parking brake NIGHTMARE

I have a 95 Rivi and my parkng brake lights keeps coming on but my p-brake is not being used, could it be a bad sensor or something this is recking my brain and getting on my nerves while driving all I hear is DING DING DINGDING DING DING DING DINGDING DING......pleas if anyone can help thanks. Jimmy"da" Tullip

I'd check the brake fluid level. And I'd do it before driving the car again!

there is a sensor in the brake reservoir that will cause the light to go on and dinging. either the fluid is low, there is an air bubble on the sensor (happen to me when i bled them, but you can just tap on the resov until the bubble is gone) or the sensor has gone bad. if the sensor is bad then thats the first i've ever heard of that.

The service brake light or the parking brake light?

The service brake light, see Mr. Riviera's note and check lines/wheel cylinders.

The parking brake light, get on to the floor and look up at the mechanism at the top of the arm of the parking brake pedal. Something is stuck or broken. If the parking brake pedal is operating properly, look for a problem in the switch. I suspect the switch might be available from NAPA, but I've never had to buy one.

Albertj

I will check the fluid in the morning thanks

it was the freaking brake fluid.......low....ding dong...thanks everyone who gave me ideals

jimmytullip wrote:

it was the freaking brake fluid.......low....ding dong...thanks everyone who gave me ideals

now comes the fun part of figuring out why it was low.

I'd check my brak pads to see how low they are.

I'd check for leaks at the brake line connections.

Given age of your car I'd check for rust/pinholes on brake lines exposed on underside of caar (this is easy, under drivers side just behind the rocker panel, and trace 'em along. Any damp spots? You probly have a leak.

I'd check calipers - leaking? This can be tough to find because if they leak they have to fill the outer bore before they leak out the boot.

And oh by the way - you really need to do this soon. Brakes are most important system on the car.


Albertj

leaky calipers....suck!

Brake fluid can be 'low' if all of the pads are worn down. As the pads wear down, the pistons fill up, reducing the level of the reservoir. This is supposed to happen, and when you compress the pistons later (pad/rotor replacement), the fluid level comes back up. You can thus have low fluid with nothing 'wrong' except worn pads and rotors.

Another thing to look at is the break booster where the master cylinder connects to the firewall. If its wet time to get a new master cylinder for about $80. I just did it in my 95 riv.