hello,

today for some odd reason at start up brake light was on even though i put hand brake down.

i tried restrat but then same, after a while driving it was gone. then after i had to start car agin it came up again,??

of course i didn't leave it up .. it is wierd as if the sensor is wacked or something. what can it be??

thanks.

 

if the rear brakes arent still applied when you put the brakes down then it could be faulty ebrake cables, but more than likely check your brake fluid and see if its now, that usually is the problem.

 

You need new pads.
Brake light is on and 90% of the time is because the brake fluid is low because you probably need new pads. You need more brake fluid to push worn pad closer to the rotor, as you drive, it heats up the pad and the brake fluid, expanding the fluid causes the level of brake fluid to increase, turing off the brake light.

When you first start your car, do a couple of quick stops to heat up the fluid and pad and if the brake light goes away after that, you need new pads.

 

aww im sure its pads cuz i hear sqeeks.. which ones are good? i think that sounds right, because i tried w/ the ebrake and it does hold hard, so im guessing its the fluid then?

im gonna ck it now and let u guys know if fluid is low.. the car has been overnight and so everything is all cold ..



so after a while i drive and the car heats up and etc. and if light is away then its the pads?

well im gonna go and see right now and let u guys know.. thnak you very much.

 

ya it is a bit low, i cked.. so im guessing i should try refill and then go from there.

can i just buy any brand tahts dot ? or what is recommended?

thanks.

 

The factory recommended brake fluid is DOT-3. DOT-4 will work also. DO NOT use DOT-5 (silicone-based) brake fluid.

The best value going is probably Valvoline SynPower brake fluid. Works very well in our cars. Castrol GT-LMA is also a good choice.

Don't just refill. Flush out the old fluid that is in there and replace it with new when you do your pads. Over time, brake fluid accumulates moisture which can hurt brake performance and lead to corrosion also. So it a good idea to flush your brake fluid every 24 months or so.

 

can the light be malfunctioning? probably a dumb idea, but replace the bulb on the instrument panel before replacing anything expensive.

 

is it possible that i flush it myself?? if so how can? or can i turkey baster it out and add/refill type of thing?

or should i buy some, and then later on get some pads and flush it then again?


ya i cked it and the level is at the L ... i looked at the auto shop today and saw pyroil and valvoline synpower brake fluid.

thank you very much agin.

 

for best effect, I'd suggest getting new pads then bleeding the system to get new brake fluid in there, so after that you should have excellent braking.

 

Just refill it for now. When you put in new pads, you will have to take some out with a turkey baster or pump, because otherwise it would overflow when you push the pistons back.

Do the system flush when you do your pads. Search this forum and the Internet for instructions on flushing your brake fluid. People have written a lot about it. Or look at the Factory Service Manual, Haynes or Chilton's guides -- they will show you how.

Don't re-use old brake fluid.

 

ya search is disabled here.. hmm.. thanks for tip. tomorrow i will refill it and get some pads and monitor it, then when i have the pads i'll make sure the valvoline is in and not old ones.

thanks..

 

oh ya what aftermaker pads are decent?

axis??

 

I found this link for you by searching the Internet with Google. There were over 1,800 entries about flushing brake fluid!

http://popularmechanics.com/automoti..._system_flush/


Just use good quality pads from the auto parts store. Raybestos QuietStop are good. Bendix ceramic pads are good. Avoid the cheap stuff.

Good luck!

 

thanks, pics do a lot of good for a noobie. i read and i guess i'm gonna need a 2nd person to do that pressure (flush, bleed thing).

i just want to ask for a few pointers and tips.
-will any vinyl hose work? will the fish air line tubes work??
-so i just need 2 bleeder wrenches right?

i will go and jack car and take a look and go from there...thanks.. maybe ill take pics to locate the bleeder if i really can't.. but oh well ... happy holidays...

 

Any clear vinyl tubing of the right size will work. The important thing is that you can see the fluid coming out and that you get an airtight seal on the bleeder valve. I used 1/4" Tygon tubing such as you can get at the hardware store and it worked great.

You only need one wrench to open and close the bleeder valve. I believe a closed-end 10mm wrench is what you want.

