Emergency brake showing on and off sometimes...

[Myro]

Good afternoon, recently my front brake calipers was sticking and today i've changed the front left one and now it's fine. Took the air out from the system and when i went for a test drive everything was just fine, except that the emergency brake light was popping on and off on the dash board for a short period. Tried a couple of times to slam on the brakes and it didn't come on  at all. It's coming on and off just sometimes, not all the time. My brake fluid is on the Minimum mark, didn't toped out since i'll flush the system these days. So does anyone have a clue why when i've changed the brake caliper the emergency brake light started to come on and off for a short period? When my front calipers was sticking the emergency light never came on. This is my first time when i'm noticing that. My front right caliper is still sticking a little bit, but as soon as i receive the part i'll change at straight away. Ordered new rotors and pads as well,  since i've just had notice the issue, but that issue was there from quite some time... I notice the problem when i went for a front alignment, there they've told me that my front brakes are sticking and the car doesn't won to roll freely... Also the brakes and the rims was getting pretty hot as well. So a full front brake job will be perform with the fluid change by the end of the week. I just can't understand now why my emergency brake light is popping on and off...

[Neo_gsf]

Not sure what you mean by "Emergency Brake Light".  This is a UK forum and so you mean "Handbrake Light" or something else?  The Handbrake light is most likely controlled by a switch down near the handbrake - but could be wrong

Also when you say "Rotors" I presume you are referring to "Brake Discs"?

[Myro]

Yes i met the handbrake light and yes i met brake discs as well. Sorry for that. So does it have any reason why when i've worked on the front brakes got the handbrake light coming on and off? 

[Neo_gsf]

Looking in the handbook, it suggests that it could be the low brake fluid indicator. This sounds a logical place to look as you have bled the system and either it's low or the connection is intermittent

[Neo_gsf]

Maybe it is just on the cusp of the low level thus sloshing about is causing the light to come on. 

[Chris111]

28 minutes ago, Neo_gsf said:

Looking in the handbook, it suggests that it could be the low brake fluid indicator. This sounds a logical place to look as you have bled the system and either it's low or the connection is intermittent

 

26 minutes ago, Neo_gsf said:

Maybe it is just on the cusp of the low level thus sloshing about is causing the light to come on. 

This makes perfect sense especially as you have stated

6 hours ago, Myro said:

My brake fluid is on the Minimum mark

 

[steve2006]

Apart from low brake fluid level the only other possible cause is a failed brake light bulb.

[Myro]

Thank you all for the replies. Yes it is the fluid level, got me worry a little bit but it's all got well.

[Lwerewolf]

Had a similar thing. For the record - our brake systems are the same (other than the hybrid having regen, but that's just an addition).

My handbrake/e-brake/whatever-brake light started popping up from time to time - after driving for a short while (i.e. the fluid warming up, I guess) it'd disappear. A techstream check didn't note anything out of the ordinary. A few days later, the car went in panic mode ("check VSC check this check that" i.e. the usual check everything) - pulled over, tried panic braking a few times - everything was working as normal. Turned around to go home and pick up the laptop - the lights disappeared. Got the laptop, drove around actuating the brakes hard at mostly every opportunity - nothing. The next day, after a night's rest, it did the same - and the lights and warnings went out just as I was turning on the diagnostics. No "history" codes whatsoever. I put the car on stands, inspected the brakes physically, and... the front pads were, shall we say, very close to the wear indicators. Had no time to wait for OEM ones so I ordered ATE pads & discs (discs were vibrating during winter for a period, it cured itself with the "wear down the pad deposits by braking when the rotors are cold" technique but I didn't want to risk it) - problem solved.

Now, on to the weirdness:

The car warns you on the little LCD in the instrument cluster for:
-Low windshield washer fluid
-Low tyre pressures
-All kinds of system problems

The car also has a low level sensor for the oil and the brake fluid.

Yet it won't straight up tell you that brake fluid is running low...
...doesn't have a low coolant indicator either, for whatever reason.

[Myro]

Thank you to all for the good comments,  it really help. To not open another topic for another silly question, i'll ask here. My lexus is from 2001 and it's the facelift one. Everywhere where i've wrote it says 5 speed automatic transmission and i have 4... And it says that the facelift is equipped with a 5 speed one... Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks

[JDM-Fiend]

2 hours ago, Myro said:

Thank you to all for the good comments,  it really help. To not open another topic for another silly question, i'll ask here. My lexus is from 2001 and it's the facelift one. Everywhere where i've wrote it says 5 speed automatic transmission and i have 4... And it says that the facelift is equipped with a 5 speed one... Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks

This article might help:

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-gearbox-transmissions/

 

I believe your gearbox is the A650E which has 5 gears, according to the article.

[Myro]

Yes it looks like it's have 5. The same  what I've found everywhere. But on my gear console it's has the number 4 and it goes below. Or maybe the 5th gear is hidden... So the diagram with the numbers on my gear console its 4/3/2/L and i have 5 gear's, is that right? Is it that's how they designed or... I tryed to feel when is shifting, but is doing at too smooth and i can't notice. I'm not complaining from the shifting, just it's intresting if it's with 5 gear's where's number 5 on the gear console, or even the dashboard. Would help if someone enlighten me.