^^ The clutch does not use the same resevoir as the brakes..

 

Its low fluid in the resevoir due to worn pads. When the car launches or goes around corners the fluid will slosh causing the light to come on when the sensor is not covered by the fluid. Dont just add fluid to make it go away since it will cause a mess when you go to install new pads. You will need to compress the caliper pistons when you install your new pads which will push the fluid back into the resevoir causing it to overflow. Start looking into new pads and change them when your existing pads hit the wear sensor causing a squeal. When the new pads are installed the fluid level will go back to normal and the light will go away.

 

uh, well I JUST had my front pads replace 5,000 miles ago.. The light is off almost all the time, it only flashes on when i launch and get wheelspin.

 

All 4 pads or just the fronts? If you olny had the fronts done it may be the rears getting low. Also if they bled the fluid, they may not have topped off the reservoir which would mean adding some fluid to top it off. Theres no problem having the light come on, just the annoyance factor

 

^^ It depends on why it comes on. The light does more than just tell you level. It signals low fluid level or unequal pressure between corners. The latter points to a brake failure or a leak. From what he is experiencing I would guess that it is simply low. If he just replaced the fronts then I seriously doubt it is the rears causing it. The braking ratio is approx 65% / 35% . So if the rears were that worn, then the light would have definitely been on ALL the time before the fronts were replaced. I have also never seen worn pads cause the light to come on unless the system was already low, and I have seen them worn to the point of destroying the rotor.

Being that they just replaced them, definitely check the level. I would bet more that they compressed the calipers and pushed fluid back out of the resevoir, or tried to bleed them and did a poor job. However, they shouldnt have needed to bleed them if they replaced them properly. Just check the level, if it is low, make sure there are no leaks.. trust me, if the leak is under the hood the bare metal where the paint was removed will give it away easilly

 

then where is the resovoir for the clutch fluid?

 

^^ I believe I stand corrected on the resevoir :D

 

Okay so has this happened to ANYONE else though??

 

ok i know this is really late to join this post but i have the scoop straight from MY mechanics mouth! not the stupid dealers! It happened to me too and i freaked thinking something broke, first it started blinking on launches and then after a couple weeks it just stayed on....

Replace your pads!!! It is a warning sensor thats lights up when your master cylinder has to pump more fluid than normal to maintain braking power. Brakes got replaced and instantly the light went out. No need to add brake fluid... unless you do have brand new pads, and then its still the same priciple, just add a little fluid.

But seeing as this post is about 4 months old it probably doesn't help you, but maybe it'll help someone else that reads it later.

 

thats just logical though. when you put in new pads, the pistons push back and the fluid fills up the reservoir again. thus the fluid lack doesnt set off the sensor.

 

Agreed on the fluid level, it doesn't matter if its low,the level of fluid alone won't set off the sensor (as far as i know) what matters is how much fluid has to be pumped to the calipers. At a certain point it will kick on the E-brake light. My pads were SEVERELY in need of replacement, my mechanic measured the remaining pad and the biggest one had about 3 millimeters left, but they still worked good and i never heard the squealers. oh well

 

Yes, it's happening to me and I'm worried as heck that it's not my clutch (66k miles). If it's the pads that's an easy fix for me, but with this blasted MN weather I won't be able to get to them for a bit.

I do drive fairly spirited since I've installed some suspension parts. I'm just praying it's not my clutch!

 

* HELP *HELP

wow !!! this is the exact post i was looking for...

the same thing is happening to me as we speak !! the "brake" light goes on every now and then for about 2 mins and it would shut off after... i asked the dealer and they said i need to replace my pads...i asked him what the price would be and he said 500 dollars? anybody think that's right?? HELP HELP i thought it would be a 40 dollar job...i'm not down to pay that much money...i just bought my car !!!

 

* HELP *HELP

wow !!! this is the exact post i was looking for...

the same thing is happening to me as we speak !! the "brake" light goes on every now and then for about 2 mins and it would shut off after... i asked the dealer and they said i need to replace my pads...i asked him what the price would be and he said 500 dollars? anybody think that's right?? HELP HELP i thought it would be a 40 dollar job...i'm not down to pay that much money...i just bought my car !!!

 

^^^ lol just do it yourself, all you need for the front brakes is a 17 mm wrench and about an hour. Get some pads at carjunky.com, mine were ceramic top of the line pads for 67 a pair (front). 500 is RIDICULOUS

 

Yeah its the lawyers and liability insurance rates that jack up the price for a 30 minute $25 for parts brake job. . . and greed!

 

i have the same problem, and just realized it was the reservoir also... but was wondering if anyone here has an extra reservoir or know where i can get one, cause mine is kinda burnt... hence why my light is going on when the car is accelerating and not braking... thanks