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Posted By: rkneeshaw handbrake switch - 10/18/05 02:48 AM
Gents,

My ebrake suddenly feels like crap and I'm working to fix it. One thing I need your help with is figuring out why the ebrake light on my instrument cluster won't go out. The switch works fine, but I must be missing a bumpstop of some kind or something. See these pics:





Can anyone check to see if there is some sort of bump stop at location 1 or 2 (in the first image) on their ebrake? Notice when the handbrake is all the way in the "down" position (as in the second image) that the switch is merely touched, not depressed.... I'm thinking something is supposed to be there to push it down or something.... I checked the Ford Service Manual but the pics aren't detailed enough to answer this question
Posted By: Big Jim_dup1 Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 02:30 PM
Have you check your brake fluid level yet? The light functions for both the park brake and for the brake fluid level.

If indeed you are missing something in the consol, try adding a rubber vacuum plug or even a piece of vacuum hose cut down the the right length to extend the switch plunger.
Posted By: Stazi Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 02:47 PM
Yes he's right - check the fluid.

You may find that the handbrake switch just needs to be depressed slightly to break the switch contact and the low fluid may be the real culprit here.
Posted By: todras_dup1 Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 03:10 PM
Mine came on right after I bought the car. Revised e-brake cable was installed and the light has never returned. It would flicker on when I went over bumps.
Posted By: rkneeshaw Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 04:51 PM
I dont think its the fluid becuase if I manually push the button down in there the light goes out.

The handbrake works so easily I think one of the rear calipers is disconnected or something. I'll jack the car up this weekend and get behind that heatshield to inspect the cable hookups.

What's tweakin my brain is that I can push the handbrake all the way down to its "down" position, and it wont go any further because of a bumpstop somewhere on that lever. I mean when I say "down" I mean it hits something solid and will not go down any lower. I dont think something is jammed in there either though because looking at it, its indeed down like I always remember.

Its retarded. One day out of the blue my handbrake seems to only engage one of the rear calipers making it super easy to pull it up, and the switch isn't being depressed.... grrr wtf
Posted By: Stazi Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 05:49 PM
Needs more Landwind!
Posted By: todras_dup1 Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 06:04 PM
LMGDAO!
Posted By: Pole120 Re: handbrake switch - 10/18/05 07:27 PM
Originally posted by Stazi:
Needs more Landwind!




Posted By: rkneeshaw Re: handbrake switch - 10/19/05 03:57 PM
Originally posted by Stazi:
Needs more Landwind!




Posted By: Pole120 Re: handbrake switch - 10/21/05 02:27 PM
Originally posted by rkneeshaw3.0:
Originally posted by Stazi:
Needs more Landwind!









Refrence this thread
Posted By: rkneeshaw Update: handbrake switch - 10/23/05 01:02 AM
Got under the car today, and cables are good. Seems that something is screwed up on the passenger-side rear caliper. The "hook" that hte ebrake cables pull on wont budge either way. Seems its stuck in the engaged position. Time for another caliper I expected the reman units to last longer than 20 months.
Posted By: Stazi Re: Update: handbrake switch - 10/23/05 09:21 PM
Are you sure the cable isn't screwed. Does the lver feel like it easier to engage than before the problems started occuring.
Posted By: rkneeshaw Re: Update: handbrake switch - 10/24/05 03:14 AM
Ya, thats what tipped me off something was wack, the handbrake lever pulled up super easy. Makes sense, since the one caliper was stuck in the "engaged" position. I disconnected the cable from the suspect caliper and am able to move it in and out by pulling on it with pliars, moves ok. Now the caliper is a different story. After disconnecting the cable and getting the caliper off the car, I still cant budge that little "hook" on the caliper. The other caliper that is still good moves quite freely with a screwdriver for leverage.
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