Hi all, I have noticed my hand brake light coming on when i turn left sharply. I did an emergency brake test and the Handbrake light came on as well, and stayed on until I pressed the brake pedal again. Fluid levels are fine. What could it be?

lol A silly answer i know but. .

RELAEASE the handbrake and stop being a hoon :D

Why you only drifting left?

Who are you?

Sorry mate just a new SA member. Just a silly answer. Jamie

I would think its the ABS unit putting out false codes

AFAIK the handbrake light is only connected to the lever, maybe check the wire to make sure it is not touching metal where it shouldn't be? It works on a grounding system, when you pull the lever up it will ground the handbrake circuit causing the light to activate.

fill up brake fluid would be my suggestion. in my te anyway, the handbrake light comes on when the fluid gets too hot. so when your cornering it may be dropping it below the sensor level. unsure though.

edit, didnt read first post right. check vac line on booster maybe as well just to start weeding out the simple things before you have to start checking into the complex components

yeah i have been told before that that light can light up due to things other than the handbrake.

so check your brake fluid levels as others suggested.

Sorry mate just a new SA member. Just a silly answer. Jamie

I would think its the ABS unit putting out false codes

No worries champ.

Wondering if it could be a clogged ABS sensor on one of the wheels?

Like i said, fluid level is at max so no worries there. Just concerned me that the light came on abruptly and stayed on when I braked ****ing hard, it was wet too so the ABS got a workout last night. That definately still works hahaha

If the brake warning light only went out after you pressed the brake pedal again, it possibly indicates that one of your (split) braking circuits has air in it allowing the piston inside the master cylinder to travel past it's normal position - this will then activates the "brake imbalance switch" which is reset by pressing the brake pedal (a second time). Note that this warning light serves as a warning for handbrake and brake split system imbalance....not just the handbrake.
So my guess would be air in one circuit causing the split circuit imbalance which then triggers the brake warning light....but that's just a first guess based on the fact you say fluid levels are OK.
It is a warning that there are serious problems with your braking system so my advice FWIW is to attend to it urgently.
Good Luck.

thanks hako, sounds like it might be worth bleeding the whole system then and seeing how it goes. Will also check connections for handbrake. I don't intend on driving car for the next few weeks so no danger about crashing and burning alive lol

three cheers to me for checking brake fluid level when its nearly dark :|

Just checked it again and have this:

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww202/cybermonkey24/Mitsubishi%20Magna/16e4a410.jpg

Now I assume there is a leak somewhere FFS

With a bit of luck, it isn't a leak - possibly just the normal drop in fluid level as the pads wear and the pistons travel further. Night time is a good time to check for leaks in general, as by shining a torch you zero in on where the torch is shining and take more notice. I'd run the light first on the calipers then lines etc....but hopefully it's a wake-up call and only needs topping up and a full bleed. If you have ABS you may need to see someone with a MUT11 to cycle the ABS unit....but it isn't always necessary. Good Luck.

fill it up, she will be all good again. then get your buddy to hold the brakes on hard while you look for leaks.

Simply filling the MC will not remove the air from the hydraulic lines - next time you work the brakes hard and they heat up the fluid will boil because it now has air in it complete with moisture - you will have 'pedal to the metal', only it will be the wrong pedal.

You should bleed the brakes Dave. I have showed TJtime and ih8hsv how to do it when they were down here so I'm sure they can give you a hand.
leaks are easyyyyy to spot mate, they will be SOAKED in wet brake fluid and dirt. just check behind the master cyl for leaks down the booster, easy to spot, but i doubt it, i think it just needs a top up. your brake pads mayyyyy be a bit low all around...

Dude, I read your thread title when I clicked "What's New" today and thought, aw yeah, didn't look at it.

Tonight I did a hard corner and the bloody ! in the circle came up for me too!

Only time I've ever seen it, probably safe to ignore it, my fluids are fine and brakes bled not long ago so yeah...

Dude, I read your thread title when I clicked "What's New" today and thought, aw yeah, didn't look at it.

Tonight I did a hard corner and the bloody ! in the circle came up for me too!

Only time I've ever seen it, probably safe to ignore it, my fluids are fine and brakes bled not long ago so yeah...

Dingers - I'd be checking my brakes very very closely as the brake warning light isn't there just for decoration - it indicates a fault.:think:

I had that handbrake light coming on a while ago. Just tighten your handbrake and huzzah!

Just read some of the other posts and surprised no one suggested this before.

Found the leak. It was off the fluid reservoir, where the nut screws down into the unit. Another **** up from Australian Brake Services in kirrawee from when they did work on it. Head office are getting an angry email from this.

Oh yeah it's taken all the paint off underneath the reservoir, back to bare metal

A leak eh... I'll have to see if my fluids are low. Weird thing is my light now comes on under hard cornering going right, but not going left?

Oh yeah it's taken all the paint off underneath the reservoir, back to bare metal

At least you have found the problem and can do something about it now. That's usually 90% of the job. You could clean it up and mask off and hit it with some spray primer.