Brake warning light?

Why did you need to bleed the system? Were parts replaced that let air in or brake fluid out?

When you pedal-bled the system, at any time did the pedal get run more than half way to the floor? That must be avoided on any vehicle more than about a year old. Crud and corrosion build up in the lower halves of the bores in the master cylinder where the pistons do not normally travel. Running the brake pedal over half way runs the rubber lip seals over that crud and can rip them. The typical symptom is a slowly-sinking brake pedal, and that often does not show up until two or three days later. We will assume for now the master cylinder is okay since the brake pedal seems good now.

To fit the new, thicker pads over the rotors, you needed to pry the pistons into the caliper housings. Once everything was assembled, it is necessary to pump the brake pedal repeatedly to run those pistons back out to adjust them. One piston will always get there first, then, as you pump the pedal again, pressure starts to build in that half of the hydraulic system. No pressure has built up yet in the other half because one or both of those two pistons still need to travel further. The difference in pressures trips the pressure-differential valve, and that turns on that switch and the red "Brake" warning light.

The anti-lock brake computer monitors a lot of things and will set a diagnostic fault code when it detects a problem. It turns the system off at the same time, leaving you with the normal base brake system, and it turns on the yellow "ABS" light to tell you. The red warning will also turn on if the parking brake isn't fully released, and on most vehicles, if the brake fluid level in the reservoir is low.

The ABS computer sees the red warning light is on, but it does not know why. It only knows the reason could affect its ability to operate the system properly in an emergency situation. The pressure-differential valve could be tripped due to a leak in half of the system, and that certainly would prevent it from operating those two wheels. The bottom line is start with the red warning light, then read and erase the ABS fault codes. If the fluid level is low, handle that. If it is okay, the pressure-differential valve might be sticking. Chrysler and GM valves are spring-loaded to center themselves, but if they stick, a solid, hard jab on the brake pedal will usually free it. You may also need to open a bleeder screw, have a helper slowly push the brake pedal until the warning light goes off, have them stop right there, close the bleeder screw, then allow them to release the pedal.

Brake fluid likes to absorb moisture from the air. Besides leading to corrosion of metal parts, that lowers the boiling point considerably, leading to one type of brake fade. All manufacturers recommend periodic fluid replacement to get that moisture out, but very few of us actually do it. The reason I asked this is it is likely the reservoir did not run empty, as it might if there was a leak. If air goes down the lines, a lot of vehicles with anti-lock brakes must be bled with a scanner. It is needed to tell the computer to open some valves so trapped air can be expelled from some of the chambers.

Normally the pressure-differential switch lives in the combination valve. That is a brass block mounted on the frame, right below the master cylinder. You can follow the two steel lines from the master cylinder to it. That can change when anti-lock brakes is added, but there still needs to be a way to warn the driver when one part of the hydraulic system isn't working. Many GM vehicles, particularly front-wheel-drive cars, have a valve in the master cylinder that moves to block the two ports for the circuit that has a leak. This results in you being unable to notice a low or unusual pedal feel or travel. The only way to know there's a problem is by the red warning light, and that is turned on by the pressure-differential switch, as well as the parking brake pedal, and when used, the low-fluid level switch in the reservoir.

On Ford vehicles that pressure differential switch is not spring-loaded, and is REAL frustrating to reset after a repair is completed. Suppose the hydraulic system is split front and rear, and the rear system springs a leak. The pressure in the front system pushes the valve off-center which turns on the warning light. To reset the valve, you must open a front bleeder screw so that half of the system can't build any pressure. Now a helper slowly pushes the pedal until the valve centers itself, and the light turns off. At that point he must stop instantly and holler for you to close the bleeder screw, THEN he can release the pedal. The problem is that valve can stick, then suddenly pop the other way and turn on again. That happens so fast, you don't see the light go off for that brief few milliseconds. Eventually you can't be sure which way the valve has moved to or stuck at.

GM and Chrysler valves ARE spring-loaded, but I have had them stick on my vehicles. In every case a quick jab to the brake pedal snapped them free, then they centered themselves, and the warning lights turned off. In the rare event that doesn't work, you have to resort to the Ford method, but it''s not as frustrating.

I'm heading out of town for the weekend to an old car show swap meet. Will be back Monday to see how you're doing.

Hello,

If I may but in here, to me it sounds like you have a master cylinder that has gone bad which can be triggered by doing the brake job. The light is on becasue there is an imbalance in the brake system.

Here is a guide that will help you get the problem fixed.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-brake-master-cylinder

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

Yup, the master cylinder is a good possibility if the brake pedal was pushed over half way to the floor. Crud and corrosion build up in the lower halves of the bores where the pistons don't normally travel. Running the pedal over half way runs the rubber lip seals over that crud and can rip them.

As for the parking brake light trick, the change in brightness is REAL subtle, and anyone less intelligent than me would likely not notice it. There are three switches that can turn on the red "Brake" warning light. Once any one of them has turned that light on, either second switch provides an additional current path, and that very slightly lower total resistance will make the light just a fuzz brighter. All you're looking for is that very tiny change in brightness to show that something is happening when you push the parking brake pedal. That simply means the warning light was not on before due to the parking brake pedal.

Holler before you replace the valve assembly. There are ways to avoid having to bleed at all the wheels.

I've never had one yet that we couldn't get reset with not much effort.

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

You need to have the abs code pulled and find out which part of the system has failed. You will need a diag to determine the failure. Sensors are a common failure but you need to determine which one has failed.

Roy

As far as the ABS light, chances are there is a sensor that has a damaged wire and is turning the light on and off. The next time it is on, take it to a nationally recognized parts store and have them scan the computer for codes. It should identify where the problem is coming from.

Now, the battery is a different story. If the battery light is still coming on with a new battery, it leads me to believe there may be a problem with the alternator. While you have the computer scanned, ask them to load test the alternator to see if it maintains. Again, most will do it for free.

Let me know what you find.

I would still have it checked considering the type of problem you are having. Even the regulator on the alt may be going bad.