The parking brake light comes on then goes off when I start the truck, but when I apply the brake...nothing. Is there a sensor or something that I can look for to see what the problem might be?

 

Switch is on the parking brake assembly. The LG/RD wire gets grounded through this switch, the light comes on.

 

There is a switch under the left end of the dash at the parking brake mechanism. It should ground a light green/red wire whenever the p-brake is applied. The wire could be unplugged or cut or the switch could be bad.

 

Thanks guys. I'll look at this later today.

 

lol. i just logged in to post the same question on the same year truck. thanks!

 

mine flickers on just driving down the road and the e-brake isnt on.. is there a way to adjust it? i should just go out and look but oh well its under 30 deg out there lol..

 

Zach, that COULD mean your brake fluid is low.
Which USUALLY means your pads/shoes are worn.

Manufacturers specifically design the MC reservoir to contain enough fluid to get displaced by "normal" pad/shoe wear (wheel cylinder and caliper extension takes fluid volume OUT of the reservoir). That's why there is a fluid level switch on the reservoir.

So, typically, if your MC reservoir needs fluid (AND you don't have a leak), you need new pads/shoes soon.

 

lol thanks for the tip.. its not tho.. done it since the day i bought the truck even after servicing and everything.. pads are only year old if that.. and just checked them last month.. its my pedal is loose if you could see it you would understand its like a 500lb guy pushed down on this thing everyday... it kinda comes on for a sec if i take my foot i can lift up on the pedal then the light comes off and stays off for a little then it comes on again... gets annoying

i acutally found out what you are saying first hand when my rear brake line blew on the freeway and lost all my brakes.. that was a fun drive...

 

hey zach, maybe theres too much slack in your ebrake cable not letting the pedal come back up all the way...my 150 did it. adjust your rear brakes then see if theres an adjustment on the cable...just a thought

 

old thread bump, but I'd rather not start a new one for the question

96 ranger 4x4 3L, trying to get it MD inpected, one of the issues was that the brake light in the cluster doesn't light when the parking brake is applied. It's something MD inspection requires, which is required to get the vehicle tagged, I wouldn't have noticed.

The switch feels loose, it works if I pull it to the rear of the truck a little, normally it moves a bit and doesn't close the switch. I ended up putting a few tiewraps on it to hold it in a position where it works, and that should get me through inspection, after which I don't particularly care about it.

However, trying to look at the thing, it is in a spot that I really have a hard time working on, don't see a way to just replace the thing, and was wondering how you are supposed to replace the switch. Is it something you need to remove the entire parking brake pedal assembly to access?

 

I also have this problem but I don't really give a crap anymore as it does sometimes magically work when I startup my truck and sometimes it doesn't. It isn't part of the California inspection luckily.

 

you can just buy the switch and put it in

 

I realize that.

I guess it can be accessed by pulling the entire parking brake pedal assembly, and was asking if anyone knew if that was a reasonable way to go about it.

I probably won't bother on mine, not anytime soon, but was just wondering how to better get at the thing.

 

the switch is easy to take off and clean or replace. it takes about 2 minutes, and you dont have to remove anything other than the switch

 

sorry, i was about half asleep last night when i posted, and left out all the critical info. it is held on with one or two bolts and nothing else has to be removed

 

glad I found this thread.... gotta 94 5-speed...so my brake light has never worked...dono why...randomly one morning I start up my truck and the light is on....I'm thinking there might be a problem...but when I pull the brake release to take off the parking brake the light goes off...so i put the brake back on...Nothing...than just last week i hooked up a code reader to my truck and the light works again...until i take the parking brake off and it doesn't go back on...confusing!

 

I'm totally new here but wanted to add something in for those in the future who are trying to fix this problem. My parking brake light would not come on in my 2005 Ford Ranger. Took it to a shop, they replaced the switch - with no result. They diagnosed it as a wiring issue and said to take it to a dealer since both wires showed 'no live wire.' Read online - parking brake switches on the ranger are ground based - not power based. One wire Yellow / Red goes to the light, the black is the ground. There is always 'power' to the dash light, and once the ground circut is completed by the switch in the 'on' position (switch closed) the light shoudl come on. Always remember to check your grounds! I bypassed the switch by using a jump wire on the yellow / red side to the black and nothing happened. I then jumped the yellow/red to a body bolt and the light came on. So its definitely an issue with the ground - and easy fix for my Maryland state inspection.