Parking brake indicator light

[cf99]

('01 V6 w/ AT) In colder weather, when I release the parking brake the indicator light in the dash stays on. It usually will turn off as the car warms up, but sometimes flickers on then off then on for a while. I'm guessing there's a button switch or something that is gunked up and needs cleaning or lube? Not sure how to get to it though.

[LynchburgCSI]

Could be a gunked up button, or it could just be that you're running low on brake fluid OR or brake pads are wearing out.

[cf99]

Brakes were just recently inspected and all was fine.
Do you know if the "actuator button" (or whatever the correct term is) is inside the car or outside the car? I tried looking into the interior center console slot that the brake handle rides in but couldn't see anything.

PS thanks for the tip, and I didn't realize this light also served as a low fluid indicator.

[LynchburgCSI]

No problem. The button is inside the car. Just remove the surround around the shifter (it just pops out, IIRC) and remove the screws holding the console on. There's also 2 bolts in the compartment under the armrest.

[ghettosled]

who inspected the brakes? if it wasnt you, i would check out the fluid level yourself since that is the easiest thing to inspect before taking things apart. i could see most mechanics saying "yup, we sure checked everything" when in reality they didnt.

[cf99]

Originally Posted by ghettosled

who inspected the brakes? if it wasnt you, i would check out the fluid level yourself since that is the easiest thing to inspect before taking things apart. i could see most mechanics saying "yup, we sure checked everything" when in reality they didnt.

Thanks for suggesting that. I never noticed this before, but the location of the reservoir gives sort of an optical illusion of the level being slightly higher if you view it standing up, looking down, versus squatting down and looking at it more from a side view (slightly lower level in that case).

With the vehicle cold, it's above the minimum line, but close enough to it that it couldn't hurt to give it a shot of fluid.

Is it correct that I can add any DOT3 brake fluid to it (I'm still running the initial factory fill (only 20k miles) and perfectly clear), or does it have to be some specially forumlated expensive Toyota fluid?

[Mike Gerber]

Check the cap on the reservoir. It should say DOT3. If that's all it says, any DOT3 will work fine.

Mike

[cf99]

Thanks Mike.
I never checked the brake fluid level hot and cold on the same day before today. Cold, it was about 90% of the way between the max and min levels, on the min side. Hot, it was about 40% or so (i.e. slightly closer to max than min). I don't think I added more than a couple tablespoons to get it just below max when hot.

Anybody need a 90% full can of Valvoline synthetic brake fluid? What a waste. They should sell 2 oz tubes for topping off, so you don't waste so much.

I'll report back if this solved the brake light problem when cold. Even though my BF level was slightly above min when cold, after I saw how much the level changes when hot, this makes more sense as a solution to the intermittant light problem, just based on the way the light acted. Maybe my level sensor is slightly off to the high side.

[Mike Gerber]

Make sure the car is on a level surface when you check it.

Mike