Locked front brakes, brake light out, headlights gone

Ok i've been trying to fix my headlights on this s-10 i bought. I isolated the whole line, removed the upper dash panels. Removed the wire connectors from the EBCM(oops) I found the bad wire, spliced it, and now the headlights work, I replaced 2 grounds.

The rear brakes seem to be functioning fine. When I press the parking brake no brake light comes on. No light comes on during bulb check. Would the circuit for the warning bulb being broken have any effect on the functionality of the brakes?

While removing the dash a small bulb dropped out, i tried to remove the instrument panel but couldn't get it out because the upper shroud on the steering column. The shroud is impossible to remove because the key tumbler stops it. Also Im trying to remove the trim below the column that the parking brake release goes through. How do i remove the parking brake release lever?

What could of caused my front brakes to lockup? Why are my headlights not working now completely after they worked for a while? Whats up with my brake light, I'm supposed to check the wiring according to the chilton's manual, and check the bulb, how would a little bulb fall out of the dash, and i swer the light was working after the bulb dropped, maybe not. Any help please?

It is a 96 s-10 with vin W engine and 2wd ext cab.

EXPLAIN HOW THE BRAKES ARE LOCKING UP?

Stoping it or sitting still or when you push on brake pedal?

Head light problem usuall wiring or bad bulb or switch or fuse.
A good test light should spot that problem and recheck where you repaired wiring.

Brake light problem may be solved by replacing the bulb that fell out.

ok i solved the brake light I think. I put the bulb back in, but in order to remove the instrument panel i had to knock the plastic part of the key tumbler off, so Like i read somewhere else on this forum i used a scredriver to do it. NOW MY KEY TUMBLER is BROKEN. when i put my key in it doesn't allow the tumbler to roll, it's just locked in position like I have the wrong key, do i need to replace the tumbler now?

I parked the truck to work on it, got done working on it and bam the brakes are locked. I can't move the truck at all now.

How big of screw driver are you using?
Kinda sounds like you broke it.
Might as well replace it.

On the brakes make sure emg. brake is not on.
Is the emg brake cabels tight?

Yea ebrake is released, the back wheels spin, truck goes nowhere, so the front wheels must be locked up. with rbakes pressed or ebrake on back wheels don't spin when i give it gas(I know that i shouldn't gas it when brake is in was just tested the rear brakes to make sure it was just the front. According to chilton's manual the ebrake only goes to the rear.

the trumbler is stuck in position, i read to remove it i put it on start push a button and pull it out, but it won't even turn to start, it's locked in position

If front wheels locked that is strange.

Open brake bleeder and see if they release.

On the locked ign switch try shaking the steering wheel to right and left.
Key should still turn it even of pastic is broke.
But the way your luck is running.
You might be better off to call a lock smith before you break something else.
Good Luck

I got the ignition to turn while jamming a wire in where i may of broke a spring. now i can see the brake light, stays on after bulb check.

I am starting the troubleshooting from the chilton's manual, i disconnected the bulb light from the combination valve, brake light still on. It says to remove the 6-way EBCM connector but i can't find that, any idea?

Is there a way to reset the EBCM?

I'll bleed the brake lines later when i get a jack here, was planning on moving it to continue work before brakes locked up

Oter things to check on brake light is eng brake switch and master cylinder low fluid switch.
2 W or 4W abs brakes?

I don't think it's ABS theres no ABS light. When i drove it it definately didn't have ABS working, so just the standard rear anti-lock i think

Should be 4W abs brakes on it.
Trace the brake lines from master cylinder to front and rear wheels and see if they run threw a big box with a bunch of lines in and out of it.

Yea the big box i disconnected wires from. I was tracing the route of the headlights I had fixed but went out completely agian so i have to go back thru that wiring.

I read that if the ignition is in on while removing those wires it might mess that sytsem up? Or perhaps when I was connecting the battery because of sidepost configuration when i touched the ground on and off trying to get teh bolt in I dunno.

It's the EBCM or something? I have a 10way and 2 3way connectors and 2 pipes from the combination valve going to that, then 3 pipes coming out i think, 2 front 1 rear.

i wouldn't think i had abs is there a way to look it up with vin number?

Yea the big box i disconnected wires from. I was tracing the route of the headlights I had fixed but went out completely agian so i have to go back thru that wiring.

I read that if the ignition is in on while removing those wires it might mess that sytsem up? Or perhaps when I was connecting the battery because of sidepost configuration when i touched the ground on and off trying to get teh bolt in I dunno.

It's the EBCM or something? I have a 10way and 2 3way connectors and 2 pipes from the combination valve going to that, then 3 pipes coming out i think, 2 front 1 rear.

i wouldn't think i had abs is there a way to look it up with vin number?

Sounds like the abs system.
If it is holding brake light on you will need a ABS capable scanner to read code.
If you can get codes post back codes.

Also check out what is locking front brakes on.
Dealer can run your vin no for you.
Good Luck

Sounds like the abs system.
If it is holding brake light on you will need a ABS capable scanner to read code.
If you can get codes post back codes.

Also check out what is locking front brakes on.
Dealer can run your vin no for you.
Good Luck

VIN doesn't reveal anything about the brakes. Doesnt the abs light come on if abs is failing? i don't have a bulb in abs slot, but the normal brake light is on. / P brake light. im going to disconnect the parking brake connector if i can find it back there and see if light goes off.

DO you know where the EBCM 6-way connector would be? THe chilton's manual says to disconnect it for troubleshooting purposes. Where can I find a tech 1 scanner? Do i put it in the DLC?

What do you mean check out what is locking the front brakes? Find out whether it's the parking brake or hydraulic brake?

