It's been awhile already, but I have 3 lights constantly on...Brake Lamp Light, SBS light, and Antilock. Would you guys happen to have an idea what would cause this? Used to be 2+ years ago only SBS, 1+ yr ago, the other 2. Thanks for any input.
"CAMERON" wrote in news:J6Kbh.11184$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com:
"SBS" lamp? Are you sure you don't mean "SRS"?
The other two have to do with your brakes.
First thing to do is check your brake fluid level in the master cylinder. Is it above the MIN line? There are many more checks to be performed, but do this base-level one first. You might have to wipe gunk off the reservoir's surface before you can tell what's in it.
Frankly, it's not a very smart thing to do, driving around for a whole year with warning lamps blazing in your face. Why did you think they were illuminated? So the dealer could cheat you out of some money? For fun?
Sorry, SRS. You're right, but since it is an older car, I just thought it was just "normal." Also, 4 years ago, a kid rear ended me with their family van (20 MPH) and since I took it to the wrecker / mechanic - 6+ months later the first light came on - ever sincce then, I lost trust in mechanics in general - wrong I know - but it's a reflex. Maybe it doesn't even have anything to do with that. anyhow...
Asides from those things, could you provide a couple more ideas on the possibilities? I would like to take it to a neighborhood mechanic and at least be somewhat coherent / knowledgeable as to what I'm talking about.
"CAMERON" wrote in news:SeNbh.12$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net:
Those are MALFUNCTION lamps. They only illuminate if something's wrong. It is NOT "normal" for them to stay on even in an older car.
Probably had nothing whatever to do with what the mechanic did. If he did have something to do with it, the lamp would have come on within much less than half-a-year.
The SRS lamp illumination means there is a problem somewhere in the SRS system and that the system has been shut down until repaired. The only way of determining what's wrong is to use a "test harness" that nobody but the dealer is likely to have. If I were you, I'd just remove the SRS fuses to shut the system (and lamp) off, and pretend you're driving an '86 Legend, with no airbag to begin with. The cost of fixing this won't be low.
As for the brake lamps...
Does the ABS lamp illuminate all the time, or does it come on only once the car has moved a bit? If it's on all the time, the accumulator is probably not holding pressure. If it comes on again only once the car begins to move, one of the wheel sensors is damaged or defective. In either case, repair will not be cheap. Failure to repair the ABS simply means your car's brakes will behave exactly like any car that did not have ABS to begin with. I'd just pull the ABS fuses and forget about this one too, unless it's really important for you to have ABS.
Your only real worry here is the regular brake lamp. That one you should get looked at immediately. Ignore this one at your peril.
You DID check the master cylinder fluid level? When the regular brake lamp comes on, it usually means low fluid. It can also mean the float is stuck in the master cylinder, and it's not rising up as it should, so the system thinks the fluid is low. you can test this by pulling the reservoir cap with the engine running. Have a helper watch the dash light. Gently push the float up the shaft with your fingers. Does the lamp eventually go off?
A thought from left field, but worth checking... it could be an electrical fault that has brought in the last two lights. There are two tests you can do with a digital voltmeter to rule out two common faults. With the engine running and the headlights on, measure the DC voltage between the engine and the body; it should be very low (usually under 0.1 volts, and certainly less than 0.3 volts). Same conditions, measure the AC voltage across the battery. The AC voltage should be under 0.1 volts. The first test checks the engine ground (which is notorious for producing weird electrical trouble) while the second checks for bad diodes in the alternator. Either can drive controllers crazy.
Mike
i just had the exact same problem with my '90 legend with the brake lights. first, like the others said make sure the fuilds are filled up. the reason the brake light was on on mine was that i needed new brake pads and shoes. the reason the anti-lock light wsa on was because brake dust had accmulated on the sensors. your local store will blow them off and it should be fixed. if not, like mine...the car is old and the wiring may have gone bad.
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