Red "B" light is on

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RSorak 71Westy
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Location: Memphis, TN
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Red "B" light is on

Post by RSorak 71Westy » Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:03 am

When my foot is OFF the brake pedal, goes out as soon as the pedal's pushed down about an inch.....What would be the cause?, this just started.....
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

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dtrumbo
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Post by dtrumbo » Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:09 am

One of two things. Either your front or rear brakes have a leak somewhere (not likely since you would KNOW this was the case without having to rely on the light to tell you), and the other, more likely problem is one of the two brake light switches on the master cylinder has failed or come unplugged. Easy fix.
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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RSorak 71Westy
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Post by RSorak 71Westy » Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:10 am

I forgot to say it still stops fine....so it must be option 2.
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

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static
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Post by static » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:02 am

Hey! I need one of those brake light units, should anyone have one for sale.
(I attempted to change the bulb in mine, and broke the whole dang thing.)

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dtrumbo
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Post by dtrumbo » Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:54 pm

static wrote:Hey! I need one of those brake light units, should anyone have one for sale.
(I attempted to change the bulb in mine, and broke the whole dang thing.)
I did the exact same thing!

Ken Madson at www.thebusco.com has 'em.
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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RSorak 71Westy
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by RSorak 71Westy » Tue Mar 20, 2012 2:27 pm

Ok What if the red brake light only comes on foot off the pedal at night when the lights are on? Driving the bus without the lights on you'd never know the red light has a problem.
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

kreemoweet
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by kreemoweet » Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:04 pm

If it were wired correctly, the lights would have no effect on the operation of your brake warning light. At lite: brown wire to term. 31
(center, on bulb holder), red wire from brake switches to term. K, black wire (ign. hot) from brake switches to term. 15. This assumes
you have the stock '71 push-to-test warning lite.

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RSorak 71Westy
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by RSorak 71Westy » Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:47 pm

This strange then because they do, and this problem started by itself without me going behind the dash.
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

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Amskeptic
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:15 pm

RSorak 71Westy wrote:This strange then because they do, and this problem started by itself without me going behind the dash.
This could be a goofy gremlin. If you have the push-to-test, it has a side ground to the dash cluster ground so your finger can play "brake switch ground". It is finding its way off of the center terminal of the bulb, because the shell is 12 vt (+) .

Let us know the eventual solution, it is good for the archive.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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hambone
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by hambone » Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:47 am

And such a useful light! :rabbit:
What the heck is the point of that thing anyway? To tell you your brakes don't work? Well thanks.
Don't get me started on tires...
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
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Amskeptic
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:41 am

hambone wrote:And such a useful light! :rabbit:
What the heck is the point of that thing anyway? To tell you your brakes don't work? Well thanks.
Don't get me started on tires...
Dont get sarcastic, boy. There's a woodshed dyin to thank you too.
Pops

(federal law demanded a brake warning light for those who drive around half conscious every day)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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DjEep
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by DjEep » Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:32 pm

Easy fix. Un-plug it. When you have no brakes, you'll know...
"Live life, love life. Enjoy the pleasures and the sorrows. For it is the bleak valleys, the dark corners that make the peaks all the more magnificent. And once you realize that, you begin to see the beauty hidden within those valleys, and learn to love the climb." - Anonymous

Do you want to Survive? Or do you want to LIVE?

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bretski
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by bretski » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:53 am

For years, I thought the light was supposed to be beige....
1978 Deluxe Westfalia - "Klaus"

"transcripts are overrated. hardware store receipts: those are useful." --skin daddio

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Amskeptic
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Re: Red "B" light is on

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:09 am

bretski wrote:For years, I thought the light was supposed to be beige....
Try . . . fingernail polish, it workthuuper!

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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