Has anyone come across this befor,
on the dash some times the warning light comes on with a faint glow i might just be imagining it but when it is on like that i feel like the brakes are binding , if i stomp the pedal a few times the light goes on full and then off again , i have checked the fluid level and that is ok, also it is not like that all the time , could it be the pad warning sensors getting wet? any advice any one?

 

*scratches head in total confusion* The what? No such thing...

Check the sensor on the reservior cap and it's wiring, might be going bad. Also check your e-brake's switch and wiring as well.

 

A few months ago my "brake" dummy light also came on and stays faintly illuminated. When I apply the parking brake, it becomes fully illuminated. No change in brightness when I apply brakes though.


How exactly do I check the wiring for the parking brake? I figured some relay had gone kerplunk on me.

-Davis

'90 SR5 V6

 

shane, actually there are such things as pad warning sensors...
and some of them, believe it or not are electronic, they use contacts in the pad that connect through the caliper bracket etc...

bld... the sensor in your master cylinder could be going bad... or your parking brake sensor could be shorting or opening...causing the light to get brighter when you stomp the brakes because it would completely open or short the circuit.... good luck

 

let me rephrase... no such thing in a '90 4runner.

To check the wiring get yourself a factory service manual and a DVM.

 

Thanks for the info Shane. The brake light does not increase intensity when the brake pedal is depressed. It only brightens up when the parking brake is applied.

-Ben

 

I know this sounds hard to believe, but in other older Toyotas, the brake light can illuminate when there's issues with the alternator/voltage regulator.

 

The charge light will also come on at the same time when this happens.

 

I think that the first think i will have to do is bleed the brake lines, I seem to remeber from another car i had that they have to be done in a certain order , is this true for the 4runner and any ideas if it would be opposite for a right hander?

 

Try unplugging the sensor on the resevoir cap. Sometimes the float sensor goes bad.

Does your braking feel odd like spongy or delayed? Your lines could be contaminated.

 

i think that it might be the fluid so as soon as i get a few clear mins i will have to swap it out

 

I replaced the p-brake switch. Lemme tell you what a pain that was! No avail. Any ideas now? As a recap, the light stays on dimmly all the time, and only becomes fully illuminated when the parking brake is applied.

-ben

 

As I mentioned before, try unplugging the cable from the reservoir cap. I had the same problem years ago.