Brake light flickers occasionally

GregInAtl

Active Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2005
The Brake light seems to come on as I step on the pedal at any speed, it stays on a sec and goes off. Not confidence inspiring for sure. It it time for minor brake work or look into going vacuum and leaving the giant GM design flaw behind?!
 
Do you notice your PM motor running more than it should? It should really only need to charge the accumulator every 3-4 uses of the brake. If it is running a lot and you notice the brake warning light illuminating, your accumulator is probably leaking off pressure.

You could fix it if you want to remain stock. Vacuum is a cheap alternative, especially if you source the parts from a breakers yard.
 
Check your fluid level ,the right way, read the cap it tells you how,of all's good, you might need the brake re-call accumulater switch,the big rubber ball looking thing if i re-call right...

Enjoy!
 
I should mention, The car was being driven for the first time in 6 months, 2nd in a year and 3rd in prob 2 years. It sat a lot in hiding thru my divorce. I think its time to get it on the streets again. I have bought all new fluids to get everything replaced and show it some love.
Heres a pic after todays bath....
 

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I should mention, The car was being driven for the first time in 6 months, 2nd in a year and 3rd in prob 2 years. It sat a lot in hiding thru my divorce. I think its time to get it on the streets again. I have bought all new fluids to get everything replaced and show it some love.
Heres a pic after todays bath....

Nice Ride...
 
Sweet ride. Protect it with vacuum or hydroboost. You wont be sorry like I was
 
Thanks for the compliments; Is there a parts list somewhere for vacuum brakes, I think thats the best way and I hear its pretty inexpensive and fully reliable vs the almost reliable OEM mess.
 
Thanks for the compliments; Is there a parts list somewhere for vacuum brakes, I think thats the best way and I hear its pretty inexpensive and fully reliable vs the almost reliable OEM mess.

Do a serch on that. there was someone on here that posted the parts you need to convert. I bought a Kirban kit off flebay for 100.00 without the pedal. There is someone always in parts section selling kits. good luck
 
I'd recommend driving a hydro car and a vacuum car first to see which you like. Of course, you'd have to be lucky to know people who have either of them. I did and I preferred the pedal feel of hydroboost a lot.

Both are great alternatives if you are wanting a change. G-Body has vacuum setups new and used. A user named Dino1 always seems to have complete used kits as well.
 
The Brake light seems to come on as I step on the pedal at any speed, it stays on a sec and goes off. Not confidence inspiring for sure. It it time for minor brake work or look into going vacuum and leaving the giant GM design flaw behind?!


Whatever you do, stop driving until the problem is fixed. The primary reason that powermaster brakes have had such a bad rap over the years is because very few people really understood them, and conrtinued to drive the car when the brake light was trying to tell them there's a problem that needs attention.
Had they been caught and fixed right away there wouldn't be such large failures to follow, and there would be many years of safe operation.

Both my GN's are still running their original 25 year old powermasters and they're working perfectly. Sure, they've both had a couple accumulators replaced, and each has had a new pressure switch, but I consider that normal maintenance items.

Attention to minor problems right away will prevent major problems from ever happening.

Your brake light is likely warning of a system pressure issue, and 90% of the time the accumulator needs to be replaced. A quick 60 second job, and all will be well.
 
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