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Handbrake acting up??

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Old 10-25-2009, 04:49 PM
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Handbrake acting up??

Hi i have 05' 6spd mt and I just took her to the gas station to fill her up and when I pulled out of the driveway of my house onto the road and started shifting, I noticed the handbrake light would come on and off even tho the handbrake was down. It would come and go I noticed. At the stoplight, I pulled the handbrake up and down to make sure it was down properly. But the light still came and went. I do know that I have not driven the car for over a week because I was out of town....

Any thoughts??
Old 10-25-2009, 05:13 PM
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I would first inspect the e-brake switch for anything unusual (no comments needed on my dirty center console ):
Handbrake acting up??-e-brake-switch.jpg
Old 10-25-2009, 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon316G
I would first inspect the e-brake switch for anything unusual
+1 See attached file
Attached Thumbnails Handbrake acting up??-pb.jpg  
Old 10-25-2009, 05:22 PM
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Originally Posted by expo1
+1 See attached file
Thanx, ill go try the inspection out! Curious but do we do this with car on or off??

And also, I was at the stoplight and I slammed the gas in first and right before i was about to hit redline, i saw the handbrake light come on and then go off.
Old 10-25-2009, 05:26 PM
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Have you checked the fluid level?
Old 10-25-2009, 05:33 PM
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Ok I just did the inspection and if I'm hearing the right "clicks," then I should be good.

And no, I forgot about the fluid lol I actually never checked that before so where would it be exactly??


I think I'll take her for a test run in a bit to see if the problem still exists
Old 10-25-2009, 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by skhmund
And no, I forgot about the fluid lol I actually never checked that before so where would it be exactly??
Better start RTFM buddy
Handbrake acting up??-brake-fluid.jpg
Old 10-25-2009, 05:49 PM
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And one way to find out if the e-brake switch is the culprit or not is to remove it from the equation.
Way to do this is simply disconnect the wire harness to the switch and take a single piece of wire and jump it between the two terminals (on the wire harness, not the switch).
The switch is N/O (normally open) so by jumping the wire, the PCM will think the e-brake handle is always down even if its not.
If the brake light doesn't return, then you know where to focus your attention.
Old 10-25-2009, 06:05 PM
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TX

Originally Posted by Jon316G
And one way to find out if the e-brake switch is the culprit or not is to remove it from the equation.
Way to do this is simply disconnect the wire harness to the switch and take a single piece of wire and jump it between the two terminals (on the wire harness, not the switch).
The switch is N/O (normally open) so by jumping the wire, the PCM will think the e-brake handle is always down even if its not.
If the brake light doesn't return, then you know where to focus your attention.
Alot to take in, but thank you for the info, well appreciated. I just came back from driving her. I redlined her a couple times, no light, drove her like normal n still no light. I am no mechanic or auto junkie, but I can only conclude that it was a result of me not driving her for over a week. She just sat in the garage while I was away. If the problem returns, then I shall know what to do.

btw, driving BAREFOOT is so much fun. I didn't wanna put on sneakers just to go drive her down the hwy n back so i just went barefoot. I noticed I shift alot better barefoot. I wonder if it is illegal to do that here in TX....
Old 10-25-2009, 08:25 PM
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look at the threads around shoes for driving. going barefoot is NOT the best thing to do.
Old 10-26-2009, 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by laythor
look at the threads around shoes for driving. going barefoot is NOT the best thing to do.
I'm pretty sure you're right about that haha I've noticed if I wear my nike shox that are more narrow n long vs my other sneakers, i shift better.
Old 10-26-2009, 09:32 AM
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Always good to check the hydraulic fluid level, but the e-brake is a mechanical link, as in when you lose everything else, you still have [non-power assisted] emergency [rear wheel] braking.

Originally Posted by Jon316G
Have you checked the fluid level?
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