the brake light symbol in my guage cluster stays on all the time for some reason. it started doing it about a week or 2 after i had changed my rear brake pads last time. the e-brake handle is definetly not engaged. any ideas? i suppose i could just take the bulb out... my theory is if i cant hear it, see it, or feel it it isnt there hahahaha.

 

This is an old thread but I just changed the rear pads on my Millenia and the same thing happened to me. The brake light in the dash stays on now. I've been using the search function, which is how I found this old thread but no responses.

Can anyone offer a solution?

 

Well first thing to check to make sure there is no issue is the brake fluid level, if its low it will trip the light, if its where it should be after a brake job (max) assuming that the job was done right and the fluid was replaced then take it back to the shop that changed the brakes, if you changed them look for any leaks and re-bleed the system. Also it would be of MUCH help to know what we are trying to diagnose, please add your year and model to your sig or your post at the least helps us all out in not having to ask.

 

This happens way to often and lack of info results in our poor responses. Brake Fluid should be changed at least every 4 years.

 

Thanks guys, and I apologize for the lack info. I frequent quite a few forums and I know what you mean about that. No excuse!

I have the 2002 Millennia. The ABS light does NOT stay on past the initial start up but the Brake light does remain on. Yesterday, I checked the fluid level and carried it about 1/4" above the max level. It did no good. I'll try your suggestion and re-bleed the lines again. The fluid probably needs changing as it has never been changed, but I don't know why it would all of a sudden create a "light" problem right after changing the rear pads. Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

No worries, we all forget every now and then.

Sometimes, not always but sometimes (or always with my old truck haha) when you compress the pistons back into the calipers (or in my case into the wheel cylinders) it will push degraded hose material or other contaminants into more sensitive parts of the system (ABS, sensors etc). In your case it would be best to replace all the fluid (which bleeds it in the process, as long as you watch the fluid level all the time while doing this) starting with the RR->LR->RF->LF, this replaces the fluid at the farthest point first then working up and keeps cross contamination to a minimum, then take the car for a spin and really cycle (as in lock 'em up) the ABS a few times to get the old fluid out of it as well if you have no bleeder on it (my truck has a bleeder on it) then bleed the brakes again to be sure its all clean. I know this may sound overkill but your brakes are your life and others, when they fail bad things always happen.

 

Very good suggestion, MazdaTirol. I do just that. Thanks again for sharing your time and experience.

 

I've got almost no brakes at all when driving. Now, I'm trying to bleed the brakes. I syphoned as much of the old fluid from the reservoir and refilled with new. I took off the rear right tire, had my wife do the old press down while I released the valve and tighten before she let off. I wasn't sure whether the engine was supposed to be running, only the ignition on, or off completely. Which is the proper way to do that?

I tried a combination of ignition on (without engine running mostly) for about 35 mins, getting lots of air but not seeing any fluid show up. I didn't notice any change in the reservoir level either. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.

 

Some older systems, and I'm not completely sure a Millena is not one of them, has a switch in parallel with the parking brake switch that's mounted in a balance detection block, for lack of a better name.
They are usually mounted under the hood, often mounted on or near the firewall. It's basically a chuck of machined metal, sometimes brass, other times steel with four brake lines coming from it. The fifth connection is an electrical switch w/two wires.

What it does: If the system becomes unbalanced, as when half the master cyl fails, or doing brakes on one axle, the system detects this through a machined "V" inside that literally slides back and forth under pressure (depressing the brake pedal.) If that happens the V block that activates the switch by pushing up the switches plunger and will then light the parking brake light to indicate a problem.

First of all, see if you can find what it is I'm amateurishly trying to describe. If you do, disconnect the plug/wires and see if the light goes out.
If it does, and as for resetting the system, you may have to use some gentle persuasion to re-center that V block inside, though I'm sure there;'s a more professional way to accomplish it.... But let's just see if that's the problem first.

 

That's great, but what does your suggestion have to do with rprice's problem?
No amount of old brake fluid will set off the brake trouble light. there has to be a physical problem with the system.
And the fact that it happened right after replacing the pads with new should offer a clue.