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Brake light won't go off

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Old Oct 6, 2003 | 06:09 PM
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Default Brake light won't go off

Well, today I drove my half-totalled 1994 SLE to work (no other way to get there). On lunch break I had to run to the bank to cash a check. Just as I was pulling into the bank parking lot I heard a chiming (very annoying and constant). I looked at the guages and the brake light was on.
I checked the e-brake and that was up all the way (even set and released it a few times and pulled on it with my hand when releasing), pulled the regular brake pedal u[p by hand, checked the brake fluid level, checked (visually) all the plugs on the master cylinder and abs/traction control pump and they were all connected.
I don't have the proper scan tool for 1994. should I take it into a shop and have them scan the codes ($25-40)?
P.*. I am thinking about disconnecting the battery for a while. Should I wait to do this until after I get the codes pulled?
Thanks in advance,
Stylez
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Old Oct 6, 2003 | 07:57 PM
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Checked the master cylinder. no leaks. I unplugged the sensor on the master cylinder and cleaned the connectors as best I could. Brake light is still on and the damned chime box is going to get punished if it doesn't shut up. I drove 35 miles with it on. I just about went insane in the brain.
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Old Oct 6, 2003 | 07:58 PM
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Btw, where is the chime box? I couldn't center on where the sound was coming from as I want to disconnect it.
Thanks in advance.
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Old Oct 6, 2003 | 08:11 PM
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I suppose it could be. Especially after I had SLAMMED on the WHOA!!! pedal yesterday when I hit the deer.
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Old Oct 7, 2003 | 01:25 PM
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Default Re: Brake light won't go off

Originally Posted by OLBlueEyesBonne
Well, today I drove my half-totalled 1994 SLE to work (no other way to get there). On lunch break I had to run to the bank to cash a check. Just as I was pulling into the bank parking lot I heard a chiming (very annoying and constant). I looked at the guages and the brake light was on.
There'* two common triggers for that: one is running low on brake fluid (like mine did when the master cylinder blew its seals) and another is losing the brakes on one of the two systems. If you're absolutely sure that your master cylinder is full (i.e. you looked at its fluid level after the chime started going), then I'd guess the proportioning valve is warning of a pressure imbalance somewhere.

I know that when I refilled my brake fluid, it still took some driving (anywhere from 100 yards to 10 miles, depending on how long I had been ignoring the warning) before the chime would shut up again, probably because it took a while for the proportioning valve to re-center itself, something like that.

Don't mess with the chime, though; no point in losing _all_ the sound effects just because one temporary problem is bugging you. What do you think you have a volume control for, anyway?
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Old Oct 7, 2003 | 02:35 PM
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when my master was shot no lights came on....check teh parking brake see if its still functional...and if it is id guess unhook battery for a while and reconnect it and see what happens
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Old Oct 7, 2003 | 03:26 PM
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Take the connector out of the sensor for the MC... and see if that shuts the chime off when started... I had the same type of problem and that took care of it.
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Old Oct 8, 2003 | 10:25 AM
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Hahaha that thing dings literally every second too. That must be incredibly annoying if you can't turn it off. I know because when the e-brake is used while driving, it will start dinging after like 3 seconds of being on and it doesn't stop until it'* released. Maybe the switch that senses if the brake is on is messed up. Try checking that or disconnecting that.

I feel for you though man...
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Old Oct 8, 2003 | 10:30 AM
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mine did that when it was low on brake fluid too
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Old Oct 8, 2003 | 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by danpuzak
Hahaha that thing dings literally every second too. That must be incredibly annoying if you can't turn it off.
Well, yeah, because it'* a _warning_. (Annoying, yes... )

I know because when the e-brake is used while driving, it will start dinging after like 3 seconds of being on and it doesn't stop until it'* released.
Wait, it'* better than that. The light will come on as soon as you set the emergency brake, _but_ (and try this yourself) the chime does not start until the car detects that it has moved 50 feet with the emergency brake on. So next time you're in the driveway, push the e-brake down one click to get the light on, then let the car crawl in Drive, and after it'* gone 50 feet, the chime will start.

Maybe the switch that senses if the brake is on is messed up. Try checking that or disconnecting that.

I feel for you though man...
Me, too, but don't spend all your time trying to shoot the messenger there. Fix the actual problem with the brakes instead.
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