you rear end someone. Up goes the insurance.

[majordave]

Yes, good to know.

[Heli0s]

My break light has been on and off for the past 3 months in my 1993 Honda Accord. I thought it was just an electrical problem, but sounds like it's waaay more serious.

[ktmrider530]

My break light has been on and off for the past 3 months in my 1993 Honda Accord. I thought it was just an electrical problem, but sounds like it's waaay more serious.

It's almost never an electrical problem. but this isn't to much to repair.

[Juggalo-Lee]

i had a firebird that lost the braking ability.... at first it was just the parking brake... so i took the back wheels off and looked for the E-Brake line... sure enough it was disconnected... i reconnected... it was grabbing now but not locking.. so i drove around the block and on approach of the stop sign i noticed that my braked had totally failed so i had turn a right turn at over 25 miles an hour needless to say the neighbor lost her mailbox but i got it stopped popped the hood... when i grabbed the master cylinder i could feel it was wet with steering fluid... so i manually popped off each line to look at it knowing it wouldnt hurt it i already lost breaks... so i checked the lines and as much as i could get to the lines looked fine... but then i found a pinprick in one and fluid was leaking out while air was seeping in... well i replaced the line by jacking the car up on 4 jack stands... and pulling the entire length of the brake line out... if youve been under your car and inspected it before you will notice that you can see where the lines run... so i changed the line fed it back to the master cylinder... plugged all lines up.. topped it with fluid then took my tires off and blead the brakes (getting the air out of the lines) and my brakes felt like i could stop on a dime at 40 mph i mean there were hella tight... so you can fix your own brakes and you can even replace a master cylinder yourself.. you just need to buy the parts its not that hard you just have to have a little common knowledge

[ktmrider530]

i had a firebird that lost the braking ability.... at first it was just the parking brake... so i took the back wheels off and looked for the E-Brake line... sure enough it was disconnected... i reconnected... it was grabbing now but not locking.. so i drove around the block and on approach of the stop sign i noticed that my braked had totally failed so i had turn a right turn at over 25 miles an hour needless to say the neighbor lost her mailbox but i got it stopped popped the hood... when i grabbed the master cylinder i could feel it was wet with steering fluid... so i manually popped off each line to look at it knowing it wouldnt hurt it i already lost breaks... so i checked the lines and as much as i could get to the lines looked fine... but then i found a pinprick in one and fluid was leaking out while air was seeping in... well i replaced the line by jacking the car up on 4 jack stands... and pulling the entire length of the brake line out... if youve been under your car and inspected it before you will notice that you can see where the lines run... so i changed the line fed it back to the master cylinder... plugged all lines up.. topped it with fluid then took my tires off and blead the brakes (getting the air out of the lines) and my brakes felt like i could stop on a dime at 40 mph i mean there were hella tight... so you can fix your own brakes and you can even replace a master cylinder yourself.. you just need to buy the parts its not that hard you just have to have a little common knowledge

I didn't say you couldn't. Everything on your vehicle can be changed with a little effort.