Brake light comes on sometimes when I brake
 

My brake fluid is low, maybe that’s why. My question is, can I just put some brake fluid in it and call it a day or do I have to remove the old brake fluid and put new one in it?

Proper terminology and nomenclature is important.

You have three brake lights that should illuminate when depressing the brake pedal. Are two of them not working? Brake lights do not normally have brake fluid in them, that could be the cause of the intermittent illumination of one and the failure of the other two and could also explain the low level in the brake-fluid reservoir if your brake lines are indeed also hooked to the brake lights somehow.

I'd add brake fluid to the reservoir just to make sure. No need to drain and bleed unless your brakes are mushy and the brake lights bubble when you get on the brakes. Brake fluid can be real hard on plastic, too, so keep an eye on the brake lights for leaks.

If it's the emergency brake light coming on ....... I'd suggest you just add some brake fluid .....:)


humfrz

Or the traction-control light. OP is unclear.

Most usually brake fluid being on the low side means that it has migrated out to the calipers to make up for the brake pads being worn away.
May want to check on the pad thickness currently.
Changing those and pushing the fluid out of the calipers would move the "lost" back into the reservoir.
As long as you're farting around with it anyway, bleed in new fluid too.

For sure do not top it off without checking the pads first. If you top it off and then later find out the pads are gone, you will need to take fluid back out or else it will overflow and make a mess when you put the new pads on. As bcj says, it’s usually an indication of pads being worn. If the pads are good and it’s low then it’s getting lost somewhere else. Check around the brake pedal for fluid. If there is fluid there then it’s the master cylinder. Also check the inside of your rims for a mess because a leaky caliper will often drip onto the rims and get slung around.

Oh, it is the e brake light. I took the car to the dealership for it’s 60k service on monday and in the paper I got it said the brakes were fine, but last time I took it to get an oil change it said this.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5899e5a8c6.jpg

I’ll add brake fluid and see if it helps, thanks everyone.

Do NOT just add fluid. It went someplace. If your brake pads were down two visits ago they didn't magically regenerate this trip. They are worn to the point your fluid is low enough to trigger the warning light and adding fluid isn't going to fix the root cause. Take it back and have them actually look at the pads this time.

Wow, your fluid is low yet the dealership said your brakes were fine. I think it’s time to go to another dealer.

Well, for sure your brake pads are getting down there.

Adding fluid might keep the light from coming on, but, it won't add to the pads.

However, I doubt that they are now down below 4 mm from 7-8 mm, just 7,500 miles ago.

Bubba says they are most likely good for another 5-10,000 miles.

I reckon @Ultramaroon would recommend all new pads, rotors and calipers ..... he always goes first class.

@Tcoat recommends new pads ...... because he's in the brake business and most likely gets some sort of kickback ....... somehow ....... it's a balance of trade thing.


humfrz - senior master brake specialist - retired..........:D

The light is telling you there is a fault with the brake system. Get an actual answer.

Attached shows new and minimal specs for all brake linings. (From 2012 BRZ service manual, taken from this site).

Terruko,

"My question is, can I just put some brake fluid in it and call it a day or do I have to remove the old brake fluid and put new one in it?"

This is >poor advise< from me, but here it is. I'd throw caution to the wind. Add a minimal amount of new brake fluid to it's reservoir (like 1 to 1 1/2 ounces only), just enough to make that instrument cluster brake light stay off.
You don't want to fill to the max level, as later, when new pads are needed level will then go up by itself.

Being a former auto tech, I firmly believe in giving her only what she begs for. Never know, you might just decide tomorrow to trade her in.


Attempting to read what the tech wrote...appears left front disc brake pad has 4mm remaining. Minimal would be 1.5mm as it's limit. So that one needs to be checked again, next service. Possibly a New Year's Resolution. Have a nice Holiday season.

Calipers? :rolleyes:

I'll admit I'm a sucker for fresh rotors, though.

I read that notation on the LF as an "8", which would be more in line with the other side. Which would be more better .....:)

It has been my experience that most dealerships and automotive shops tend to be conservative when recommending brake repair. Maybe it's a liability thing or more than likely its a profit motive thing.

