Brake Light Goes On After Visit to New Lube Brake Place

[HilaryP]

I used to post here all the time a few years ago and wonder if anyone could give me an opinion (opinion).

My 1994 Mazda B3000 has been maintained pretty well, with the exception of the body. I took it to a place for new brake pads back in August, and the brakes squeaked like crazy. I took it back, and the kids reassured me there was nothing wrong. They said I could get the rotors cut, but other than that, nothing was wrong.

The squeaking continued. I'm in a new town, and literally two hundred feet away is a privately owned "Jiffy Lube" kind of franchise. I stopped in and asked the manager if he thought anything was wrong with the brakes. He drove around the lot and said No. They were fine.

I took it over for an oil change, and the guy working for him slammed on the brakes like nothing I ever did in my life (don't know why, I just witnessed it from my porch). I picked up the truck yesterday and drove it the two hundred feet or so to my home, and didn't take it out until this afternoon.

After about a mile of driving, I was descending a moderately steep hill and got scared poopless when I had to press almost down to the floor. This hill is next to the lube place and near my house. By the time I pulled up to my door, the ABS light went on, and also the BRAKE light. There were an "I!" and another icon I've never seen before lit up. I never saw these icons even when my brake lines cut out a few years ago on a hill where every year they have hill-climbs.

I'm scared crazy, because I use this old beater to get to work, and I don't know what these symbols mean. There was nothing wrong with the brakes when I dropped the truck off for just a lube job.

Anyone have any ideas? As always, thank you.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

First, check the brake master cylinder to see if it the fluid is at the proper level. If it's not, it's time to find out where it went.

 

[HilaryP]

Thanks, Allan. I'm going to do this. But in the time I've been away from TRS, I noticed they finally created a TRS search engine. I searched "ABS light going on" and found a ton of stuff.

More than one post said they had this happen after someone hard-braked, and, man oh man, did this guy hard brake. (I drive like a 109 year-old specifically in order to "save" breaks.) If the fluid is okay--and I paid the Lube joint to do a fluid level check--is it possible the problem is something UNIMPORTANT that "broke" when he hard-braked?

Thanks!

 

[Vonrak]

If your rig has drum brakes on the rear, hard braking could blow out your wheel cylinder. As mentioned previously ,check your master cylinder and if it is not full, look at the inside of your rim. See if you see any leaking going on there. If your Master cylinder is full, the hard braking may have messed up the seals inside it.

Before I would take it to a shop to look at , I would pull apart the system myself first. If you see no leaks/broken parts/etc. Most likely your master cylinder went out.

Vonrak

 

[HilaryP]

I had no choice but to take it to the shop. They said the right front brake line was rotted through. I said Put me down for a new brake line. The interesting thing is that this is the second time in two years I've gone to a garage for something minor, and I leave with a broken brake line. Thanks, guys.

 

[fixizin]

Don't mean to be a cynic, but your username suggests you're female, and these brake/lube franchises aren't always staffed/owned by the most upright (or competent) individuals... they might be sabotaging your truck in order to make more biz for themselves. Hope I'm wrong...

... ask them to SHOW you the rotted brake line... have them save it for you if they replace it... tell 'em it's for your collection.

OTOH, 1994 is not exactly a new truck... how many MILES, and in what kinds of climate and useage?

 

[HilaryP]

Oh, I be female, all right. It's like when a female walks into one of these joints, instead of getting excited by your headlights, their heart goes cha-Ching. My really old neighbor said Your problem is you need a new car. So until I win the lottery, get a new car, and blow the rest on a collection of Hummels, I'll start the brake line collection

When I bought the truck in '04, the dealer said it had 80K miles on it and five owners. Then the expert Bondo and paint job over the wheel wells, and the hand-sewn patched upholstery, and absolutely every electrical accessory except the lights going suggested the body work may have included some fixes to the odometer.

I live in NE PA but traveled extensively back and forth from Norfolk, VA, where it was parked literally on the shore for most of last year, so maybe the dude wasn't lying. I guess I should start a new thread, but anyone know where the absolute, positive cheapest place to buy aluminum tape is? The truck won't pass PA inspection in December because of the wheel well rust. Okay, somebody tell me what size bit to stick folded Home Depot metal sheets on, and can I Bondo and paint over them. Thanks!

 

[Ozwynn]

patch the holes with sheet riveted in place and paint the whole truck with bed liner ...... never have rust problem again