Simple issue-- just hoping someone can tell me how to figure out why my parking brake light stays on. I just finished some major work on the car involving rebuilding the transmission and I don't recall the light being on before that. I think it might be coincidental, but I'm hoping to find out if there is any wiring I should check. I'd do more troubleshooting but I haven't been home much lately, so I figured I'd try to get some ideas to try before I dig into it.

I feel I should note, this is the RED parking brake light. The ABS light is also on, but has been on for awhile due to a suspected failed ABS module. TPS system lights are NOT on, so it is not the fabled trifecta. This issue is new.

I checked the switch on the handle, and it does contact properly when brake lever is down. There is a blue wire going to it, and that's it... what type of switch is this? Can I short the blue wire to anything to test and see if the switch failed?

Also I checked the brake fluid level. It is up to the max mark. If I short the contacts of the brake fluid level sensor, will that rule it out?

2002 mini cooper R50

Thanks in advance!

 

you can ground out the wire to the parking brake switch and it should make the light go out if thats whats causing the light.... not sure how the sensor works on the brake fluid side but it should be shorting them together since there is 2 wires but dont quote me on that one.

 

You can see it on the back side of that part , check that wire and when the handle down the little spring should press the copper tag off the ground location. I bet something is wrong there. Either sticking, or the wire is not clipped all the way on.

Handbrake / E Brake Lever 34406774814

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/3440677481/



Thanks

 

Interesting... is that handle from a 2002? Mine looks different. The switch plunger faces downward and it is black with a more compact design. I didn't have much time yesterday to look at the car, and now it appears to be leaking coolant near the water pump... which I just replaced...


So I'll be busy with those things tonight hopefully. It sounds like if the object of the switch is to ground that wire then I should be able to test it simply by grounding it.

A few other things of note (maybe these are related-- can someone confirm?)
I thought the car had daytime running lights, which no longer seem to work... guessing like most cars, an activated e-brake will disable them.
Cruise control isn't working-- my guess is that it wont allow you to use cruise when it thinks the e-brake is on.

 

34406774814 that's the part number that fits yours, you have 2002 and in the early years there must have been a different design. So this would be the updated part. Thanks for noticing that.

Older parts number 34406754929 to 34406763063 to 34406769533 then to 34406774814 .

Dont know about those others I guess its possible.

Daytime running lights thought this had to be programmed by MINI and switched on . Don't think e brake would affect that.

Cruise control, do you have the buttons on the wheel ? Turn it on then set the speed with the buttons. try it again.


Good luck.

 

Well, this is a little discouraging...

The e-brake switch checked out OK. From my troubleshooting, the switch grounds the wire when the e-brake is ON. That means that unplugging the wire or having a break in it should cause the light to shut off, not stay on.

I tested the brake fluid sensor, and it shows 0 ohms, so it checked OK. I also tested the wiring a little further down the harness (a few inches) and it checked out OK. Just to make sure, I also shorted out the connector with a wire.

There are no brake wear sensors on this model.

So I'm a little stumped... here is my final question with a little background story:

The ABS light has been on for awhile. I purchased the car that way from a family member. The first few months of ownership, I had the car disassembled for major service including transmission rebuild. That being said, I cannot remember if the brake light was on before or not, though this family member says that they only remember the ABS light, not the parking brake light/ABS light combo.


Can ABS module failure cause both lights to illuminate? Also note that the car does not have ASC/DSC. I believe it is an early 2002 which means it has a few quirks and differences. I would like to believe that it shouldn't cause them both to illuminate but if it does I'll be in for some headaches since PA inspection says that the brake warning indicator cannot be ON to pass inspection, but the ABS light is OK. Anyone experience this on a model without DSC? Also, the car DOES have TPMS but the light is off and doesnt come on when driving, so at least that part of the system works.

 

The TPMS system reads off the wheel speed sensor / Aka ABS. Yeas early 2002-3/2003 did not have the brake pad wear sensors.

That E brake wire is grounding out somewhere, see below for the fuse and wire check.

When the ABS and the TPMS lights come up its mostly the ABS sensor. Hence the ABS light. The modules for the ABS can go back and cause a light. I believe its the seal or the module that fails. Look at the toggle switches , do you see ASC or DSC on the toggle bank. If not you dont have the traction service. The ABS repair kits fixes the one half.

Repair kit is #2 34526761531 , the whole new one is #1 34516760267 . I would check all the fuses in the kick panel, check the footwell module for damage or corrsion , check the ABS wire harness and module for wires chewed, damaged, corroded. Then Check all the fuses and large fuses near the driver side battery box. You were close to that when you had the transmission work done, so the wires under that box could have been bumped.



That would be my hit list before I go into the module repair.

Thanks and good luck.

 

Just so I can confirm what you're saying... it sounds like the Brake light and the ABS light on the 2002 shouldn't have anything to do with each other. I'm working off of the assumption that the only things that can cause a brake light to illuminate on this car are the e-brake and the brake fluid sensor.

I inspected the wiring on the abs module in the passenger cowl area and it looks OK. I also removed the plug and tested the system for constant power and ground and it checked out ok.

I'm assuming the wheel sensors are working OK because I don't have a TPMS light.

