HELP brake warning light

jurhip · 08-13-2002, 03:19 PM

I just bled all my brakes in the order that it should be done. The pedal basically seems like it did before but now my brake warning light is blinking (and yes the handbrake is down).

I can lock up all four tires so I am not sure what the warning switch is sensing. Can anybody help me get the thing to stop blinking. Thanks

(also, my PS fronmt caliper hasa two bleed screws just like the backs, but the DS only has one...what gives)

Justin

74 914 1.8l

John Rogers · 08-13-2002, 03:38 PM

If there is no reset button on the switch then there are a couple of possibilities. Check the wire going to the handbrake switch, i.e. unhook it and see if the flashing stops, if so then there is a short. Try another switch in the m/c and if that doesn't cure it, disconnect it, which is what I did as I could never find the cause of the problem. I figure I don't need a flashing light to tell me if the brake lever is up or the pedal is going soft? Good luck.

mejulihn · mejulihn's Garage

It is possible that when you bled the brakes the reset switch on the master cylinder was tripped. See if you can reset it.

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Just to make this perfectly clear:

The warning switch on most 914s stays set once it gets set. So when one circuit of the system loses pressure, the switch is set and it will not be reset even when everything is normal again.

In that case, you have to go find the reset button. It's on the swtich itself, which is screwed into the left side of the brake master cylinder. You may need to take the "gravel pan" off to find it the first time, but after that you can just turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and reach in and press it by feel.

In 99+% of the cases, this is what you need to do. In the other <1%, a wire has become disconnected or has broken.

--DD

John Rogers · 08-13-2002, 07:56 PM

Just to make this perfectly hazy: There are some switches that do not have a reset button, especially if the m/c was replaced with a rebuilt unit. When you look at the switch on the m/c there should be a little rod sticking out and that is what you have to push. You can just drop the rear of the gravel pan to get to it although this is usually a good time to remove the pan and clean out that area. Good luck.