Extreme help needed ASAP

[whatusername]

If the fluid is low at all you have a leak somewhere. Brake fluid doesn't just disappear. Keep looking, find and repair the leak, then flush out the remaining fluid.

not 100% true hal as break pads wear lower and lower the calipers are closed more n more therefore the fluid gets lower compensating for the pad wear. which is y when u put new pads in and push the calipers back in place the brake fluid always leaks out the master cyl.(thats assuming during the life of those pads the owner had the common sense to check his fluids weekly) a good vehicle owner would check his fluids at least once a week minimum

 

[hat1018]

You're right, my bad.

 

[ProtoPower13]

So just go ahead and top off the fluid? Because there is a line right in the middle of the tank and that's where my level is at this point. Also need to replace the pads soon so should I just top it off now and double check whenever I replace the pads?

 

[whatusername]

if u can do the pads do it together if not just top it off to the full line and u should be alright

 

[Wagonbacker9]

fluid low is an indication of either worn parts or a leak. do NOT top off until you know which. Inspect your brake parts. Replace anything significantly worn.

 

[whatusername]

fluid low is an indication of either worn parts or a leak. do NOT top off until you know which. Inspect your brake parts. Replace anything significantly worn.

Seriously? lmfao ur gonna confuse the kid.. he already said his pads were low and need replacing He already said he dont see any leaks. I already said do them together if he can but if he cant $$$$$ recession and still has pad left he CAN top off the fluid and be ok (at least till his pads finish wearing out)... Reading is fundamental.
P.S im gunning for that title above ur avatar

 

[hornsfan10609]

Just top off the fluid, if the fluid level keeps dropping look for a leak but aside from flushing and replacing the fluid you will be fine adding a little fluid.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

Just top off the fluid, if the fluid level keeps dropping look for a leak but aside from flushing and replacing the fluid you will be fine adding a little fluid.

horrible advice...

 

[ProtoPower13]

Just an update for y'all. I'm sorry that everyone got so heated on this thread. We're all out to help each other so please breathe, I appreciate everyone's input. Anyways, I found out that my pads are basically completely shot. There are no leaks, I removed all 4 wheels and checked all lines and there are no leaks anywhere. So by the end of the month I will be replacing the rotors, pads and brake lines to insure this mishap doesn't have the chance to happen again.

 

[pcb]

Just for informational purposes, there is another condition that can turn on one or both brake warning lights.

There has been a couple of people that have noticed that under hard braking a brake light will come on and will stay on until the car has come to a stop then started going again.

If you have a caliper that isn't performing as good as it's supposed to, (semi-seized, bad rotors or pads, old brake fluid, air or other contamination in the fluid, etc.) and you hammer the brakes hard, the wheel on that caliper won't slow down as fast as the other wheels and the ABS head unit detects the difference and can turn on a brake warning light.

After coming to a stop then going again, all the wheels turn at the same RPM so after a few feet of travel the light goes out again.

The system is so sensitive that even a slight brake drag or a worn tire can set off the light.

It's actually a good way to tell if your brakes are all grabbing evenly and properly. (assuming of course that it's not low brake fluid sloshing around, tripping the light)

 

[Wagonbacker9]

If you have a caliper that isn't performing as good as it's supposed to, (semi-seized, bad rotors or pads, old brake fluid, air or other contamination in the fluid, etc.) and you hammer the brakes hard, the wheel on that caliper won't slow down as fast as the other wheels and the ABS head unit detects the difference and can turn on a brake warning light.

Only true if you're braking so hard that you're locking the brakes...

 

[pcb]

This guy has his light come on without locking the brakes:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123831314-braking-issue

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Glad to not have ABS on my car.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

This guy has his light come on without locking the brakes:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123831314-braking-issue

You're making a lot of logical leaps to get from one to the other, and ruling out a number of other possible causes without any diagnosis.

 

[pcb]

You're making a lot of logical leaps to get from one to the other, and ruling out a number of other possible causes without any diagnosis.

Yea, that's true,... and he never wrote back to say what fixed it, but if you're not leaking fluid and your reservoir is full then there can be other more subtle causes that turn on the lights.

There's another thread now with the same issue and both lights coming on.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123834025-ABS-and-Parking-Brake-On-(intermittent)

If the lights can come on from having a brake dragging or one tire worn more than the others or even the pressure on one tire being different, then I assume that the ABS system is really sensitive.

Some guys have fixed their light problem by changing their brake fluid (not just topping it up). The only way I can see that making sense is that there may have been a bubble in the system that was preventing a caliper from braking as hard as it should and the sensors picked it up ???

A brake dragging shouldn't slow down the RPM of that wheel unless it's actually skidding (as you mentioned earlier) but the sensors somehow pick up that difference and can turn on the light.

 

[ProtoPower13]

Hey pcb, I did reply to the cause of the problem. The pads had virtually nothin on them, I've already replaced two pads in my little spare time and seen the fluid level already go back up. So I decided that I'm going to upgrade everything to the stoptech kit.

 

[hornsfan10609]

The fluid level rose when you compressed the brake piston, it is still a good idea to flush the fluid.

 

[pcb]

Hey pcb, I did reply to the cause of the problem. The pads had virtually nothin on them, I've already replaced two pads in my little spare time and seen the fluid level already go back up. So I decided that I'm going to upgrade everything to the stoptech kit.

I was referring to the guy in the other thread. (maybe I'll PM him to find out if it's fixed and what it was).

His case may have been the ABS head unit doing something weird. Your case may well have been the fluid level rising from pad replacement. (as hornsfan10609 just mentioned).

You can set off the float switch in your reservoir with the fluid sloshing around from hard braking. With your fluid level higher now it helps prevent that.

P.S. I agree,... change your brake fluid, and don't forget your clutch cylinder if you've got a standard.

 

[ProtoPower13]

Hey pcb, thanks for the advice. Yeah here within a couple of months I'll be redoing the whole brake system including rotors, pads and lines so that's when I'll flush the lines. Thanks for all of y'alls help with my problem. So far after replacing just the pads, there has been no light. Fluid is full and car seems to be very perky when stopping.

 

[pcb]

Just an FYI,... those brake lines can be a royal PITA.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123829119-Stainless-Brake-Lines