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Posted by: wbergtho May 14 2008, 08:50 PM

My 76 I just bought has a lazy brake pedal (doesn't return) and the brakes feel real crappy & spongy. The little red brake idiot light blinks on & off constantly. Is this light hooked to the master cylinder sensor trying to indicate to me that if i drive the car another foot I'll probably loose all my brakes and die in a fiery & horrific crash?

Posted by: Spoke May 14 2008, 09:01 PM

The blinking brake light is tied to 2 switches. One is on the MC and the other on the parking brake handle. Disconnect the MC switch connector to see if the light goes out. If the light goes out, then it's the MC. I've heard there's a reset for the switch on the MC but know nothing else about it.

If you remove the MC switch connector and the light stays on, then its the parking brake switch under the parking brake handle.

Posted by: SGB May 14 2008, 09:43 PM

Your days are numbered...

Posted by: Travis Neff May 14 2008, 09:54 PM

if you crank the wheel all the way to the right, you can reach under the car and push the button on the side of the MC to reset the switch (right where the electrical connectors are). Try that first, if the light does not go out - check under the e-brake handle, theres a switch there that might not get depressed when you release the brake. Aside from that maybe you have an issue with your MC

Posted by: jsayre914 May 14 2008, 09:54 PM

does it go off when your parking break is off??

Posted by: McMark May 14 2008, 11:35 PM

I wonder exactly how many times I've made this same post...

Not all master cylinder switches have a reset button. Only the single connector ones do. If you have two wires on your MC switch, there's no reset button.

Posted by: bjinright May 15 2008, 10:02 AM

BLEED YOUR BRAKES MAN!!

Remember to bleed the Proportioning valve too.
see here:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_bleed_brakes/914_bleed_brakes.htm

Mine used to blink too (except when I turned hard to the right). It was the Proportioning valve. Every body forgets this when they bleed the brakes.

Posted by: JmuRiz May 15 2008, 10:04 AM

That's what mine is hooked up to, the parking brake.

Posted by: r_towle May 15 2008, 10:45 AM

The parking brake electrical connection is a ground wire on the bottom of the e-brake handle...right near where all your loose change goes, and piles of crud and rust.

Lift up the carpet and get a vacuum under the ebrake handle first...then remove the spade connector and clean is.
Then adjust your ebrake cables to the proper tension...that holds the handle down...

Rich

Posted by: Dr. Roger May 15 2008, 12:08 PM

sounds like a through brake system inspection is in order.

we don't need anymore premature deaths in this "world". ;-)