Brake light question

[r_2016]

Hi, my brake warning light came on last night as I was going down a hill with my foot on the brake, as I reached the bottom of the hill the light went out. Now my brakes are not making any sounds and I did check the master cylinder, the brake fluid seemed to be a little low but it has always been at around this level so I dont think that there is a leak, the brakes were a little wet at the time..........I kind of think that it may be a combination of the brake fluid being tilted when going down the hill and it being a little low that may have triggered the sensor..................Any opinions?????? Thanks

[junk yard doggie]

Top off that brake fluid. The float is at the top of the tank, at least on the older models. It dosen't take much of a fluid drop to trigger the light. You need to inspect your front pads for wear. If you are not leaking your pads are most likely worn out.

Mike

[r_2016]

I am not hearing any brake noise, do you think that the pads could still be worn without noise? Thanks

[Towncar]

Originally Posted by r_2016

I am not hearing any brake noise, do you think that the pads could still be worn without noise? Thanks

That's pretty easy to check, weather permitting of course.
Remove the front wheels, the pads can be inspected easily without removing anything else.

Top off the fluid regardless.

[junk yard doggie]

Don't let the lack of noise from the brakes fool you. They can be worn out without making noise. You don't want to tear up a good set of rotors.

[Bearfoot]

Just so you'll know what the guys are saying.

As your pads wear down the brake fluid level drops to 'fill in' the space left by the wearing of the pad. It doesn't take much of a drop for the fluid to get below the sensor. If there are no leaks and the fluid is a little low it is an indication of the wearing of the pads.

I would check all four wheels as the front pads may have already been changed (they wear faster than the rear pads) but the rear pads not. Some times the front pads will have been changed twice before needing to change the rear ones.

DON'T WAIT to change the pads until you hear a noise. If you are hearing a noise that means metal on metal and a destroying of the rotor. Personally, I never let any part of the pad get closer than 1/8 inch to the rotor - they are too cheap and too easy to change than to take a chance on ruining a rotor (which is much more expensive).

USUALLY, the top, or leading edge, of the brake pad wears first, however that is not always the case. Especially on older cars that the cylinders have not been rebuilt recently, you can get an 'uneven' wear of the pads, so when you check them, check all the way around the pad - front, back, top, bottom.

Most, if not all, brake shops will tell you that when you put on new pads you need to turn the rotors and rebuild or "kit" the cylinders. IMHO that is not necessarily true. The rotors shouldn't need turning unless you, 1. let the pads get to metal on metal, or 2. get the brakes so hot they warp the rotor, in which case you will feel an "up & down" motion on the brake pedal. The cylinders should not need to be "kitted" unless they are sticking (not releasing well) or are showing signs of leakage.

All of the above is only my opinion - Steven (Towncar) and/or Mike (Junk Yard Doggie) may disagree. I am not a mechanic, but in my 50+ years of driving I've had many cars and I've changed many brake shoes, pads, drums and rotors.


Hope this helps with your brakes,

Stan

[junk yard doggie]

That's great information Stan, I agree 100%.

For sure, check both sides of the pad inner and outer. The caliper needs to float side to side easy, to wear the pads evenly. I've seen many times where the caliper was stuck on the pins or slides. One side of the pad looked new but the other side was metal to metal, yikes.

Also in my experience. I've pulled cars in to the shop that seemed stop just fine and no brake noise was heard. I pulled the wheels off, holy cow there was no brake pads left and the rivits had destroyed the rotors. I have done many repair jobs over the years. I've also dealt in many used and junk cars, you see a lot. People do some wierd things with thier cars.