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Brake light

Hi all,

I have a 2001 Outback with almost 40k miles.

The 'brake' idiot light on the dash started coming on occasionally, usually in the morning, turning off before I got to work. The foot brake seems to still work fine, and I hear no audible warnings. Now it comes on every morning, and sometimes on the way home.

The thing is, the day-beams of the head-lights go out when the dash brake light comes on. This is what happens normally when you pull up on the hand brake and you don't have night-beams on.

My questions are: is this a normal brake lining failure indicator? Having the lights go out make me think that it just has something to do with the hand-brake linkage rather than the brake discs. How long are factory brakes good for?

I know, take it in to be safe and sure, but I'd like to get some confirmation, since I have the odd head-light variable, to be sure I don't get taken.

Thanks, Chris

Reply to
Not A Speck Of Cereal
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Reply to
Edward Hayes

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 13:00:48 GMT, "Edward Hayes" wrote in news:4ii%c.563101$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Check the brake pad thickness first. According to people who know these things, this sounds like time for new pads.

As the pads wear, the caliper cylinders must extend farther using more fluid which lowers the reservoir level. When the fluid reaches the point where the pads are at their thinnest, the brake fluid level sensor lights the warning light on the dash.

Since your problem seems to be gradual, it sounds to me exactly like the designed effect.

If your pads seem to be fine, start looking elsewhere.

Reply to
Dave Null Sr.

My dad had this same problem on his '95 Impreza. Turns out it was just low on brake fluid.

What made the fluid low in the first place could be the real problem.

Reply to
Henry Paul

Reply to
Edward Hayes

As Not A Speck Of Cereal so eloquently put: [] Hi all, [] [] I have a 2001 Outback with almost 40k miles. [] [] The 'brake' idiot light on the dash started coming on occasionally, [] usually in the morning, turning off before I got to work.

Thanks all. I guess I'll check the fluid *and* the pads. I guess it was just confusing that it was a morning only thing (temperature of fluid changes pressure?), and that the lights would go out as if I had the parking brake on.

Chris

Reply to
Not A Speck Of Cereal

My dad's would something like that when my mom would take him to work. The brake light would be on when she took him to work, and would go out on the way home. A week later the light stayed on all the time. It ended up low on fluid. I told him to check the pads too, but he said he still had plenty of "pedal" and didn't see the need to do the brakes right now.

Reply to
Henry Paul

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