94 Accord Problems

[pumatiger]

Hi. Id appreciate your insight on a few problems im having:

1) Brake light (idiot light on dash) flickers on and off around curves and at full stops. It doesnt stay on long enough to make me want to worry about it, but at the same time im afraid it may become soemthing more serious.

2) Shifting into first gear upon igniting the engine is very difficult sometimes. It takes alot of force to get it into first, then the other gears work fine. Downshifting to first works fine also, its just that initial shift from neutral. This problem happens more frequently during cold weather i have noticed, but happens probably only about 20 percent of the time regardless of conditions. Should I worry about it or just ignore it?

Thanks.

[AccordCodger]

1) Sounds like your brake fluid might be low.
2) No idea

[ProMan]

1) Yes, it must be your brake fluid. Add some so it's in proper level.

2) Did you ever spread anything like soda or drink in the shifting area? It might be the sugar left on the shifting mechanism glued together overnight.

[pumatiger]

1) thanks, will do. that makes sense, the sloshing liquid alerts the sensor.
2) i bought the car last summer, so nothing has spilled in my time, but in the 10 yrs before who knows. i checked for stickiness, residue evidence, but found nothing. There is a leather skirt (cover) around the shaft which I hope would have protected it from such damage. thanks for the idea. can i just soak it with WD40? if I did how do i take down that skirt, or do i have to go from under the car?

thanks.

[AccordCodger]

I'm not sure the spilled drink thing applies to a stick shift. I'm guessing ??) that ProMan might have been assuming you have an automatic.

[WhyteAccord]

1) Check Your Emergency Brake. There is a switch that turns that dash light on.

2) <--- GOOD LUCK BUDDY.

[pumatiger]

hey,

1) I topped off the brake fluid in all the reservoirs where its required but it didnt do any good. Come to think of it, this problem started when I accidentally drove about an eight of a mile with the parking brake barely engaged (i thought i had dropped it all the way down, but apparently not.) where exactly is that switch? also, does that light only come on for the handbrake or for all the brakes?

thanks.

[WhyteAccord]

the switch is below the brake handle. To get to it you need to remove the center console. I don't think it comes on for all the brakes. I don't think it has a reason to unless the fluid is low but you already filled it.

[AccordCodger]

One other possibility, but I haven't checked to see if the Accord works this way. The car probably has a dual hydraulic braking system, which gives you some braking if a leak develops in one of the hydraulic lines. If that happens, in other cars I've worked on, the brake light will come on. (But only when you put your foot on the brake, typically)

[pumatiger]

If there was a leak in the line, would I notice a significant difference in my braking capability? It seems like the car is working normally in terms of braking. Do you have any tips for taking out the center console to take a look at the swtich?

Thanks.

[AccordCodger]

The remaining braking is usually on 3 of the 4 wheels, so I don't know if you'd feel a huge difference.

I can't tell you how to remove the console cover on a 94 stick. It's probably held - like the earlier models - with phillips screws low down on the sides.