Where does the E-Brake light switch connect?

[ddezso]

I've got a '70Z and the switch for the e-brake light is in place but the connector is not connected.

Where does that guy connect? I couldn't spot anything nearby...

Thanks

[a7dz]

The wire should break out of the wire harness on the right side lower inside rocker panel under the passenger seat and route under the passenger seat to the switch on the e brake handle. There should be a spade terminal about four inches from the switch itself. Yellow wire with a blue stripe on the harness side. They were in a plastic sleeve to start with. The stripe on my harness almost looks green after all these years.

[ddezso]

Thanks for the response. I just found a lone wire coming out of the rocker panel area but it has been cut clean off. Before I run a new connection to the ebrake switch I just want to be sure....Are there any other wires that come out of there or can I be reasonable sure this one is for the e-brake light???

Thanks..

[MikeW]

Thanks for the response. I just found a lone wire coming out of the rocker panel area but it has been cut clean off. Before I run a new connection to the ebrake switch I just want to be sure....Are there any other wires that come out of there or can I be reasonable sure this one is for the e-brake light???

Thanks..

As far as I know that's the only wire in that area. To be sure you could just ground it and see if the light comes on. If not you could use a meter to verify that you have 12V there.

[Arne]

That is the only wire in that area on my car as well. As noted above, test it by turning the ignition on and grounding that wire. The brake warning light should light up when it is grounded.

[ddezso]

Well it worked! Thank you....

Now if only the actual e-brake itself worked. . . . .

That's next.

[Arne]

Now if only the actual e-brake itself worked. . . . .

Been there, done that. (A couple weeks ago.) Good luck!

[EScanlon]

Do you mean that the handle doesn't actuate the parking brake?

If so, you might want to address that FIRST. Because if the rear brakes aren't working, then you're stopping with ONLY the front brakes, and / or you're doing some serious damage to the drums.

If on the other hand, it's that the parking brake doesn't seem to hold the car when on a hill, then you might just need to adjust them.

The Z's e-brake adjusted by pulling up on the handle as far as you could go, then releasing. Repeat this until all it takes is 6-7 "clicks" to hold the car.

FWIW

E

[ddezso]

Good point. The handle does not actuate the parking brake and I am not sure why. The entire mechanism could be disconnected for all I know.

Question: If the parking brake doesnt work does that mean the rear brakes are out? I would imaging they can function separately....

Please advise - this sounds a bit important.

D

[Arne]

The parking brake is a cable-operated lever system that activates the rear wheel brakes mechanically, while the foot brake activates the same brakes hydraulically. So you need to find out whether the parking brake doesn't work because the rear wheel brakes are frozen, or because the mechanical linkage is broken, disconnected or missing.

So yes, they can function independently, but they are also related.

In my experience, the most common cause of "failure" of the parking brake is that they are disconnected because the cable has rusted solid.

[EScanlon]

No, not necessarily.

The e-brake pulls on a cable, which in turn pulls on the individual drum mechanisms. Problems with the Parking Brake are usually of the "cable is rusted and won't move" , or cable is broken/disconnected.

Your post just said it didn't work, and my error in not qualifying it better.

I've just have had the unpleasant look at what happens to the rear drums when you ignore the cable (shoes to the rivets scoring the drum useless, overheated and out of round drums).

It should be mentioned however, that poorly adjusted shoes can make it so that the parking brake will not hold the car....even on level ground. At that point, the amount of pressure required to actuate the rear brakes properly is enough to cause an imbalance between the front and rear systems.

I'm not a brake mechanic, but these are key points that I've been taught on how to watch out for problems.

Probably the most important is that the early Z rear brakes did NOT adjust by driving backwards and stepping on the brake (U.S. cars of the era did that). That's why I mentioned the lift-click method of adjustment.

FWIW

E