11 replies to this topic

[yeti21586]

im in the middle of refurbing my 1979 and as part of that im making a custom dash, so i was going through CBS online looking at there warning lights and things and it dawned on me that i didnt no wether my mini would have a warning light to say that the hand brakes on or not,


so does it have one?

if not how easy would it be to wire one up?


cheers guys

YetI

[Ethel]

It doesn't, hence the "special" brake test switch.

Metros use near enough the same lever with a switch fitted, you could adapt the brake test circuit.

[danie garry]

i cant see it being too hard to do, a push to break switch below the handbrake and a lil bit of wire. someone'l come along with the details shortly i'd say

[yeti21586]

i was thinking a courtesy light switch mounted under the hand brake

[yeti21586]

It doesn't, hence the "special" brake test switch.

Metros use near enough the same lever with a switch fitted, you could adapt the brake test circuit.

didnt think that had anything todo with the hand brake thought that was just to warn you when you had no brake fluid


YetI

[danie garry]

i was thinking a courtesy light switch mounted under the hand brake

that'd work, take a look at the wiring diagram for the courtesy light in the haynes and pretty much just copy it for the handbrake light

[yeti21586]

lubbly jubbly nice a simples



fankoooo wery much


YetI

[Ethel]

It doesn't, hence the "special" brake test switch.

Metros use near enough the same lever with a switch fitted, you could adapt the brake test circuit.

didnt think that had anything todo with the hand brake thought that was just to warn you when you had no brake fluid


YetI

It doesn't, but it does on a Metro (etc) the handbrake switch does the same job.

[ibrooks]

There are three warning lights on a Metro. Only one is to tell you that the handbrake is on. After a certain date a low fluid warning light is a requirement and part of it's required operation is that one person has to be able to test the bulb. In most modern cars it has a slave onto the handbrake warning so that whenever you operate the handbrake it tests the low fluid level warning bulb. The Mini didn't have a switch on the handbrake to test the bulb so you get the switch on the dashboard that "doesn't do anything".

Iain

[yeti21586]

it does do something it lights up

[ibrooks]

Hence the quotes - it's common to get the question from new Mini owners asking what the switch that doesn't do anything is for.

It's more accurate to say it's a warning light for low brake fluid (and on some Minis a brake pressure imbalance which might indicate a leak). Pressing it tests the bulb.

Iain

[rwerry]

i was thinking a courtesy light switch mounted under the hand brake

My Aussie 1978 LS1275 has a handbrake warning light as standard. The switch is, indeed, very similar to a courtesy light switch and is mounted horizontally and parallel to the RH cable on a small bracket fixed to the rear handbrake mounting bolt. The back of the cable mount pushes against it when the lever is released.

The warning light itself is labelled Park Brake and is mounted on the upper dash rail padding immediately above the RH indicator warning light (3 clock Clubby dash) and is matched by a Brake Fail warning light directly above the LH indicator warning light. In both cases the labelling is incorporated in the warning light lens which is about 1cm square.

UK owners may be amused to learn that lack of a handbrake warning light is one of the main reasons why late model English Minis fail to meet Australian design rules!