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My brake light came on and I went to pep boys they flushed the brakes and the light went out then after 50 miles came on again
I went back and they checked for leaks pressure etc
said brakes were fine and it may be the emergency brake sensor
told me to access it they need to remove some of the interior and wouldn't do it for fear of damaging other parts on a classic car
said to take it to a corvette specialist
the brakes are working fine but I cant ignore the light its there for a reason any help would be appreciated
Try this: with the brake light on, push down a little on the ebrake handle and see if the light goes out. The switch on the ebrake might be out of adjustment.
Thanks Mike ill try that.
whats confusing is that when they flushed the brakes the light went out and for a few days it was okay then just came on
im also going to engage and the release the parking brake 10 or so times
someone also said to drive about 20 MPH and engage the parking brake slightly
is that okay ? sounds dangerous to me
There are three grounding paths for that light, which is energized but grounded through the fault paths (This is true in 1979 and 1980, so please check your own wiring diagram):
1. The ignition switch when the starter is running (this makes sure that the light bulb isn't burned out, and safety inspectors check for this function).
2. The incorrectly named "proportioning valve" switch below your master cylinder in the engine compartment.
3. The parking brake switch under the parking brake cable.
The problem won't be #1. #2 is easy to test, if you remove the wire from the proportioning valve when the light is lit, it should go out. This indicates an actual brake problem, which looks to be what they tried first. #3 is likely the problem they propose to check. As Easy Mike mentioned, you can adjust that switch, and hopefully that is all it is. You may only need to take off one side of the transmission tunnel trim. This thread has instructions for taking the armrest off if you need to go that far.
Craig I think your correct because when I pumped the brakes a few times the light went out then came back on would that happen if it was the emergency brake sensor ?
im stumped because they bled the brakes and it went out for a few days
after bringing it back they didn't find any leaks and the fluid was full ?
it stops fine but it worries me ill have to find a mechanic who has experience with older vettes
Thank You
Did you try disconnecting the wire to the "proportioning valve" after getting it to light by pumping the brakes? That will at least confirm that it is the brakes and not the parking brake.
If there is a leak, you'd notice that one reservoir was low in the master cylinder. I'm speculating a bit, but there may well be no leak at all an still have this symptom, just air in the correct amount in the correct part of the system. If the air is in the rear line before the split, I doubt you'd even notice during casual driving, as it wouldn't pull to the side, and your front brakes do enough of the work to still stop.
How did they bleed the brakes? You may be able to do a better job yourself with a Motive Pressure Bleeder and a few C-clamps.
Last edited by Bikespace; Jan 28, 2019 at 08:28 PM.
Also the Corvette brake system has a sequence to bleeding the calipers and each bleeder. Do you know if this was done?
I've been through enough of gallons of blake fluid to tell you. I've had this happen to me at least three times. This was always the symptom when my brake light came on. It was pretty soon (sometimes weeks) after bleeding the brakes that it would come back on.
Imo you should get yourself a Motive bleeder and bleed it yourself. Lack the knowledge? The people on this forum can walk you through it if need be.
ill check these options however do you think i can rule out the parking brake sensor only because when he flushed the system the light stayed off until about 50 miles
if it was the parking brake sensor wouldn't the light have stayed on ?
ill check these options however do you think i can rule out the parking brake sensor only because when he flushed the system the light stayed off until about 50 miles
if it was the parking brake sensor wouldn't the light have stayed on ?
Probably. You can be 80% sure it's the brakes, and not the parking brake. However, the Pep Boys folks, in addition to suggesting a Corvette specialist, wanted to test the parking brake hypothesis next. If I were to spend $100- on parts to do the job myself, plus several hours teaching myself how to bleed brakes, I'd want to be 100% sure that the problem is related to what I'm trying to fix.
With the light out, if you raise the parking brake and see the light, then lower it and the light goes off, you can be a bit more sure it's the brakes, especially if you can't (cannot) get the light to trigger just by wiggling the parking brake lever. If you CAN get the light to trigger by wiggling the parking brake lever, or if the light is always on, you have at least one problem, possibly two, and you'll need to disconnect the wire to the "proportioning valve" to be sure.
Last edited by Bikespace; Jan 29, 2019 at 07:02 PM.
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Brake Light on 1982 corvette
