Brake light

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.

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.

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

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.