brake&abs light...

hi there...my brakes work fine..but when tapping the brake p. , the brake&abs lights come on for a sec..

yep, I know, it could be the accumulator..or some internal leak...

but

could it als be caused by a little overfilled brake fluid reservoir???

also...there might be interference with my probably pinched cable in the steering column, causing a fuse to burn when cruze control is turned on and the blinker is used....so maybe it has also an effect on my abs&brake light...

mhmmmm

hi there...my brakes work fine..but when tapping the brake p. , the brake&abs lights come on for a sec..

yep, I know, it could be the accumulator..or some internal leak...

but

could it als be caused by a little overfilled brake fluid reservoir???

also...there might be interference with my probably pinched cable in the steering column, causing a fuse to burn when cruze control is turned on and the blinker is used....so maybe it has also an effect on my abs&brake light...

mhmmmm

Over fill will leave you a puddle on the floor in the morning, won't give you a brake light. You know the drill, turn the key to on, wait for the brake lights to go out and tap the peddle quickly, if the lights come on with less than 10 quick taps it's time to start shopping for an accumulator, best deal I found for a new unit is Amazon.com and this is what you buy http://forums.aaca.org/f144/tc-brake-accumulator-identical-acdelco-part-372234.html

thanks digger...that was my fear...will check asap...looks like the part is unavailable on amazon right now....

whaddayaknow lights came on after 3 quick peddle taps....great!

but still, breaks feel sturdy, pedal is the usual softness, not hard...

could it be anything else???

thanks digger...that was my fear...will check asap...looks like the part is unavailable on amazon right now....

So long as the pump is working you have brakes for normal stopping even with a dead accumulator.

Take the average toaster, it has a heating element that is made to get hot and when the unattended toaster starts a fire in the kitchen, it's not the protected heating element that burns the house to the ground, the fire always starts at the weakest cord connection. The heating element is designed to get hot and get hot alot. The cord is made to support the current load of heavy toaster use. The cord is not made to carry heating element current through a heating cycle that never ends and if the heating element doesn't shut off when it should, bad things happen to the cord.

What's a toaster got to do with brakes? The physics take a bit of explaining, but the logic is streight forward simple. As the accumulator ages it looses the nitrogyn that makes the bladder, help make the pressure, that makes the brakes work. When this happens the pump runs longer and longer and longer than it should to do the job it needs to do. The cables to the pump are like the toaster cord and the longer the pump runs, the warmer they get and eventually they go the way of the toaster cord and that's why we melt at the fuse. We also heat those spade lug and crimp connects and the weakest connection in the line breaks first. Under the hood we have bare copper crimped to tinned copper and bare copper, like the shinny penny that turns brown, or the roof that turns green, corrodes when exposed to the elements. Heat it up, splash on a little road slop and you've got the beginning of a bad connection.

If you do decide you need an accumulator today amazon does have them under the Jaguar part number, they do cost more than the delco, but they are the same thing.

excellent explanation - thanks again

So long as the pump is working you have brakes for normal stopping even with a dead accumulator.

Take the average toaster, it has a heating element that is made to get hot and when the unattended toaster starts a fire in the kitchen, it's not the protected heating element that burns the house to the ground, the fire always starts at the weakest cord connection. The heating element is designed to get hot and get hot alot. The cord is made to support the current load of heavy toaster use. The cord is not made to carry heating element current through a heating cycle that never ends and if the heating element doesn't shut off when it should, bad things happen to the cord.

What's a toaster got to do with brakes? The physics take a bit of explaining, but the logic is streight forward simple. As the accumulator ages it looses the nitrogyn that makes the bladder, help make the pressure, that makes the brakes work. When this happens the pump runs longer and longer and longer than it should to do the job it needs to do. The cables to the pump are like the toaster cord and the longer the pump runs, the warmer they get and eventually they go the way of the toaster cord and that's why we melt at the fuse. We also heat those spade lug and crimp connects and the weakest connection in the line breaks first. Under the hood we have bare copper crimped to tinned copper and bare copper, like the shinny penny that turns brown, or the roof that turns green, corrodes when exposed to the elements. Heat it up, splash on a little road slop and you've got the beginning of a bad connection.

If you do decide you need an accumulator today amazon does have them under the Jaguar part number, they do cost more than the delco, but they are the same thing.

do you have a part number for the jaguar model??

do you have a part number for the jaguar model??

