Brake light on

[Wray-Wray]

ok 1987 mercury grand marquis stock lopo basicly........

my brake light was on...i kno that there is more then one reason it would b on....

ok i just put new brake shoes on my rear end....adjusted them up...and my brake light is still on.... any other things i could try 2 get it off....


thanx,

Wray-Wray

[ss_mini14]

do you have plenty of fluid in the reservior? is the parking brake pedal even slightly depressed? i hit mine whenever i get my clumsy spider legs in the car. the prportioning valve could be stuck also.

[gadget73]

did you blow a brake line in the back? that light is usually either the e-brake or a loss of pressure on one side or the other. The prop valve slams shut on the side thats leaking, and it trips the light. if no leaks, and the parking brake isn't the problem try bleeding the brakes. If you're not getting fluid out of the back or the front, slam the pedal real hard with a bleeder open and it should un-jam the valve.

[CheeseSteakJim]

If none of that works, try pulling the release for the parking brake lever while pulling the pedal up. Sometimes they don't want to return all the way up by themselves, and it might be down not enough to engage the brakes, but enough to turn the light on.

[86VickyLX]

depress the e-brake pedal and pull the release lever. Maybe the switch got stuck on somehow, and releasing the e-brake again will unstick it.

[87LongroofCP]

Check your rear e-brake cables also, make sure they're free, not rusted

[Wray-Wray]

ok i will p-lay wit it a little 2day my buddies coming over he can help me bleed the brakes.....im gunna make sure my cables are free'd up.... i was thinking could i have a bad wheel cylinder as well?

[gadget73]

if its leaky, possibly. It would have to leak a fair amount. The brake light only comes on when you hit the brake pedal if its a pressure problem. If its on constant, its more likely the emergency brake or the prop valve got stuck.

[Wray-Wray]

well i figured it was the wheel cyclinder because there was alot of grease like substance in the right rear drum im assuming(brake dust and fluid) like im not even sure how the hell that corner was even helping any @ all and the other side was bone dry(we used never cease to lube up the moving parts not grease so it couldn't b that)........i kno it was bone dry when my father and i put the pads in 2 years ago sence then i've had the same container of brake fluid in my trunk itz still half full as of yesterday so go figure there.....nobody else tops off fluids in my car but me...well my father once when we changed the water pump....but that was antifreeze and itz beside the point....my father said somthing like u gadget...he siad i would have a low brake pedol which i don't infact itz higher then ever b4...and i remember me having 2 slam on the brake pedol of my moms 84 ltd country squire wagon to free up something in the back brakes with my father im assuming it was the prop valve but then again that was when i was like 12 years old 've had 8 years to forget spacific's lol

[gadget73]

peek under the boots on the wheel cyl. If its wet. its leaky and needs to be replaced. . It could also be an axle seal, those will let gear fluid leak out and get all over the inside of the drum.

[Wray-Wray]

gadget....will i haft 2 pull off the backing plate 2 check the axle seal? and i will check the wheel cylinder this sat if i can find the time gurlfriends working in the moring i get both the kidz after working till 2:30am or later sat morning lol...fun fun!! then god knows what she'll have planned after that lol

[gadget73]

No, you can't pull the backing plate with the axle in place anyway. Pull the drum, you'll be able to see if its leaking oil. If it is, it'll be all over the inside of the drum, on the back side of the axle flange, and probably all over the backing plate as well. If you're not sure what it is, smell it. Gear oil smells and feels different than brake fluid does. Color won't tell you much, the inside of a drum brake assembly has enough crap in it to make anything gritty and black. Gear oil will be a lot more slippery than brake fluid though.

[Wray-Wray]

ok thanx for the tip!!!