2012 RT Brake failure and parking brake lights stay on - any ideas?

[Charliem53]

After returning from a two week vacation, my 2012 Spyder RT Limited with 11,000 miles has both the brake failure and parking brake lights staying on. The bike stops fine and the parking brake releases. I did add a small amount of brake fluid, but both lights continue to stay on. Your thoughts????

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[Bfromla]

Good reboot ¿ maybe document all the relevant numbers & disconnect the battery; clean the terminals; give it a good top off charge; add star washers to the terminals when reconnecting. Then check the floats are not sticking in the brake reservoir. Remove the middle side panel on the RH side (sitting on your bike) to view the P-brake motor & wheel - to see/watch if the micro switch is actuating or stuck. Reassemble it all & enjoy!

 

[Mikey]

If you put your toe under your foot pedal and pull up, does your brake light go off? If so, you need to go to the hardware or auto parts store and get yourself a short spring with hooks on both ends, get under your trike, and put the spring on your brake arm as a return spring! It was a common issue, and if you do a search on this site, I am sure you will find some earlier discussion on the issue! Also, if your brake pedal is held down for too long without slowing/stopping, this is what will happen!

 

[Charliem53]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm going to find some time tomorrow to do some troubleshooting. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks again,
Charlie

 

[woppyvac]

Hilariously - I'm fighting the exact same issue! 2011 RT 998 with 11,000 miles.

I replaced the parking brake sensor/switch that is located underneath the parking brake actuator. The darn bike still has a BRAKE FAILURE alert and the Parking Brake Light is remaining ON in the dash. I'll try disconnecting the battery tonight for a full reset. If that doesn't do the trick, all I can assume is that I need the shop to cancel the alarm - which would make me grumpy...

 

[Mikey]

Hilariously - I'm fighting the exact same issue! 2011 RT 998 with 11,000 miles.

I replaced the parking brake sensor/switch that is located underneath the parking brake actuator. The darn bike still has a BRAKE FAILURE alert and the Parking Brake Light is remaining ON in the dash. I'll try disconnecting the battery tonight for a full reset. If that doesn't do the trick, all I can assume is that I need the shop to cancel the alarm - which would make me grumpy...

Is your fluid in the res up to snuff, and the floats are up in their holders? Have you done a brake job on your bike before you had this problem, brake flush anything?

You may need to do a reset on the brake pressure switch.
Turn your key off, wait 30 sec, turn the key on, step down on your brake pedal util you hear two clicks - you will have to press the pedal down hard, then turn the key off, release the pedal, wait 30 sec, turn the key on, and see if the light goes out.

Good luck!

If that doesn't work, I would go to the shop and have them hook it up to the computer!!!

 

[woppyvac]

Is your fluid in the res up to snuff, and the floats are up in their holders? Have you done a brake job on your bike before you had this problem, brake flush anything?

You may need to do a reset on the brake pressure switch.
Turn your key off, wait 30 sec, turn the key on, step down on your brake pedal util you hear two clicks - you will have to press the pedal down hard, then turn the key off, release the pedal, wait 30 sec, turn the key on, and see if the light goes out.

Good luck!

If that doesn't work, I would go to the shop and have them hook it up to the computer!!!

Interesting - I'll try this maneuver tonight. TY

 

[Mikey]

Interesting - I'll try this maneuver tonight. TY

I had a problem after my first brake job years ago with my 2012, I can't remember what I did to get rid of it, but someone chimed in and told me that move, and it solved my problem! Good Luck; I hope it helps!

 

[woppyvac]

I had a problem after my first brake job years ago with my 2012, I can't remember what I did to get rid of it, but someone chimed in and told me that move, and it solved my problem! Good Luck; I hope it helps!

Worked! Brake Failure Warning has disappeared. I’ll run it in the morning to see if it comes back! Thanks!!

 

[pegasus1300]

More than likely your reservoir is a little low, even tho it may not look low, it doesn't take much. One or 2 tablespoons. This has happened to me many times and this fixes it.