Yes I do, but I think that if you want one today you will find these people are less than half the price http://oemcats.com/oem-parts/25528382.html

holy crap! muuuch better prices on that site!!! will call the 4 places that have it tomorrow and see when they can deliver...150 is not bad!! and I can put it in myself.. ( 25 presses on the brake to depressurize, correct? )

20 pumps should be enough but 25 does not hurt. Before you start, look at the level of brake fluid in the tank (should be at the arrow) and after the pumping you will notice that the fluid level is higher as the fluid is pumped out of the accumulator. I hope the person in another thread that said something about filling the brake fluid over the proper level will read this as if it is over filled it will get pumped out and eventually achive a proper level after enough brakeing.

Better safe than sorry and 25 pumps on the peddle verses 20 only takes a few seconds more and when you're done your brake fluid should be all the way to the top of the tank; if not you can add a splash to top it off. When pressurized the tank level should be very close to the full mark on the tank, don't add fluid to a pressurized system, when it depressurizes the fluid that was in the accumulator needs to go somewhere and it will find that somewhere.

Replacing the accumulator: These things go on a lot easier than they come off, they have their own little set of lock teeth that work really good. Before you try to break it free put a wrench on the mounting tube just below the base of the accumulator and brace that wrench and tube so it can't move when you torque like a mother on the first quarter turn of the accumulator. A couple of wood blocks and tape to hold things in place so that the extension tube doesn't move will help you get this done without doing any damage that will cost some money to fix.

My old accumulator had formed quite an attachment to the brake system and after stripping the center out of the hex nut up top I needed to use a pipe wrench on the outside edge of the hex nipple to break it free. The first quarter turn will fight you, it's made to stay tight and that's why you need to brace the extender tube as your intent here is to replace the accumulator, not the entire brake system. If you're well braced so your tube can't move or turn, you can give it a good hard whack to break it free, you only get one good shot at this without stripping out the hex socket so be as ready as you can be and give your accumulator some test pressure to make sure that your bracing is tight and right. No movement on the extender tube means more chance of getting the accumulator off on the first try.

Here is a picture of what Digger914 is saying. Note the wrench on the mounting tube up against the fender well so that the tube will not rotate. Then put the allen wrench in the hole on top of the accumulator followed by vise grips clamped down to hold the allen wrench in place and from stripping out the edges on the hole. It will then take a brake bar on the allen wrench to remove the accumulator. Hold the vise grips and the brake bar so that they both turn together.

no luck so far...called 12 different places where it shows! that the part is available...once you call them, they tell you they dont have it....F&$&$^%

15 calls later...I found one!...brandnew, shipped, incl.tax for $270! supp. here on monday..and then I got to figure out how to remove and install!..

thanks guys!!! for you help!

no luck so far...called 12 different places where it shows! that the part is available...once you call them, they tell you they dont have it....F&$&$^%

btw, guys!!! this is the place where I found it! : https://www.partsvoice.com

make a note of it !

ok guys!..got the part today..brandnew, acdelco but made in germany ( go figure!) I wd40ied 2 days ago and again this morning and it helped..the force needed was not severe and the accumulator came loose very easily..what I did not know was the fact that the remaining pressure was enough to squirt a fine beam of brake fluid right on my face...so if you do this, better wear protective glasses! ( ok, this time I did not..stupidly enough) 2 little towels were soaked in brake fluid after I removed the accumulator...new one was on in seconds..

did not really hear the pump pressurizing the system but it was ready in a seconds..no brake/abs light..brakes better than ever!

at least , I got the job done! thanks for all your input on that matter!!

ok guys!..got the part today..brandnew, acdelco but made in germany ( go figure!) I wd40ied 2 days ago and again this morning and it helped..the force needed was not severe and the accumulator came loose very easily..what I did not know was the fact that the remaining pressure was enough to squirt a fine beam of brake fluid right on my face...so if you do this, better wear protective glasses! ( ok, this time I did not..stupidly enough) 2 little towels were soaked in brake fluid after I removed the accumulator...new one was on in seconds..

did not really hear the pump pressurizing the system but it was ready in a seconds..no brake/abs light..brakes better than ever!

at least , I got the job done! thanks for all your input on that matter!!

Isn't it amazing that this same part, made in the same place and used on an alphabet full of cars from Alfa to Lotus sells for as many different prices. I do remember reading, but don't remember where, that the people who bought Jaguar also bought a company that makes this part and if I remember correctly this same part is also manufactured in India.

Good heads up on the safety glasses, bit of a surprise that you would still have pressure after 20 full pumps on the brake peddle. Shouldn't have happened and as it did it says your accumulator must have had a small leak in the bladder that allowed the entire ball to fill with fluid.