What would cause my parking brake light to be on?

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Tommy VanNess

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Hi All,



Well, I am finally getting to the long list of things to do on the Sport Trac. Today was the water pump and fan clutch. So far things are ok, drove it around the block and no overheating problems. Haven't seen any leaks yet either. (all the wet stuff looks like it was from the replacement)



Anyway, the reason I posted was that the parking light on my dashboard has been on for about a week or two now. I am not sure what would cause it, but I put it in the Electrical category. I suspect something is shorting. As mentioned, my water pump has been leaking lately, I thought maybe some antifreeze got on the cable somehow. I have never dealt with the parking brake, but want to eventually get around to doing the front and rear brakes. It does not feel like the brake is applied at all, and I have stepped on it and released it a few times which didn't change the light at all.



Any ideas as to what would be causing this? I rarely use the brake, and it seems to shut off after the Trac is good and warmed up and been driving for 30 minutes or so.



Thanks,

Tommy
 
Brake system warning (Page 10)



Illumination after releasing the parking brake indicates low brake fluid level and the brake system should be inspected immediately.
Click to expand...

Worn brake pads?

 
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"But wait, there's more..." things that turn on that light. Check your brake fluid level first. If it's low and there's no leak in your brake lines then you've prolly got worn brakes. Aside from that there's a switch connected to the parking brake pedal mechanism that could be failed, sending a false signal. How many miles, and when's last time brakes were looked at?
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I will definitely check the fluid levels, and the pads. I checked the fluid roughly a month or so ago. I try to check all the fluids when changing the oil. (or anytime I am under the hood) Just out of curiosity, when depressing the parking brake, which brakes does it apply, front or rear?



The worn brakes may be the culprit as well. I put new front pads on it within the last 2 years. The rear brakes, it has been a while, although I have never done the rear brakes. They were done when I used to take the ST in for servicing.



Thanks for the tips guys. It is good to have a direction to go in.



Tommy
 
Parking brakes only rear. BTW, 2001-02 came equipped with rear drum brakes, 2003-05 rear disc.
 
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sometimes, the parking brake needs adjusted, and when released, the lever doesn't retract fully, triggering the light
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I did check the level and it was low. I filled it with dot 3, and when I started it, the light was off.



I still want to check it out. I suspect that I need to replace the pads as opposed to there being a leak somewhere. I have a 2001, and yep, drum brakes on the rear.



Thanks again for the heads up and input.



Tommy
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brake fluid...it heads my Top Three Fluids Most Neglected by Owners list. Runner-up is coolant, with transmission fluid in third place, just nosing out differential lube. Want the best of all of 'em? AMSOIL has all bases covered.
 
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I still want to check it out. I suspect that I need to replace the pads as opposed to there being a leak somewhere.
Click to expand...

Brake fluid level gradually gets lower as pads wear. Sounds like new pads are in your near future.
 
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The problem with adding fluid is now when you do the brakes and push the calipers back its going to make a mess of the fluid spilling over. UNLESS you open the bleeders and flush some fluid out and bled the brakes.



Not a bad time to do a 100% fluid flush



Todd Z
 
Agree that if there is no leak, the need to add fluid is an indication of (disk) pad wear. It is possible that the brakes were bleed and the fluid was not replaced and it took a while for the pads to wear enough for the level to be low. In this case, adding fluid would be correct.



Drum brakes don't hydraulically self adjust like disks do, and drum brake "self-adjusters" aren't the best. The resting fluid level should not be affected by shoe wear because the springs on drum brakes pull the shoes back to the resting position forcing the fluid back to the master cylinder (not the case with disk brakes).



After initial parking brake stretch, the cable should not need adjusting. If it seems as though it needs adjusting, adjust the shoes first and then check. If the cable is adjusted and didn't need it, and later new shoes are installed, there may be binding (shoe contact all the time) and the cable will have to be readjusted.
 
The Brake light is more than the parking brake light. As you saw, adding fluid turned it off. There is a level sensor in the fluid reservoir. You can duplicate the fault by unplugging it. That should pretty much tell you everything is OK now.



If you ran it below the bottom, you may have air in the system, but if the brakes are working properly, probably not.
 

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