bigpurp

Hey guys:

Took a corner a little too aggressively this morning, and the S spun out on me. Regained control (whew!), and later looked at my rear tires -- they are pretty worn (plus the road was wet). Anyway, now the red parking brake light (lower left of tach) is permanently ON. Anybody know a fix for this? Or do I have to take it to the dealer? I'd like to avoid that if I can, since I'm no longer under warranty. Thx.

turbo_pwr

You can pull the ECU fuse to reset the ECU, but I am not sure why of all things that would have come on. Are your brakes fine?

CoralDoc

That light is not just on when the parking brake is up, it also indicates low brake fluid level. I'd check that first and then make sure other elements of the braking system are functioning normally.

bigpurp

Thx fellas. I have a feeling that my brakes need to be checked out. I'm gonna take em to be looked at this weekend.

stingerbtry

Make sure that you check the brake fluid like he said though. The only time I have ever seen the light come on was for that in my wife's Montero and it was really really low when the light came on. Anymore and it would have let air in and needed re-bled. Brakes are pretty important and I would check at least the fluid ASAP, not wait. If your brakes feel fine than it is probably the fluid and you won't notice the difference until you feel what it's like to not have brakes Anyway, I would check it out soon if I were you.

bigpurp

stinger, I will check the fluid asap. If it's low, what do you recommend I replace with?

stingerbtry

From the maintenance manual:

"Use only DOT3 or DOT4 (We recommend Genuine Honda Brake Fluid). Check that brake fluid level is between the upper and lower marks on the reservoir. "

The under bleeding it says:

NOTE:s
1.Do not reuse the drained fluid.s

2.Use only clean Genuine Honda brake fluid or an equivalent DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid.s

3.Make sure no dirt or other foreign matter is allowed to contaminate the brake fluid.s

4.Do not spill brake fluid on the vehicle, it may damage the paint; if brake fluid does contact the paint, wash it off immediately with water.s

5.The reservoir on the master cylinder must be at the MAX (upper) level mark at the start of bleeding procedure and checked after bleeding each brake caliper. Add fluid as required.


The last time I put in DOT3. Really cheap stuff and 1 bottle will last you for a while unless you are doing a full fluid replacement/bleed which you are not at this time.

bigpurp

Thx Stinger. Much appreciated.

davepk

As your brake pads wear out and they become thinner the brake caliper pistons stick out further than before. This means there is more brake fluid in the caliper and less in the Master Cylinder. If the fluid level in the MC drops to a low enough level it will cause the Bake light to illuminate. Chances are this is what's happening to you. It means two things. One, you need to replace your brake pads. Two, do not add more fluid to the MC.

If you add fluid now, then when you go to change the pads later you'll need to take fluid out of the MC because you'll be pushing the pistons back into the caliper thus pushing that fluid back into the MC and overflowing an already full MC.

rworne

Considering the fact that you spun out, why don't you check for leaks in the brake lines. Yeah, it's improbable considering you didn't hit anything and your suspension seems fine. Check your brake pads first to avoid getting too dirty. If they are really worn, it could explain the light as well.

From my past experience, cars just don't "lose" large quantities of brake fluid for no reason.