"Brake" Cluster light problem.

[5-Lug]

I've only had my R for about 3 months, I bought it off a a 49 year old guy so I don't think it was beat down. Anyway..... When I start my car in the coolness of the morning (we're talking Florida coolness, so it's maybe 85 degress or so) the brake light on my cluster stays lit even when I release my emergency brake. Even if I release it before starting the car or what not it stays lit. This happens until the car warms up or after about 5 minutes of driving, then I can be cruising at 40 or so and tap the brakes and the light goes off, but as soon as I hit the throttle again, the light comes back on, and once again I could tap the brakes and have it go off. This will contintue until I've been driving for maybe 10 minutes when I'll tap the brakes, and the light will go off for good. (Almost like heat has something to do with it.) Now if I start my car at like 1:00pm, it's fine, the brake light goes off like normal and never comes back on, then as it gets cooler into the evening and night, the same problem happens. I haven't taken it to a shop because I don't want to hear the bs story of me needing new rotors and all that other garbage. So, anybody have any ideas?? Maybe a sticking cable or something? Sorry for the long post.

[Dave-ROR]

Check the brake fluid level. It's probably just low. If that's not the problem, replace the resovior cap. The sensor in it goes bad. Most likely you just need to add some fluid though.

And it's been nice in st pete lately, not 85 degrees in the morning

[5-Lug]

Thanks for the info Dave, I filled it up today and I'll see how it goes tomorrow morning.

I don't even know if 85 would be cool or hot, I just threw it in there.

[otb2000itr]

Could be youre low on brake fluid like mentioned above, or you may need to replace your brake pads.

[Trey]

Good point on the brake pads. If you are low on fluid most of it has gone to fill the space of the used up brake pads.

[Dave-ROR]

Good point on the brake pads. If you are low on fluid most of it has gone to fill the space of the used up brake pads.

Yep, but the brake pads will be obvious when they need to be replaced

[opie]

I'm having the same problem in both, my R and my CR i have to go outside and check the fluidlevels...

[opie]

Yup, No brake fluid in my CRX will any brake fluid do the job? is there any bleeding necessary if im just adding fluid?

[Dave-ROR]

Yup, No brake fluid in my CRX will any brake fluid do the job? is there any bleeding necessary if im just adding fluid?

if there was really no fluid then you need to bleed them out. But, I'd be a wee bit more concerned about where that fluid went. Pad usage should NOT empty a resovoir.

[opie]

Yup, No brake fluid in my CRX will any brake fluid do the job? is there any bleeding necessary if im just adding fluid?

if there was really no fluid then you need to bleed them out. But, I'd be a wee bit more concerned about where that fluid went. Pad usage should NOT empty a resovoir.

Thanx for the response Dave, but the resevoir was just low, I just took the cap off and wiped it off, and through some brake fluid in. No mor light, now I have to check my R!

[5-Lug]

Thanks a lot for the info Dave, it worked and the light doesn't come on anymore. *sigh of relief* My baby is running perfect again. =P Just needed some fluid.

[Blurr]

That's the same exact thing that's been happening to me 5 lug. I've refilled the brake reservoir twice already this year and it's happening again. My friend suspects that there has to be a faulty brake cylinder, where else can those fluids have gone. The first time it happened I sent it to the dealers and came back with a reason of "Low and Dirty fluid" and $141.00 for just that, OUCH. I went ahead and drained it and fill it back. A couple months later it started acting up again. So I figure it can't be dirty so my friend filled it up. And now its back to that dillemma again. Where da hell are the fluids going! I'm afraid to bring it back to the dealers. There has to be some recall with this stuff. I know that I've encounter this same problem @ superhonda.com site but no one has ever mention of any recalls. uurgh!

[Dave-ROR]

Blurr: That's certainly NOT a recall. Brake parts are wear items and will eventually wear out. This shouldn't be news to any car owner. If the fluid is leaking, you should be able to track it easily. Check where the master cylinder mounts to the booster and look for leakage. Brake fluid will destroy paint so if this has been leaking awhile, it'll be obvious. Then take off the wheels (after putting the car on jack stands of course) and check the brake lines. Fluid is also stored in the caliper so check the caliper too (seals can tear/wear). If you are noticing this after are out of brake pad material than it's likely just from the brake pads being worn down. If it's just leaking out and needing a full refill every few months than it's likely leaking. Just buy and replace everything that you find wrong. If the car is under warranty and you find a problem you can see if they'll replace it since failure at <50k shouldn't be horribly common. Otherwise, you'll have to do it yourself or pay a mechanic to fix it.