Car Problems, I am scared...
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
From: Lexington Park Maryland
Car Problems, I am scared...
Ok so yesterday it was around 72 so I was running errands with the vette and the top off. So I headed to around 5 different shopping stores. About the 4th time in 30 Min that I turned my car on, the Traction control light came on and the DIC, said Warming up Traction control, and the Stereo stopped working (I put this stereo in about a week ago). The light finally went out and everything seemingly went back to normal. Is this a normal thing? Has never happened to me before. On another note this morning when I was sitting at a stop light (I always use the E Brake at stop lights), The e brake was applied and then all the sudden I heard a loud POP. I tested out the brake and it seems to be working normal, except it is quite a bit looser, any ideas?
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 718
Likes: 1
From: Riviera Beach FL
I would first check the condition of the battery and then check the grounds. See Bills sticky at the top of this forum.
The parking brake problem is fairly common. You may be able to tighten it up by pulling the handle up and releasing it several times.
The parking brake problem is fairly common. You may be able to tighten it up by pulling the handle up and releasing it several times.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 317
Likes: 0
From: Lexington Park Maryland
I dont know guess my foot gets tired, always have used it. Is the E brake something that wears with time? A lot of 4 minute stop lights between my house and my office.
oh, meant stop lights.
oh, meant stop lights.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 4,933
Likes: 30
From: San Rafael CA
It said ACTIVE HANDLING - WARMING UP .... not Traction Control. They are two different systems. Active Handling (AH) depends on input from the Steering Wheel Position Sensor (SWPS). When you first start the car, the computer that controls various brake functions "calibrates" the SWPS, if it cannot accomplish this calibration within a set period of time, the computer warns you that AH is not available (WARMING UP). Once the computer is able to accomplish the calibration, you will see a WARM UP COMPLETE message, and the TC/AH warning lamp will go out.
Why your radio went out .... only you know how you wired it ...
The parking brake .... it is a mechanical linkage from the handle to the brake shoes in the rear drum parking brake (it does not use the hydraulic disc brakes). If you heard something pop and it seems "looser" I'd check to see if a spring in the drum system came loose, or the cable came off one side of the system. Again it is entirely mechanical, so follow along under the car and see what part(s) are no longer moving when someone moves the brake handle. My guess is the spring in one of the brakes came loose.
Why your radio went out .... only you know how you wired it ...
The parking brake .... it is a mechanical linkage from the handle to the brake shoes in the rear drum parking brake (it does not use the hydraulic disc brakes). If you heard something pop and it seems "looser" I'd check to see if a spring in the drum system came loose, or the cable came off one side of the system. Again it is entirely mechanical, so follow along under the car and see what part(s) are no longer moving when someone moves the brake handle. My guess is the spring in one of the brakes came loose.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 15
From: Jensen Beach FL
I used to yank my e-brake up hard and every once in a while I would hear a pop. I now just pull it up slow and hard (stop laughing) and have never heard it doing it this way. BTW I just take mine out of gear at a traffic light and use the foot brake unless I have stopped very hard then I use the e-brake. I have a theory that applying the brakes after a hard stop when the rotors and pads are hot causes rotor warpage. May not be true but I have not had any warpage on my manual trans cars. I do this on my FC automatic car also. I take it out of Drive and use the e-brake after a hard stop. The wife doesn't however and her cars sometimes do experience warpage.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,063
Likes: 9,827
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I used to yank my e-brake up hard and every once in a while I would hear a pop. I now just pull it up slow and hard (stop laughing) and have never heard it doing it this way. BTW I just take mine out of gear at a traffic light and use the foot brake unless I have stopped very hard then I use the e-brake. I have a theory that applying the brakes after a hard stop when the rotors and pads are hot causes rotor warpage. May not be true but I have not had any warpage on my manual trans cars. I do this on my FC automatic car also. I take it out of Drive and use the e-brake after a hard stop. The wife doesn't however and her cars sometimes do experience warpage.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 15
From: Jensen Beach FL
Hate to spoil your dream but applying the e-brake when the rotors are hot is probably going to cause more problems than using the regular brakes. Besides on the street you just aren't making that hard of a stop. Stopping hard from 60 or 70 mph once isn't going to generate that much heat. Now doing that 5 or 10 times over the course of 3 or 4 minutes or braking while going down a mountain will build up some heat.
Bill
Bill
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 218
Likes: 1
I've been drivng for about 30 years but seem to remember being taught that the parking brake and emergency brake are the same thing. Its used when a manual car is parked, when an auto is parked on a hill, or to stop the car in the case that the power brakes fail. It should not be used in place of the regular brakes for normal driving. Thought everyone knew this.