Car handbrake problem

nitram100 · 11 Jul 2020 at 07:08

Hi guys, just a quick one.

I have an old shed, daihatsu sirion 2006, been a great little run about etc

Yesterday the hand brake light has stayed on despite the handbrake being down all the way.

Braking feels fine, brake fluid is at max and I can't really feel that there's any issue. I also took up the trim and checked the microswitch for the handbrake, that seems to fine also.

If the handbrake was still applied would there be any way to tell? Rear drums would they get hot?

Thanks for any info!

koolpc · 11 Jul 2020 at 07:43

Fault in the wiring/warning system i would say.

bainbridge · 11 Jul 2020 at 09:29

Has any dirt or debris got into the microswitch area? The switch might be fouled. Or it could be worn out and stuck open. It could possibly be a broken wire that is running to earth.

Is it discs on the rear for normal braking and internal drums for the handbrake? If so maybe the rear shoes have a wear indicator that is now running to earth so the shoes need replacing?

Maybe the brakeshoes need adjusting to take up the slack? They might still be holding the car but need adjusting.

I'd investigate asap and if you can't trace the fault get it looked at by a local indy.

telewebby · 11 Jul 2020 at 18:22

whats the brake fluid level like? on a lot of cars if it drops below minimum level it will show that warning

Alex

BUDFORCE · 12 Jul 2020 at 10:06

telewebby said:
whats the brake fluid level like? on a lot of cars if it drops below minimum level it will show that warning

Alex

Read the first post.....

Quartz · 12 Jul 2020 at 10:15

Have you checked that the handbrake actually works?

bobuk · 12 Jul 2020 at 11:11

Check your brake fluid level, btw it's an MOT fail.

DXP55 · 12 Jul 2020 at 21:15

I love skim readers

lordrobs · 13 Jul 2020 at 12:51

Sounds like a faulty micro switch to me. I'd be tempted to douse it in contact cleaner and give the button a few flicks to see if its just stuck. If that doesn't work you could pull the switch out and try shorting/disconnecting the cables, see if that changes the state of the light.

nitram100 · 13 Jul 2020 at 12:52

Hi guys, thanks a lot for all the info!

Yep brake fluid was at max level (maybe a smidge below max), handbrake was working normally and also the car rolled back freely when handbrake was released, literally no indication at all that the handbrake was malfunctioning, just the light on the dashboard.

I checked out the drums at the back after driving for a few miles and they were cool to the touch.

After checking out the microswitch again and giving it a really good clean and spray with WD 40, the light has disappeared! It stayed off all day on my 12 hr shift yesterday at work where I park up in difference places 20-30 times (NHS District Nurse) so I'm confident it's back to normal!

Could it have been something as simple as that? The switch really did feel fine before cleaning it, they must be sensitive little buggers!

Thanks again for the info guys

nitram100 · 13 Jul 2020 at 12:53

lordrobs said:
Sounds like a faulty micro switch to me. I'd be tempted to douse it in contact cleaner and give the button a few flicks to see if its just stuck. If that doesn't work you could pull the switch out and try shorting/disconnecting the cables, see if that changes the state of the light.

Thanks buddy, does sounds like it was the switch after all!