98 accord brake light indicator on car halted

[car_forum_user]

Hi All,

I have a 1998 Honda Accord, with 135K miles.

Within the last 2 weeks, on 2-3 occasions only, my parking brake light indicator has been staying on even after I had released the parking brake. However, it goes off by itself after about 5 minutes of driving.

The brake fluid level is not much below the max level. I took the car to the Honda dealer yesterday, and was told the problem could simply be a faulty float. He also did a quick (10 sec) visual inspection of the brake discs, and said they look very good.

However, today, while I was driving, there was a sudden flash of the brake indicator on the dashboard, and although the engine did not shut down, the car lost all power, and I had to pull aside immediately (luckily I was driving only 10-15 mph).

Does this now indicate there is a bigger problem than just the float ?

Any help and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

[car_forum_user]

PS: Just noticed the dashboard carefully, and realize now that the light that came on this last time while I was driving was the "brake lamp" light, and not the parking brake light.

I have checked the brake light bulbs, and all of them seem to be working fine.



So, just to summarize:

Occasionally, the parking brake indicator stays on even though the brake has been released. It goes off after driving 5 mins or so. The brake fluid level is OK.

Today, while driving, the brake lamp light suddenly flashed, and while the engine remained on, the car seemed to have lost power, steering got heavy, and the car halted. I checked the brake light bulbs, and they are fine.

[somick]

There is a TSB for a clogged fluid strainer. Honda replaces it with a new one.

At around 100,000 miles my brake light came on. I figured out that since it served me that long I would simply clean it with the brake fluid and my fingers, which I did. Works fine.

It will not hurt to do this service to your car.

But your problem is most likely with the failing alternator. Take it to Autozone or Kragen and ask them to check your charging system.

I hope this helps,

Sam