Handbrake light coming on intermittently

[Andrew Prince]

I presume I have some kind of electrical gremlin. Symptom is my handbrake light comes on occasionally on my 80 - the handbrake is definitely not on (it only gets used at MOT time anyway) and the handbrake is working ok. When I drive off the handbrake light comes on but it goes off when stopped or in neutral. It usually goes off after 15 mins of driving but sometimes it just stays on...

Any ideas before I go trying to trace wires? I'm assuming that there's a sensor/switch on the handbrake to switch on the light when the handbrake is engaged and there may be a bad/dirty contact here? Curious that putting it in gear seems to set the light on but the shifter is near the handbrake lever after all, hence my theory of a wiring/contact issue.

I planned to get underneath today and have a butchers but the wet ground put me off

Cheers,

 

[Ecky Thump]

The switch is internal under the gaiter so you wont need to crawl underneath.

Mine did something similar some time ago and it had bent slightly out of shape. Easy to sort

Funnily enough at about the same time I couldn't take the key out when I had stopped. There is a microswitch on the gear lever that needs to be made when you are in park. This had also bent out of shape. Guess I must be too heavy handed.

 

[Andrew Prince]

Cheers, Les - sounds straight-forward
So you use your h/brake regularly then?

 

[Ecky Thump]

No. but I tuck all my cr@p down the side of it and it had bent the metal slightly

Isn't that where you are supposed to stow your CDs etc

 

[pugwash]

Had a brake warning light come on recently- turned out the fluid level in the brake resevoir was a teeny bit low- so it would flick on and off occasionally. try toppping up the brake fluid first- an easy fix!

 

[Andrew Prince]

Ah Jim - good suggestion I've just been out to fiddle with the switch and depressing it and no effect with the light. Could be the switch is u/s but that seems unlikely.
Was starting to wonder whether it wasn't a symptom of something worse...

So I'll have a look at the brake fluid - I really need to flush the system and replace the fluid at some point. One of those jobs for a "rainy" day

Chers,

 

[ignat]

Had a brake warning light come on recently- turned out the fluid level in the brake resevoir was a teeny bit low- so it would flick on and off occasionally. try toppping up the brake fluid first- an easy fix!

ditto on my 90!

 

[Chas]

Had a brake warning light come on recently- turned out the fluid level in the brake resevoir was a teeny bit low- so it would flick on and off occasionally. try toppping up the brake fluid first- an easy fix!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the 80's have a separate warning light for fluid level and handbrake? I'm sure mine does.
Chas

 

[Gary Mead]

Yes they do have 2 lights for the hand brake/brakes (red circle with a red P if i remember correctly?) and the other is a red circle with a red ! in it.

 

[Rob]

Andrew I had the exact same problem, topped up with some brake fluid and it went away. You should check the pads as low fluid means worn brake pads

 

[Andrew Prince]

Cheers, Rob - I'm sure that's the case My pads are quite worn, although a little bit of life left. I have a set of front & rear OEM pads waiting to go in, which should be a good thing after reading Paul's post about Mintex pads.

 

[4x4xfaz]

Ah Jim - good suggestion I've just been out to fiddle with the switch and depressing it and no effect with the light. Could be the switch is u/s but that seems unlikely.
Was starting to wonder whether it wasn't a symptom of something worse...

So I'll have a look at the brake fluid - I really need to flush the system and replace the fluid at some point. One of those jobs for a "rainy" day

Chers,

Draining and replacing the brake fluid is NOT a simple task on the 80s.... surely not one for a rainy day.

 

[Brett]

Draining and replacing the brake fluid is NOT a simple task on the 80s.... surely not one for a rainy day.

I can't understand why people find it difficult on the 80

As long as you bleed the LSPV & Master Cylinder as well as the calipers it shouldn't be a problem

I always use one of those litlle easy bleed thingys & it has always worked fine