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Handbrake Light Not Working

bloomy_479

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I not long ago bought a 1999 VS Bench Seat 5spd Ute.
Being a bench seat, the handbrake is located down on the right hand side of the driver's seat, and drops back down when you put it on.
As I'm getting it ready to be my first car, and other cars I've driven (around paddocks and what-not) I haven't needed to use the handbrake,
I thought it would be a good idea to be able to tell when it is on, which would usually be easy. Except that the sensor / light isn't working. Dad and I have pulled the right hand side of the floorboard / floor trim out and checked all of the wires and couldn't find anything (cut wires or anything like that) and the dash light doesn't need replacing.
Is there any reason that it shouldn't be working, and is there a way I can fix it?
(I'll put some photos below when I get a chance to take some).
Thanks
 

woteva

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Does the dash chime sound when driving and you lift the handbrake slightly ?
 

Grimes

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The utes don’t have a chime. If you remove the handbrake cover (philips head screws) you’ll see a yellow wire running to a little switch on the back of the brake handle. The wire connector can pop off or get sheared by the brake lever itself. Just reconnect it and it should be working again.
 

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vs-lover

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Or it might be as simple as a blown T3 globe in the instrument cluster.
 

ringfeder3

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I have a similar problem. Before i pull the dash out to check the globe, I am trying to check the circuit with a test lamp.

With one test lamp pin on the yellow wire and the other farther, I get nothing. The ignition is on.

I'd have thought power to the yellow handbrake wire would be constant...
 

ringfeder3

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That narrative should have read 'and the other one EARTHED' not 'farther'...
 

woteva

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You might measure some voltage on there with the switch in the open position = handbrake off.
With the switch in the closed position = handbrake on, there will be zero volts measured.
I don't have access to a circuit diagram.right now to check how this is wired.
 

Grimes

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The handbrake switch is in series with the handbrake lamp so the current is drawn when the globe is functional and the switch activated. You might be able to reach the dash globe without pulling the dash cluster out. Undo the fuse panel cover and see how you go with a small open end spanner on the globe base. The ones to the left of the steering wheel are a bit harder to reach so it might need to come out.
 
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