Furthermore, if the remaining pad thickness of the LF is 8 mm and the others are 8 and 7 mm in thickness, that puts them all in the "green zone", so why would the dealership not say they were OK, even 7,500 miles later ...... :popcorn:

I'm with you, ToySub1946 , ......"iffen it ain't broke ..... don't be ah fixen it" ...... :popcorn:

Like some of the obsessed ones back-in-the-day, doing a compression test on an engine, every time you changed the spark plugs, just because the gauge was inexpensive and the plugs were easy to get to.

OMG!! ..... I have one cylinder that is 5 psi lower than the others ....... I'd better pull the head(s) and do a valve job. That's where I would say :bs: ..... OK, go ahead and do the valve job and I'll betcha you will still have one cylinder 5 psi off the average !!....... :eyebulge:


humfrz

Dissenting opinion...

If your brake light is on, and your fluid is low, and you do not understand why your fluid is low, and you are not skilled/competent in diagnosing brake issues...

Please do me, my children, your children (if any), all the other drivers on the road, everyone else's children, and yourself a favor and have this inspected soon by a competent mechanic.

Please don't f*ck around with safety issues.

/end father lecture

......and here I thought you went first class ...... :iono:

;)


humfrz

Hey, I was working on brakes before most of you were born .......:popcorn:

Seriously, nextcar, if the OP's situation were about my daughters car, and I was sending her off to college, I'd have the brake pads replaced ...... and maybe the rotors. However, if it were my car, I would just keep an eye on them.

Serious question, does the disk brakes on our cars have a wear indicator, that screeches when the brakes are applied and the pads are too low .....??


humfrz

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20151210212037


I do pump the pots out enough to inspect and clean the boots. No sense rushing it.

If this tech illustration from service manual is correct, appears they do...have a screeching tab.

Soooo ........ does that mean you wouldn't replace the brake master cylinder, put in all new SS brake lines and triple flush the whole system ...... :popcorn:

:D


humfrz

I'm still on the factory fluid. Never bled it. SS lines? Bah! I'm more like you than you realize. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. BUT if I'm gonna fix it, you bet your ass I'll be taking my sweet time and making it nice and purty.

Bubba ain't coming near any of my shit.

Have you checked the packing glands?

https://i.imgur.com/bcilzTJ.png

humfrz,

"It has been my experience that most dealerships and automotive shops tend to be conservative when recommending brake repair. Maybe it's a liability thing or more than likely its a profit motive thing."

I worked in a Honda Dealership shop where a tech got fired for selling customers brakes they did not need.
You can be sure he did it many, many times before they finally did something about it.

Oh, now, Bubba ain't all that bad of a mechanic ....... although he does specialize in tractors, (old John Deere tractors).

:D


humfrz

At least he's got a flip phone.

No wall phone with a chord.

Actually there’s been a mistake, I posted the wrong picture.

This is the one I got at 61k miles

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8153a80d4e.jpg

And this is the one I got on Monday (65k miles)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a1e87939f6.jpg

I’ll take it back Friday and ask them to check and see what’s wrong, need that light gone by Saturday because I’m planning on trading in my FRS 🤡

Brake light comes on sometimes when I brake
 

So your pads got thicker with 4k miles? That is a good trick. I need some pads like that. Hahaha

Check this out “Brake reservoir” is checked as good when the fluid level is low. I’m starting to wonder if going back there would be a good idea, what a joke man...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f6ee9e14e6.jpg

I said to have them check again not automatically to replace them. And we don't make pads at my sites.
If you are trading it in in two days just add fluid. Let somebody else worry about replacing pads.

The pads swelled up because they absorbed all that brake fluid ...... ;)


humfrz

Sheeeesh ...... kind of curt ...... didn't you eat your fruit plate this morning ......:eyebulge:

:D


humfrz

lolol... :clap::clap::clap:

Nah. I was just on my way out the door so hammered out a quickie.


(quick reply you dirty minded bastards)

Oh yes, I know about quickies .......... :thumbsup:


humfrz

This thread used to suck, but it has take a turn for the better today. Good job all. Max blast kudos all around.

......and so, ...... who made you the thread cheerleader ......... :confused0068:


:D



humfrz

Lol is that picture from your 'personal collection'?

Obviously not ........ it's in color ....... :rolleyes:


humfrz