Hello all... So about 12 years ago I got a '94 Honda Accord LX. I love the car but it does have a lot of little minor issues. I know jack-all about cars, but I've always had an interest in them. From old muscle cars to tuners. Just something about the way a car done right is gravitating.

I haven't done much to my car. It's fairly stock. The only "custom mod" I can seem to find is the stock tail lights were switched out. So it seems I pretty much have a blank slate to make it what I want. Since I'm going to be with her for a while I figured I should start treating it like a family member and not just a tool. I know, 12 years took long enough.

I finally got fed up with taking it to the shop to get these things fixed and spending lots of money that I don't really have. I've decided to start fixing things myself. I've been reading the repair manual and watching tons of videos to prepare myself. I figure I'll start with something that seems fairly easy based on the manual. Trying to figure out why my e-brake light is constantly on now. After that I want to figure out how to get the dent out of my drivers side front fender. Then maybe work myself up to the more difficult items as I learn more about the car. Eventually I'll have all the items fixed and it SHOULD cost me a fraction of taking it to the shop. I'm hoping that this could be a resource and place of inspiration for when I might need some expert advice before I start something.

 

Welcome

Your e-brake lamp is triggered by either the handbrake lever or the brake fluid level (go figure...)

Handbrake lever has a little switch (#5 in the picture). Check whether that's bent or something preventing the lever from pushing down the button on the switch. Then check for wires pinched somewhere in that area. The switch simply shorts a wire to ground, so if insulation is rubbed off the wire that's just like having your brake lever lifted up.

Then the cap of the brake fluid reservoir has a float switch for low fluid level. Wires messed up? Float might be wedged or stuck so it doesn't float? Or maybe your fluid level is actually low?

 

Thanks for your help Jim. From the repair manual I gathered I'd start at the brake fluid reservoir before I move on to the switch, but from your expert advice it sounds like I should reverse that course.

 

I didn't mean it had to be in THAT order...

Brake fluid reservoir is an easy visual inspection that the fluid is indeed full. Unplug a wire at the fluid reservoir cap & see if the lamp stays off. That's not a fix, but if the lamp stays lit then you can move to the handbrake lever.

 

Thanks so much for your help Jim. It's encouraging to find nice and helpful people out there. I'm looking forward to the weekend to start on getting these things fixed!

 

Welcome. This place is full of good information. I have the Helms book for my 97 (it's for the 4 cylinder version), and between it and this site I got it up and running.
I've also got a 99 Accord, and my wife has a 2000 Accord. I use this site (mostly the archives) to keep them going.