Overall, I'm not looking to repair the ABS unless the problem is minor. I really don't have the cash nor desire to replace the module due to how expensive it is and since I've driven non-abs cars for a long time, this doesn't really bother me. I've also heard that they need to be coded to the VIN, which is another expense on top of replacing the part.

 

So now I'm even more stumped. Using electrical diagrams I did some more troubleshooting today.

Tested for continuity between ebrake wire and ground to see if it is grounding out... and it isn't. The handbrake switch registers grounded when up, open when down.

Wires for brake level sensor are green /yellow and brown. When fluid is full, switch registers closed (connecting grn/yellow wire to ground. I traced this wire to the abs module and it is ok and registers ground at the module.

So I can't find any reason this light would be on unless the abs module is telling it to be on somehow in it's failed state.

 

The abs light and red light come on together

 

Well, I guess that answers it. Back to the drawing board.

 

How does the pedal feel? Functionly OK? Just a light? Stopping distances OK?

 

Functionality is 100%
No excess pedal travel and a nice firm pedal with no sponginess. Actually, this car has the best brakes of any I've ever owned... minus the fact that the ABS failed. Also, the pads and rotors are nearly new, which prompted me to look for brake wear sensors (I thought maybe the previous owner didn;t replace them). As it turns out, the 2002s were not equipped.

 

Why is the ABS light on? If you fix that, then the red brake warning light will go out as well. Basically it's warning you that there is a problem with the braking system.

 

How about wheel speed sensor ? Not always tri-fecta when bad.

 

When scanned, the codes indicated that the abs module has failed.

Also, I tested all of the wheel speed sensors at the module wiring harness with a multimeter and they all reported very similar resistance readings, meaning that they are at least communicating. Since the ABS light comes on instantly (before vehicle is moving) it is likely not a speed sensor, especially when combined with my other symptoms. I wish it were that easy.

 

If you clear the code, do both lights go out, then back on again?

 

Well I've been semi-chasing this issue too.

Couple things:

1) Unplugging the parking brake wire (One located on the parking brake lever) will not turn on any lights (Parking brake engaged or not)

2) Trifecta and the ABS light does not mean the red brake light will turn on. I've had trifecta going on for more than 3 years there wasn't an issue with the brake light.

The light is very weird. It usually stays off when I start the engine. Then once I begin to drive around a bit, it lights up and stays on.

At first, as most mini owners would do, I topped off the fluid. No fix.
I thought slave cylinder leak maybe causing it, replaced the slave cylinder. No fix.
I checked the sensor. All good.

I really didn't mind dashboard Christmas lights but I decided to fix things around... but I am just stumped at this brake light issue.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

I've had this issue with wheel speed sensors. The vehicle has to move in order for it to realize there's a problem. If one is getting a different signal than the rest of them consistently, it will set an error code. If you're able to take it for a drive with a scan tool hooked up, have a look at the wheel speed readings and verify they're all the same. Also, if it's a problem with the ABS module itself, it will probably require a brake application before the lights are illuminated.

 

I just had these lights come on today with our R56. Checking the manual, we have the Red Car on Hoist warning light and the parking brake light is on.

Reading the manual gives an ominous warning: "Vehicle Electronics Failed - You Cannot Continue Your Journey, contact your MINI dealer".

The brakes seem to be functioning correctly, fluid level looks good, pads have lots of life left.

I did a code scan with my OBDII reader, but there were no codes stored-- any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Michael

 

Maketoast--- I recently saw this on a similar model vehicle. have you traced the parking brake wire at all?? This wire goes from the parking brake to Connector X15 (Long black 42 pin connector--check for ground at pin 31 on both sides of the connector) above/next to your fuse box inside the car. I would disconnect that connector and see if the light is still on. If so, you should disconnect the connector on the back of the Speedometer- (the one on the driver side of the speedo and check for ground on pin 21 of the harness). If there is not continuity to ground at pin 21 on the harness side--chances are the Speedometer is grounding internally causing that light to stay on. I had a speedometer grounding out internally sending the signal to light the (brake) lamp on the tachometer about a year ago

 

Still working on this when I have time-- haven't found out the root cause though. I have a temporary workaround in place that bypasses the wiring for the cluster and only illuminates the light when the fluid is low or brake handle is up, so it technically "works" but the issue is still present.

For anyone whose had this happen... does your cruise control still work? Mine stopped working along with the light coming on. The system turns on but it will not set. My assumption is that the cruise system does not allow you to set a speed if the handbrake is on. Perhaps someone can just verify this by pulling the e-brake up 1 notch (until the light comes on) and then try to set the cruise..

 

I am relieved that I am not the only one that is experiencing the same problem with having the brake light and ABS light on at the same time. I too have a 2002 Mini Cooper R50 and this problem is making me lose sleep. Has anyone tested the ABS sensors on each wheel to see if it fixes the issue or not? Also, if all is well with everything, does one need to go to a dealer or place that has a OBD II code reader to turn off the lights?

 

The dealership can read the whole system if its above your ability, some OBD 2 readers , dont read ABS sensors. . See my link above for info.

 

hi I know this is a really old post but......
a) did you ever get to the bottom of the light being on?
b) if not how did you bypass to make the light go off?
of I can't sort this this week I'm going to have to break the car for spares
regards
marcel