1995 Geo Tracker, brake light on dash stays on after start. At first i thought it was the emergency brake switch, but i found that, and i works correctly. The master cylinder is full, and i dont see any leaks. The truck stops with no problems. I have removed all 4 wheels, and plenty of pad and rear shoes left. My owners manual says i have rear anti lock brakes, but there are no wires or sensors i can see at the rear wheels. My check engine light goes out right after start. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Brake Light Stays On
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1991 Tracker LSI, 5-speed 4wd...84,455 orig. and 99.9% intact! Rust-free New Mexico car
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Hey Bob, just had the same issue about a month ago and IT WAS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SWITCH. I know you say it works, but if you remove it and look at it real close, you'll see a spring loaded plunger/contact inside and if you polish up that contact, it'll fix it. The corrosion on it was minimal, but just enough to cause the problem. I realize it would seem that it would be the opposite, butit worked for me. On mine, sometimes light would go out if I slammed the handle down real hard a couple of times, then come on later. I've never owned a vehicle that had as many bad ground issues as this Tracker, but at least pretty easy to troubleshoot.
Oh, by the way, a slightly low master cyl. will also cause that, as you already know, but not the case here. Hope this helps.
1991 Tracker LSI, 5-speed 4wd...84,455 orig. and 99.9% intact! Rust-free New Mexico car
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158 Posts
There is the possibility that you do have an ABS malfunction... the sensor is not at the wheel(s), but rather on the differential carrier. Not sure if you can test/troubleshoot the system without special equipment, though.
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Assuming that allof the above checks out, and that you have the RWAL system rather than LSPV, you should make sure that the connector to the brake computer (high up on the firewall above your right foot, is properly connected, and if so, see if the brake computer has thrown a code. The diagnostic connector is the 10 pin connector hanging near the ECU. You do it with the ignition in the on position, jump the bottom right pin to the 2nd to leftmost pin on the top for a few seconds, and then move the jumper wire and look to see if the brake light is flashing.
Today i checked the sensor in master cylinder. Then i played with the E brake switch. The wire to the switch is not grounded. Then plugged back into switch. The brake light gets slightly brighter when i apply the E brake. This shows me the switch is providing a good ground. I jumped the pins on the diagnostic connector, as suggested, the light does not blink. Just stays on. I crawled under to check the wires going to top of differential. They are protected by a stiff metal bracket, so left that for another day. With snow on the way, my little 2wd Tracker will be parked in the garage, maybe till spring. Thanks for all the suggestions.
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Read what you posted, you plugged it in and it got brighter
Suggests to me there's a short on the brake switch wire somewhere
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