Dealer can run your vin and tell you what type of ABS brakes it has.
The EBCM plug in is on the abs brake module.
Unplugging it is not going t tell you much.
You need the ABS light bulb in to check it out.
You will need at least a tech 2 or a good ABS capable scanner like snap on.
Dealers have Tech 2 -3 scanners and good repair shops have abs CAPABLE SCANNERS.
The range from 3-5 - 10 K dollars
And yes they plug into the diagnostic plug in.

If front brakes are locked you need to start opening bleeders and cracking open brakes lines to find out what is locking them.
You can not leave home until you unlock the brakes.

As in post 6.

I opened the bleeder on the front driver side caliper. The wheel eased up enuf that I can turn it by hand, but it still won't turn anything near freely. What should I do next? It seems it isn't locked up at all, but it still doesn't seem to want to release all the way. I need a 9mm allen wrench to remove the caliper, which is my next step I guess. But since it freed enuf to be turnable with some force that means it was the hydraulic brakes locking it in? or is the caliper bad?

Sorry I'm such a newb. I'll get to the other side after I at least fully free up this wheel. The truck is lowered so it's hard to get a jackstand under it, at least not on the surface it's sitting on, so I can only do 1 wheel at a time.

Does the parking brake effect the front brakes? or only the rear? in my chilton's manual it only showed the parking brake going to the rear brakes.

I have the 4wal ABS system connected to the VCM I believeI bled both front brakes, I am not familiar with how much force is needed to turn the front wheels, i turned them both by hand so they aren't seized now, with no fluid in the calipers. how do I bleed the air and return fluid to the calipers? do I need to bleed the ABS system as well?

Did that free up both front wheels or just one?
If opening the beeder freed up the brakes the brake system is holding hyd pressure on the caliper.
Start working back to abs module and master cylinder.
You should be able to spot what is holding pressure by cracking open the brake lines at different places.
Crack line at master cylinder to check it.
Let us know how it goes.
Good Luck
To check front brake rubber hose crack the line where it goes into the rubber line.
be CAREFUL NOT TO TWIST OR BREAK THE BRAKE LINE.

Emg brake is just for rear wheels.

well i bled the one, and it freed up a bit, went to the other one and it was alittle loose, but there is still alot of contact between the rotor and the pad. Just not enough to lock thetire now. I'm currently in search of a 3/8" allen wrench to remove the brake calipers so i can depress the pistons in them. 10mm is the right size but i just cant get a 10mm wrench in the bolts.

If i find a fault at the abs or the master cylinder I don't have the proper tools to allow myself to bleed the lines properly. The tool is a little clip that costs 25$ i don't know why, is there a way i can do it without the special tool?

By crack the line i hope you are referring to just opening them up, not literally busting the line? :P.

What will be the signs of a component being bad or being the one that prevents my brakes from going back to position? I mean the whole system should be filled with fluid, how will i know whats bad? even if a valve isn't opening. there should still be fluid on both sides of it?

When i bled the lines at the calipers there wasn't alot of pressure squirting the brake fluid out, it just kinda slowly seeped out, only when pressing the brakes did it squirt.

I don't have access to a scan tool and I can't move the truck really so how do i read the codes, if this had been a slightly older truck you can do it with a jumper wire, but since its the VCM controlled ABS system I need a scanner.

Go back and reread the post.

Go back and reread the post.

Well i pulled the calipers off they were in bad condition, while trying to press the piston down with a clamp i couldn't untill i released the bleeder pin, so the fluid isn't going back out of the caliper. By the time i bled and pressed the piston in, the other piston had overextended itself.

When I get the new calipers where should I start testing from? the Master Cylinder? When i remove a line below the master cylinder how would I observer that the master cylinder is the problem?should all the fluid from the resevoir flow through freely? If it doesn't flow through does it mean it's the master cylinder?

if my ABS system is currently disabled I should still be able to repair the normal hydraulic function even though it all runs through the ABS pump right?

should I crack the lines below each component? like crack the line below the BPMV and below the master cylinder?

Sorry for being a complete moron, everything just changes everytime I touch it. I'm also on a tight budget right now so I'm trying to only replace what needs replacing.

My brake system goes fromt he power brake pump, to the master cylinder, to the combination valve. Can you tell me the proper order to test each thing in and what to check for? thank you.

Oh right now the flex hoses are disconnected and hanging, no fluid is coming out of them, but theres still fluid in the resevoir.

Well i pulled the calipers off they were in bad condition, while trying to press the piston down with a clamp i couldn't untill i released the bleeder pin, so the fluid isn't going back out of the caliper. By the time i bled and pressed the piston in, the other piston had overextended itself.

When I get the new calipers where should I start testing from? the Master Cylinder? When i remove a line below the master cylinder how would I observer that the master cylinder is the problem?should all the fluid from the resevoir flow through freely? If it doesn't flow through does it mean it's the master cylinder?

if my ABS system is currently disabled I should still be able to repair the normal hydraulic function even though it all runs through the ABS pump right?

should I crack the lines below each component? like crack the line below the BPMV and below the master cylinder?

Sorry for being a complete moron, everything just changes everytime I touch it. I'm also on a tight budget right now so I'm trying to only replace what needs replacing.

My brake system goes fromt he power brake pump, to the master cylinder, to the combination valve. Can you tell me the proper order to test each thing in and what to check for? thank you.

Oh right now the flex hoses are disconnected and hanging, no fluid is coming out of them, but theres still fluid in the resevoir.

If you have let air get into the ABS module /system it may require a ABS capable scanner to bleed the system.

Get a good factory repair manual or a http://www.alldata.com/products/diy/index.html

Everything is explained in them.
And will be right there with you while you are working on it
Good Luck