The bleeder valve will be easy to identify once you are looking at the back of the brake caliper. It is towards the top and will have a little black rubber cover over the bleeder nipple. Just remove the rubber cover, put your wrench on there, then push on the tubing to get a good seal. It's not hard at all.

 

Ahh i see..

i keep thinking i need a ratchet for an odd reason, so i was a bit confused on the getting a good tight vinyl tubing. i will look for a 1/4" at home depot or something. so once bleeder is identify get the tubing on, then W/ OPEN WRENCH open it.

in the mean time i am honestly really curious how the fluid got so low. i do ck my fluids form time to time, and the last time everything was alright. im just gonna buy a small bottle and refill. so after opening it i can't reuse that fluid right? so its kinda waste? or is it okay?i read that the fluid kind of takes the water out of the air and thus thats why always use freshly UNOPENED brakefluid..

oh well thnk you..

 

oh ya.. btw .. the diy and stuffs i read didn't really say when the 2nd party should start to pump and then hold.

do i open valve and after a while tell the person to push and hold? or do i
open valve and after a while tell her to keep pumping and pushing (immediately as soon as it starts) ?

 

okay.. peeps.. so i picked up a bottle of that valvoline brake fluid (dot3 , dot4) and the bottle's content is clear, very diff't in color from my current brakefluid (which is kinda really light yellow). so i add about a few oz to make it back to par again. i drove it for a whole day and in traffic and the level is same.

is the mixture of BRAKE fluid bad?? could it really be my pads or somethign else?

i am thinking bout the axis deluxe for both the front and rear?

thanks..

 

Fishyman, this is not rocket science.

It is fine to mix brake fluid as long as it is DOT-3 or DOT-4. As fluid gets older it tends to darken. All this is normal.

To see how much brake pad thickness you have left, you've got to take off the wheels and inspect. A good time to do this is when you rotate your tires.

Just use good quality pads designed for street use. Avoid the cheapy ones. Avoid ones designed for racing -- they don't brake well until warmed up and they may not last that long.

Go look at a Haynes manual or Chilton's manual so you can see how to do the job. Or look at the 100's of articles on the web about brakes. Do some research so we don't have to answer every possible question you might have on the forums.

 

sorry for the noobness..

thanks for the help..

 

Glad I could help.

 

okay.. it has been 3 weeks and since changing and flushing the brake fluid to the max line, i noticed today on my routine check that the brake fluid has been lowered. is this normal? to me it seems like something is using up the fluid. i do hear noticeable minor squeeks and squeels during traffic. I also notice (whether it is my sensitivity or what not) that perhaps the master cylinder acting up? should i just change all my pads and go from there? or take it to a shop? thanks

please advise me. thanks..

 

Ok i had the same problem as you. My e-brake would be on sometimes, and other times it would go off. Then one day i got in the car and i started rolling and i heard grinding, like...metal to metal. And i was like ahhh ****, that aint good. So...i got some brake fluid, mine was nearly empty, put it in and for the past 2 days car hasnt squeeked or nothing. Im still gonna check the pads out and stuff.

 

i see, let me know how it is and if changing the pads is the solution. i notice a bit 'using up' of the fluid as the line dropped, so i am not sure what it is. i am noob and so any info is good .. thanks..

 

Did your brake light go off?

 

If The Car Goes Squeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk Um Change The Rotors Or Just Have Them Cut-up

 

yes the light did go off after topping off, but i just notice a very small drop. i am wondering what it could be, the pads, cylinder or what not. the car SQUEEKED before, but it only has that sound sometimes after i sprayed the squeek stop stuff..

i am guessing maybe new pads?? but also not sure if its just me or what not, but feel like master cylinder may be making sounds or what not.

 

yeah, my brake light went off too...ill pay close attention when i go home from work today, and check to see how much the brake fluid has been used.

 

mines took about a week - 3week since the fill up b4 i noticed a slight slight drop i will continue to monitor every few days...

good luck..

 

ur brake pads r gone or ur brake fluit is out. could be both or just one.

 

my fluid has been dropping and recnelty bout 3 weeks or so took it to a mech. said pads NOT IMMEDIATLEY need change. i was thinking of topping off w/ the valvooline syn brakefluid for the tiem being till in about 2 weeks or so to get all change. i will take pics and ask for ur guys help..

thansk.