FrigginFasho
New Member
I had the same problem, that's how I solved it. Really non-technical way of doing it, but whatever works.
My damn e-brake light keeps turning on and off!!!
- Thread starter bu_bomb420
- Start date
stallion
New Member
try washing, drying and reinserting the reservoir filter first.
I had this very same issue on my '94 Integra RS that I purchased 2 months ago. e-brake light would remain on after a cold start then flicker for a few minutes until it slowly faded off. I looked at that PDF link above, but I couldn't find the master cylinder reservoir filter anywhere, not even the Acura or Honda dealership, parts stores or anywhere online or even ebay. The dealerships said I had to buy the entire master cylinder even if I wanted just the filter! I was like, "Uh, hell no." So I just removed the filter I already had and washed it off with tap water and used a blow dryer to thoroughly dry it in like 2-3 minutes then put it back in the reservoir. This seems to have fixed the problem as the e-brake light has remained off so far for the past 5 days since doing this. I also wanted to remove the float and wash that as well, but I didn't have enough time to sit there and figure out how to remove it from the cap assembly without damaging it. I'm sure I could figure it out eventually, but in the interest of time, changing the filter was the primary recommendation in the PDF so that's why I didn't spend too much time on the float, and so far just washing the filter has seemed to fix the problem. The bottom and bottom sides of the filter were pretty crudded up with what looked like old, worn, tacky, settled brake fluid when I took it out so it in my opinion it just needed to be cleaned not replaced. I'll probably do a brake fluid flush soon and use OEM brake fluid to refill. But, gently rinsing the filter in water got rid of all the crud so it could appropriately do its job which is to allow the cap to vent properly. If you look at this link http://www.hondasuv.com/members/showthread.php?t=19531&page=2 the person who posted the last comment seems to have done the same thing on his CR-V also with success. I will update if anything changes but so far so good, and the best part is that it was quick, easy to do and FREE.
UPDATE: So the filter wash lasted about 10 days before the e-brake light began flickering again. I came across some other forums that said to just make sure the cap is on correctly, the fluid level is at the max and also check the wires coming out of the cap. Before I did those things, I washed the filter again and reinserted, this time without success. I pressed the wires at both ends of each wire to be sure of the connection and even applied fresh electrical tape to them as the previous tape was coming off. E-brake light still flickered and sometimes stayed quite bold. But, I noticed when I messed around with the combination switch like turning the lights/high beams and turn signals on and off it seemed to get the darn e-brake light to sometimes turn off somehow. But, it was inconsistent. It worked sometimes. Sometimes it didn't. So I then topped off the brake fluid to just a little over the max mark (since it was already at the max) and gently closed the lid, instead of pressing down pretty hard and turning, i just put the grooves in place and turned without applying any downward pressure. i went back in the car and the ebrake light was dim and almost off. Then I turned the headlights on and the light went off. Like I said, that is not consistent, but I kept testing it, and turned the ignition to the on position and back off several times, and also pulled the hand brake up and released several times as well over about a 20 minute period and the e-brake light worked properly for that entire time. So hopefully that's a fix. If it doesn't work, my next step is to try and locate a new reservoir filter, cap with wires and float. Also, another forum said that if the light flickers, dims and turns off, it is a problem in the master cylinder area with the filter, float, cap and connectors but not a problem with the e-brake switch versus if the ebrake light just stayed brightly lit and never disappeared. In that case it is said to be a problem w/ the e-brake switch.
I had this very same issue on my '94 Integra RS that I purchased 2 months ago. e-brake light would remain on after a cold start then flicker for a few minutes until it slowly faded off. I looked at that PDF link above, but I couldn't find the master cylinder reservoir filter anywhere, not even the Acura or Honda dealership, parts stores or anywhere online or even ebay. The dealerships said I had to buy the entire master cylinder even if I wanted just the filter! I was like, "Uh, hell no." So I just removed the filter I already had and washed it off with tap water and used a blow dryer to thoroughly dry it in like 2-3 minutes then put it back in the reservoir. This seems to have fixed the problem as the e-brake light has remained off so far for the past 5 days since doing this. I also wanted to remove the float and wash that as well, but I didn't have enough time to sit there and figure out how to remove it from the cap assembly without damaging it. I'm sure I could figure it out eventually, but in the interest of time, changing the filter was the primary recommendation in the PDF so that's why I didn't spend too much time on the float, and so far just washing the filter has seemed to fix the problem. The bottom and bottom sides of the filter were pretty crudded up with what looked like old, worn, tacky, settled brake fluid when I took it out so it in my opinion it just needed to be cleaned not replaced. I'll probably do a brake fluid flush soon and use OEM brake fluid to refill. But, gently rinsing the filter in water got rid of all the crud so it could appropriately do its job which is to allow the cap to vent properly. If you look at this link http://www.hondasuv.com/members/showthread.php?t=19531&page=2 the person who posted the last comment seems to have done the same thing on his CR-V also with success. I will update if anything changes but so far so good, and the best part is that it was quick, easy to do and FREE.
UPDATE: So the filter wash lasted about 10 days before the e-brake light began flickering again. I came across some other forums that said to just make sure the cap is on correctly, the fluid level is at the max and also check the wires coming out of the cap. Before I did those things, I washed the filter again and reinserted, this time without success. I pressed the wires at both ends of each wire to be sure of the connection and even applied fresh electrical tape to them as the previous tape was coming off. E-brake light still flickered and sometimes stayed quite bold. But, I noticed when I messed around with the combination switch like turning the lights/high beams and turn signals on and off it seemed to get the darn e-brake light to sometimes turn off somehow. But, it was inconsistent. It worked sometimes. Sometimes it didn't. So I then topped off the brake fluid to just a little over the max mark (since it was already at the max) and gently closed the lid, instead of pressing down pretty hard and turning, i just put the grooves in place and turned without applying any downward pressure. i went back in the car and the ebrake light was dim and almost off. Then I turned the headlights on and the light went off. Like I said, that is not consistent, but I kept testing it, and turned the ignition to the on position and back off several times, and also pulled the hand brake up and released several times as well over about a 20 minute period and the e-brake light worked properly for that entire time. So hopefully that's a fix. If it doesn't work, my next step is to try and locate a new reservoir filter, cap with wires and float. Also, another forum said that if the light flickers, dims and turns off, it is a problem in the master cylinder area with the filter, float, cap and connectors but not a problem with the e-brake switch versus if the ebrake light just stayed brightly lit and never disappeared. In that case it is said to be a problem w/ the e-brake switch.
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