dtaylor21

I need to know what kinds of things will set off a 1998 cherokee sports parking brake light to come on?

It started driving down the road i saw the light, pushed down on the handle for the e brake and the light went out, now the light will come on sometimes when i start the jeep sometimes after i hit the brakes. driving home the jeep started pulling right but would yank hard left when i applied the brakes, than it stopped after i parked for a little bit and went back out. i plan to jack the jeep up tomorrow, but what should i look for other than obvious leaks, wear and loose parts? I really hate messing with brakes.

Abovetimberline

calipers not applying pressure evenly,brakes need to be blead,pads worn out,rotors warped,these are the things I would at.
The light comes on when either your e-brake is on or when you have depressed the brake pedal to far,it is kinda of a warning things are going bad.

dtaylor21

my lights probably coming on from pushing the brake pedal too far, I just got it parked in the back of the driveway, I'm gonna jack it up tomorrow and see whats going on.

dtaylor21

I popped the tires off and tried spinning the rotor and it is really hung up, i'm gonna guess my calipers are probably tired. i'm going to order up some fresh calipers and pads now, maybe rotors if the calipers dont kill me, than bleed the system and hope that it's all better.

Jamie57

So which dash light is it? the "Parking brake" is on light or the "Brakes" something is fubar'd with the service brakes light? BTW thats what the brake system in your vehicle is called. the one that activates the calipers and rear brake cylinders. The Parking/emergency brake is a series of cables that mechanically activate ONLY the rear brakes.
So if it's your Parking brake light, messing with the fronts are a huge waste of time. Your cables are either broken or seized, causing the handle to not return to a completely OFF position setting off the light.
If it's the "Brake Light" it is probably signaling a low fluid condition caused by several things. A leaking hydraulic system being the worst. Very out of adjustment rear brakes being the simplest, or very worn pads and shoes, front and back.

dtaylor21

I'm going to say parking brake light, i went out and pulled the e brake just to make sure it was the same light lol. so your saying if the parking brake light is on than either i'm low on fluid(which i checked and i'm not) or theres something going on with my REAR brakes correct?? if so i'm hoping that they are just way out of adjustment or something simpler around those lines because I'm not all that firmiliar with brakes which makes me hate them with a passion lol. I've got to get the back end off the ground now and see whats happening there.
ohh and when i pulled the front wheels off with the jeep on stands, i tried spinning the brake rotors and the calipers are deffinately holding the pads on the rotors, the one side more than the other but both front calipers i'm pretty sure are shot.

Jamie57

Remember taht there is supposed to be some drag on disc brakes. but if one side is "tighter" than the other it's a good idea to change them. fortunatly they are real inexpensive. put ne pads rotors and calipers on my 98 for about $200 CDN. work like a charm.

If you parking /emergency brake cables are out of adjustment it might be enough for the handle to not sit properly and the swich will let the light come on.
Your switch itself may be out of alignment. It should be under your console right on the housing that the lever is attached too. Haven't had one apart on a jeep yet so I don't know. Have had that problem on other makes.

midnight92XJ

I had this issue when i bought my Cobra. Turned out the fluid level was way low and pointed me to a leaking master cylinder. Check for the obvious stuff first.

dtaylor21

my brake fluid level hasnt gone anywhere, my ebrake doesn't seem to work but im not sure whats that issue yet, i pulled my drums off just now and I have like no pads left and everything was caked in mud, i bought everything inside the brakes other than the drums themselves and hopefully i'll rebuild them tomorrow if this damn rain is finally over.

tablerockfshr

I would also look at the e-brake cables because if there rusted and not releasing they will cause the shoes to wear faster and the handle in the cab to not want to return and shut off the brake light.
Just something I had to deal with in the great white north or salt belt as many call it.