E Brake Light is driving me crazy!

[trevmountain]

On my 82 Diesel Truck I have the fabled e brake light stuck on syndrome.

I've messed with the cable, the little switch by the foot brake that I believe is what is suppose to engage the light in the first place when the brake is pressed, also went through all the fuzes. Cannot figure it out.

I honestly don't care if I resolve the issue by getting it funtioning correctly although that would be ideal, I would be perfectly fine with just disconnecting it so I don't have to be blinded by the red light no more.

 

[919jackass]

check your e brake cables bet one is frozen, try running pb blaster down inside the cable and move it back and forth. it wont let the pedal go all the way up to hit the switch to turn the light off

 

[Fordum]

Bottom line is, when you press in the button on the switch that the E-brake pedal pushes in when it returns, does the light go out?

If so, then the pedal is not pushing it in far enough, and you need to figure out why.

If it does not go out, then you have an electrical problem, and can quit working on the linkage.

Some vehicles also use that light to indicate when the regular brake fluid is low, don't know about yours.

 

[readymix]

Isn't there a reset switch on the proportioning valve that can turnbthat light on?

 

[diesel4me]

It also indicates a failure in the brake system,when the proportioning valve senses a pressure difference between front and rear brakes...as well as when you left the e-brake on..

Must be a '82 diesel thing,because after bleeding all the lines both at the PV and wheels mulitple times,my 82 K2500 refuses to get that light to go off despite my repeated atempts ,and my brakes work perfectly,so I assume the PV is "stuck" ...and I'm not going to replace it either...

I took the "brake" bulb out of the cluster ,it now lives in the ash tray..........or I could have simply unplugged the brown wire at the PV to shut it off,then it'd still work when the e-brake is used (I never use it for fear it'll never release)..

Luckily the guy who inspects my truck didn't notice the lamp didn't light up with the key on and engine not running...he also knows it only gets driven about 500 miles a year,and I wouldn't use the truck if it was "unsafe"..

 

[dremu]

As mentioned above, here's a summary: on that truck, the light is driven by two things:

1. The switch on parking brake pedal. You can check this switch -- if you are a contortionist -- with an ohmmeter and make sure that it opens/closes when the pedal is up/down.

2. The combination valve has a sliding switch. If there's a pressure imbalance between the front and rear circuits, the slider goes one way or t'other, and the light pops on. You can see if this is your problem by unplugging the snap connector on top of the combination valve. If the light goes out when you do so, you have a hydraulic problem.

The combo valve is located on the crossmember below / in front of the fan. Follow the brake lines from the master cylinder squiggles down; it's a metal bar fitting maybe 4" long with lots of brake lines going in and out. There's usually a rubber cover over the reset button, which is a metal nub on the driver's side.

-- A

 

[919jackass]

have you had a chance to look at i yet.

 

[trevmountain]

Quality info guys, thanks.

Gonna check all this out in the morning and let ya know what we got.