e-brake light going on and off

[faral]

earlier this week i noticed my ebrake light went on even after releasing it. I noticed that if i brake hard, the light goes on, and when i move, it turns off. but now it just stays on, full time, rarely turning off (except on a fresh start).

a quick search here shows it might be low brake fluid. is there always a leak associated with low fluid, or does it just somehow "evaporate" away over time? i just had a 30k service done a couple months back...you'd think this would have been caught!

 

[CheeseHelmet]

You're most likely leaking fluid and as a result have some air in the lines. Find the leak, fix it, and bleed the whole system.

For the time being, check your fluid level and top it up if needed.

 

[DiS]

+1
like CheeseHelmet mentioned.

Does your brake pedal feel softer than usual? Check the cap and fluid level first. Sometimes the cap on the master brake cylinder may be loose, thus allowing air from the atmosphere to be sucked in, thus creating bubbles in the brake lines, thus throwing the brake light ON. If the fluid level is OK and the cap is tight, bleed the system.

Also might want to check the master cylinder booster for leaks. Without removing the brake lines from the master cylinder, unbolt the master cylinder from the brake booster by removing two (2) nuts that hold the master cylinder to the brake booster. Pull the master cylinder out of the brake booster. Nottice you will hear some hissing sound when you do this. All it means is that booster is being depressurized. Through the opening of the master cylinder booster, check for any visible wet spots. If spots are present, then your master cylinder is leaking fluid into the booster, which is not good. If the opening looks dry, then you're safe. Bolt the master cylinder back to the booster securely and pump the pedal few times to create the pressure in the booster.

In the next step its easier to have the car on the lift. Throw the car on the lift, pull the wheels off and inspect brake lines and brake calipers for brake fluid residue. It's highly unlikely for the brake calipers to sieze at 30k miles, but anything is possible. Have somebody pump the brakes 3-5 times while you're under the car, this way if there's an obvious leak in one of the lines, you'll see the fluid squirt out. Remove and replace accordingly. If you have rear drum brakes, remove the hub and inspect the brake cylinders by pulling on the rubber covers on both sides of the cylinders. If you see any wetness inside, then that brake cylinder went bad. Remove and replace.

Good luck.

 

[CTt3P5]

It may simply be that you need new pads. At least that was my case when the light came on. Until you can look at them though, def. top off the fluid.

 

[slavrenz]

It may simply be that you need new pads. At least that was my case when the light came on. Until you can look at them though, def. top off the fluid.

+1. I would do an overall review of your brake system (fluid level, pad wear, etc.) before you start disassembling things like the brake booster and master cylinder.

 

[Pauljp]

It may simply be that you need new pads. At least that was my case when the light came on. Until you can look at them though, def. top off the fluid.

That's what I would check also.
If your brake pads are worn, then the corresponding cylinder is pushed further out, thus taking more brake fluid and lowering the fluid in the reservoir.
That might explain why the light was going on and off while you were braking and accelerating.
The fluid in the reservoir was going back and forth.
I'm not saying that it isn't a leak or something else, but this would be the first simple thing that I would check.

 

[DiS]

That's what I would check also.
If your brake pads are worn, then the corresponding cylinder is pushed further out, thus taking more brake fluid and lowering the fluid in the reservoir.
That might explain why the light was going on and off while you were braking and accelerating.
The fluid in the reservoir was going back and forth.
I'm not saying that it isn't a leak or something else, but this would be the first simple thing that I would check.

that could be the case too, but if your pads are worn to the oblivion, the pad-low warning metal sensors would scrape against the rotor and you'd hear the squeek coming from the brakes. Inspecting the pads wouldn't hurt.

 

[CTt3P5]

Really? I dont mean that in a sarcastic manner btw. I've run my brake pads down to bare metal ( I currently have 100k on the factory replacement pads, put 90k on the factory originals, my car has 190k on it) and the light never came on. The only time it has come on is from my rear caliper leaking.. just topped off the fluid and it hasnt come back on since..

weird..

Yup...see the post below. My light came on one day out of the blue, I asked her and that's what I was told. Sure enough my fluid was low, so I topped it off and changed pads/rotors on all four corners (IIRC this was around 95K)....light hasn't come on since.

That's what I would check also.
If your brake pads are worn, then the corresponding cylinder is pushed further out, thus taking more brake fluid and lowering the fluid in the reservoir.
That might explain why the light was going on and off while you were braking and accelerating.
The fluid in the reservoir was going back and forth.
I'm not saying that it isn't a leak or something else, but this would be the first simple thing that I would check.

QFT....it could be a leak....but I know I'd kick myself in the ass if I pulled everything apart only to find I needed new pads. At your last service, did they happen to mention or even check the brake pads?

 

[CTt3P5]

that could be the case too, but if your pads are worn to the oblivion, the pad-low warning metal sensors would scrape against the rotor and you'd hear the squeek coming from the brakes. Inspecting the pads wouldn't hurt.

Mine were not squeaking....but I don't recall seeing the sensors on the pads when I took them off.

 

[DiS]

Mine were not squeaking....but I don't recall seeing the sensors on the pads when I took them off.

eh, mazda is getting THAT cheap, eh? Pardon my ignorance then, hehe

 

[CTt3P5]

lol.....to be honest I don't know if they were the OEM pads or not.

 

[faral]

thanks for all the feedback!!

I'll definitely check the fluid levels when I get home. how do you go about checking the lines? i've never done that before. do i jack up the car and follow hoses that come off the caliper?

the braking doesn't feel soft when i brake...it pretty much feels the same as it always has.

at my last service they said i have a fair amount of brake pad meat. i bought this car used at 95k miles, now i have 145k on it...never replaced the brakes yet.

i'm wondering if the place i'm bringing my car to is all that good. after this service, my car started getting this rattly/scrapy sound once in a while on a cold start (lasts about 1 second). and my CEL is on i think because of a bad catalytic converter...and now a possible leak, even though they were suppose to check my lines? ugh.

 

[faral]

does anyone know what kind of brake fluid the 2002 protege 5 uses?

 

[DiS]

does anyone know what kind of brake fluid the 2002 protege 5 uses?

DOT 3 brake fluid, I believe.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

eh, mazda is getting THAT cheap, eh? Pardon my ignorance then, hehe

Getting????????????(huh) They've been there for some time now, all of them for that matter and not just leaving a pad warning piece of metal off. More money, less everything.

 

[DiS]

Getting????????????(huh) They've been there for some time now, all of them for that matter and not just leaving a pad warning piece of metal off. More money, less everything.

Yea you got that right! After I bought my car in 2003, every car's price just went sky high. What happened to getting a brand new car with 3 miles on it for $13,100 including tax!!!?!?!!?!?

 

[CheeseHelmet]

DOT 3 brake fluid, I believe.

Yup, but you can also use DOT 4 if you completely flush the system.

 

[HKPRO5]

Sub Same thing is happening to me.

 

[faral]

So I took a look at the brake fluid reservoir...it's at least 1cm above the minimum line. I added some in anyway, just in case. I looked at where I usually park...there's some kinda oil smudge stain there. I guess it's my rear drivers side leaking. Crap.

Weird thing is if I sit there and pump my brakes...the light doesn't turn on. It's only when I press the brakes when I'm trying to slow down that it comes on. Blah

 

[faral]

mechanic said it's the caliper leaking. they suggest getting a brand new caliper. job total is estimated at $330. i'm a bit iffy about doing it on my own...but damn...$330?!