E-Brake Dash Light Staying On w/ebrake disengaged?

couple weeks back ebrake light on dash started flickering on & off while i was driving eventhough i released the ebrake. Checked to make sure it was released all the way. gradually problem got worse & now the light is just always on. is there a contact swith that needs replacement or what is the deal? is there a problem with my brakes, wiring or what? don't see any other symptoms. no squeeling brakes, no burning brake smell, ebrake still does it's job when parked. what's up?!

 

top off the brake fluid reservoir in the back drivers side section of the engine bay. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE FLUID TYPE ON THE CAP. i went to buy some brake fluid to fill mine and the guy there said oh ya, get dot 4, its basic brake fluid, so i did. well i opened it and went to pour it in and noticed on the cap and it said dot 3...and once opened brake fluid is opened it gets moisture in it and you cant save it. so make sure to check the top of the cap so you get the right stuff.

 

As the front brakes start to wear a little, the calipers require more and more fluid to engage the brakes. Toyota's built in warning of brake wear is a sensor that gets activated as the fluid level drops in the master cylinder reservoir to expose the sensor. Typically, you notice it first in mild sloshing around like cornering or braking.

 

You can mix DOT3 and DOT4 together, just not 5.

 

Good Lord,

DON'T just go adding brake fluid. It is low for a reason. Find out why. Especially if it was flickering, now it's on all the time.

Reasons?
-Leak
I.E - Busted brake line, wheel cylinder leaking inside the drum. Leaking into the brake booster.

-Worn Brakes.
I.E - Less brake pad = caliper retains more brake fluid.

 

You might need to adjust the e-brake cable. I had the same thing with my 02 DC. All I had to do was adjust some of the slack from the e-brake cable, it's straight forward just a threaded rod & a locking nut. The e-brake worked fine, but it needs to make contact with a switch that also turned on my DRLs. Hope this helps!

 

Prolly worn drums & shoes. Haven't changed them since I bought it about 2 years ago. Will try that first & get back to you fellas. Thanx.

 

Good advice. But probably don't need to be nervous about it. As noted, normal wear of the pads will produce a lower level in the reservoir. Depending on how far it was filled when the pads were new, it may be that you have 40% left on your pads and need to top the fluid off.

But it would be best to error on the side of caution and inspect the brakes. Pay close attention to the rear brake wheel cylinders. Those always seem to leak first.

 

X2

Dot 4 I believe has a higher boiling point but is totally compatible.

Dot 5 is a totally different product and will ruin the whole system.

 

Don't top off the fluid, just do the brakes. Mine warning light started coming on a couple months back and I finally had time to do the brakes two weeks ago. Problem solved.

 

what if the fluid...is actually low?

i had the light come on the same way as his, every now and then at first, then eventually it was on constantly. My brakes were done 7,000 miles before that, and all my driving on the 99 was just commuting, so it was very easy break wear. The brake fluid level was right at the top of the low fill line, so i filled it and what do you know, problem solved, light gone.



also my bad about the dot 3/dot 4. didnt know they were the same, just going off what the filler cap said.

 

Relax fellas. Fluid not low. Still not sure why light is on.

 

Not sure if this is the same on the 2.7L.....
This is ebrake adjustment procedure for 3.4L pull handle (in dash) ebrake.

http://www.lieblweb.com/ebrakeadjustment.html

This might give you some ideas of what to check.

 

my light on my 96 does the same thing and ive been wondering why also...and my brakes have been done recently my pads r still way strong...??? guess i will stay posted here

 

Did you check the light immediately after you checked the release? The springs may be weak and it just isn't releasing all the way. Also make sure theres no mud anywhere jamming anything up. I'm sure its something simple like that.

 

My 01 had an issue where the light would stay on after releasing the parking break but if you pushed the handle in the light would go off. Once you stopped pushing it would come back on. There is a pivot point in the parking break cable that is roughly under the driver's seat. It was rusty and I hit it with a little WD40 and worked it back and forth. It had been a periodic issue for a couple of years. Its been 3 years now with no issues. Good luck.

 

or just unplug the connector at the master cylinder. If the fluid level is correct and the light goes out when you unplug the connection then you have a bad sensor. Seen this a few times at the shop I work at. Most cars have two switches that turns the light on. One for the fluid level and one for the parking brake. That's been my experience anyhow.

 

I'll try that & see what happens. Thanx.

 

My 1999 has the same issue, but only upon cold startups. I Just unplugged the wire at the master and at the e brake itself, I hit it with some dielectric grease and then sprayed some lithium grease to all the moving parts under the truck. I also pulled the rubber plugs at the rear wheels to inspect the brake shoes and at 130000 miles they are good to go, I did the front pads at around 90000 I think. The brake fluid is "JUST" below full so I'll see if the grease helps in any way. Keep looking back to see what is up. Thanks. Kevin

 

Same issue on my 03. Seems 2 years in a row only in winter when it starts to get cold. Last winter i adjusted the e brake lever at the pivot point under the drivers side door. This seemed to help, I can't remember exactly but the lever is supposed to "click" something like 10-14 times when pulling to fully engage. Mine was a bit over that so seemed like the proble. Adjusted,and fixed. (this was after checking tje physical brakes).

This winter, started coming on right when it got cold again, sometimes would go off when running at normal operating temperature for an extended peroid of time, but then would come back on when it was sitting for a while. Checked fluid, and was just at min line. No leaks to speak of..... Topped off and lights went out.