Hi all, I've got a problem (or so I think):

My e-brake light has been coming on intermittently, even though I don't use it, since I never park on hills.

If I move the e-brake lever around a little bit, the light disappears.

However, it started lighting up more than usual last week, so I decided to run a test.

I went into an empty parking lot, accelerated to 25 MPH in a straight line, then slowed down using the brake pedal. It took me about 3.5 seconds to come to a full stop.

I turned around and accelerated to 25 MPH in a straight line, then slowed down by using the e-brake without using the brake pedal. It didn't slow down at all, even when the e-brake lever is up all the way; it was as if the car was coasting, and I had to apply the brake pedal in order to get the car to stop.

(On a lighter note, at least I know that I shouldn't bank on the e-brake when trying to make a big emergency stop.)

Is there a possibility that the e-brake may be damaged beyond repair? And if so, how much does it usually cost to replace one?

Thanks in advance.

 

well, the first thing I would do is tighten the emergency brake cable and worry about the light later! If something happens (a line gets cut or blows out) you are totally screwed. Worry about the light later... sounds like the indicator is just mal-aligned or loose.

 

I had a problem with my e brake the other day.over nite ,the temp dropped below 0 and i guess there was moisture in the brake cable.so when i released the e brake the next morning,instead of the cable being released,it forced the entire cable housing out of the little clips that hold it to the top of the shaft tunnel.After that,everytime i was mdriving and the rear suspension compressed,there would be a hideous grinding sound,which was the cable hitting the driveshaft. Anyways, because of this,my e brake was usless till i stuck it back in the retaining clips.This,could be your problem.cya

 

Yeah, it sort of sounds like two different problems to me. The light would be coming on due to a loose connection or something at the switch that senses when you pull up on the handle. The lack of working emergency brakes can more than likely be fixed by tightening up the cable under the car. Oh, and I would never use the emergency brake to help me stop in an emergency situation. It'll just lock up the rear brakes and make the car difficult to control. On second thought, there is one situation when I would try it.... if the brake pedal didn't work!

 

Low brake fluid also makes the light come on.

 

Good point, '86... I had my brake light come on once; turned out the rear seal on my m/c ripped. I had barely any brake fluid in the m/c!! If I looked at the booster, where the m/c body met, there was a thin line of brake fluid running down the booster.

 

That thing in the middle of the console is not an "emergency" brake. It's a parking brake.

The light is lit by 2 things: a switch on the proprtioning valve, that operates when the pressure in the front half of the system is way different from the rear half (usually caused by a failure or lack of fluid); and a switch on the parking brake lever, which is apparently defective on your car. I'd take a look at the lever switch. Definitely adjust the cable until the lever will only pull up 4 or 5 clicks, then it might actually hold the car still (it'll never stop it though!)