 

[Mikey]

Yup, Shawn made a good vid of that, he said bring it right up till it just touches the down hand, inside lip of the filler neck then make sure the v cut in the inside rubber cap and the bump on the outside cap will be to the uphill side of the reservoir when the cap is tight because that is the vent system when it's in operation! And make sure that the float is not stuck in the tube it's sitting in!!

 

[iSilentP]

Yup, Shawn made a good vid of that, he said bring it right up till it just touches the down hand, inside lip of the filler neck then make sure the v cut in the inside rubber cap and the bump on the outside cap will be to the uphill side of the reservoir when the cap is tight because that is the vent system when it's in operation! And make sure that the float is not stuck in the tube it's sitting in!!

Shawn who?

 

[racoon]

Shawn who?

Shawn Smoaks

TheSmoaksVlogs

Every day happenings with the Smoak family, a day in our lives so to speak. Photography, Motorcycles (2 & 3 Wheels), Remote Controlled Vehicles and other Good 'ol Boy interests may show up in our videos. Hang out and see what we're up to each and every day..! Thanks!! Shipping and Mail Info...

www.youtube.com

 

[Charliem53]

Thanks for all the information. I've tried all the suggestions except checking the parking brake micro switch and I'm still getting the error. I'll check the switch today and report back.

 

[Charliem53]

I checked the emergency brake pulley and micro switch. The pulley moves the parking brake cable approximately 1" and it turns the micro switch on and off. This does not confirm that the switch isn't malfunctioning. Is there an easy way to check the switch?

Another thought. There is a low pressure switch in the system that requires 500 psi and a minimum pedal travel if I understand it correctly. Could this be caused by air in the brake lines? If so, would it cause the Brake Failure and parking brake light to remain on?

Update:
I'll assume the switch is working. If I turn the ignition switch off with the parking brake disengaged, the warning beeper goes off.

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[Mikey]

I checked the emergency brake pulley and micro switch. The pulley moves the parking brake cable approximately 1" and it turns the micro switch on and off. This does not confirm that the switch isn't malfunctioning. Is there an easy way to check the switch?

Another thought. There is a low pressure switch in the system that requires 500 psi and a minimum pedal travel if I understand it correctly. Could this be caused by air in the brake lines? If so, would it cause the Brake Failure and parking brake light to remain on?

Update:
I'll assume the switch is working. If I turn the ignition switch off with the parking brake disengaged, the warning beeper goes off.

Thanks,
Charlie

Did you try the hard reset that was mentioned in the earlier posts?

 

[NorwegianRT]

Hard reset fixed it on my 2012 RTS

Hard reset method: https://www.spyderlovers.com/thread...-brake-failure-any-ideas.154129/#post-1677938

 

[Charliem53]

Did you try the hard reset that was mentioned in the earlier posts?

Yes. I went through the steps described by Mikey twice and then disconnected the battery, charged the battery and nada, zip, nothing.

 

[Donbmw]

Brakes may need bleeding. Clear faults with BUDS

 

[Peter Aawen]

Back a while, lotsa Spyders had this issue, and many found it was just crud collected around the spring mentioned by @Mickey, and in many cases, simply cleaning it off WELL worked and solved their issue, altho some found they also needed an extra helper spring.

If that doesn't do it, then move on thru the other suggestions already posted: add a little brake fluid to each reservoir, then add a little more; make sure the caps are facing the right way and that the breather slit in the rubber toppers is too; check the floats are oriented the right way and floating free; do the hard reset thing; and if all else fails, do a brake fluid flush, refill, and then bleed, followed by the hard reset thing again - you shouldn't really need BUDS to do anything, most of the brake faults are designed to be self-clearing when rectified and using BUDS during bleeding only triggers the ABS to make sure the 2.5 mil of fluid in there gets changed too, and unless your brake fluid is already sludge, it shouldn't be an issue.

Just Sayin'