Handbrake light constantly illuminated on dash

[miyagigoose]

My cars been stood for over a week now while i gave under the scuttle cover a good clean and changed the pollen filter.

The car was really wet inside due to this but is dry now...

Today taking the car round the block after being stood for 2 weeks the handbrake didnt release off one of the rear wheels right away it was stuck for about 2 seconds, then i heard it come free.

Driving up the road everything was fine until i went over a few bumps and the brake light on the dash ( low brake fluid)  began flickering for a while, then stayed on constantly

Ive checked all the wiring and connections seem fine, fluid level is max, so i was wondering if the damp may have affected  the switch on the handbrake itself?


One other clue  that might help one of you  pinpoint the problem is that the light on the dash even though its constantly on, is not quite as brightly illuminated as when you pull the handbrake on

any ideas?

[blackpanther]

Hi,

I've never worked on this part of the car before but speaking as an electrician it sounds like you have a partial short circuit in the switch. If you have some damp bridging the contacts in the switch it can make a partial connection but becuase it's only partial would have some resistance. This means there would be a volt drop accross the switch aswell as the bulb. So where you would normally get 12v going to a bulb, there may be only 6v which would make it light up but not very brightly. Probably best off cleaning the switch out with electrical contact cleaner.

[Wayne]

Sounds like a short circuit.

[gtigolfthree]

There are two switches one on the handbrake and the other on the brake fluid reservoir disconnect one then the other to find out which one is causing the problem. The car should not be wet just sitting for a week that will need investigating and spray your handbrake linkages if they are sticking on.

[miyagigoose]

Cheers, i will try these tomorrow.  the car aint wet inside now, it was untill i  did the drain holes/ drying out the inside which is why it had been stood for the week