99 accord brake light went on while driving slow

Was driving slow in stop-and-go traffic.. Suddenly the brake light
goes on on the dashboard.. I double checked the hand brake, hit
the brake pedal a couple of times (worried something was stuck)
but the car wouldn't move! turning the ignition off-on fixed it (whew).
But it definitely raised some concerns.. I wonder if anyone has seen
anything similar and had some ideas..
Some background: off late my car sounds different when idling..
I had a stall as well while driving up an incline.. This time i was
giving it enough gas to keep it moving forward slowly as opposed
to the brake and then hit the gas to prevent it from rolling back..
Was worried about my battery and got it checked, looks ok..
thanks!
99 accord lx 65k miles.

blade wrote:
> Was driving slow in stop-and-go traffic.. Suddenly the brake light
> goes on on the dashboard.. I double checked the hand brake, hit
> the brake pedal a couple of times (worried something was stuck)
> but the car wouldn't move! turning the ignition off-on fixed it (whew).
> But it definitely raised some concerns.. I wonder if anyone has seen
> anything similar and had some ideas..
> Some background: off late my car sounds different when idling..
> I had a stall as well while driving up an incline.. This time i was
> giving it enough gas to keep it moving forward slowly as opposed
> to the brake and then hit the gas to prevent it from rolling back..
> Was worried about my battery and got it checked, looks ok..
> thanks!
> 99 accord lx 65k miles.
>
==============================

I had a (yecch) Volvo that did something like you describe. The vacuum
assist on the brakes went wacky and would start applying the brakes by
itself. Made the rotors glow at highway speed ! ! One time I had to make
a panic stop on an icy road and couldn't get the car to move until I
shut the engine OFF, pumped a few times, and restarted.

I'm sure tegger knows about your problem . . . What have you serviced
lately?

'Curly'

"blade" > wrote in news:1165876879.999403.3000@
73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com:

> Was driving slow in stop-and-go traffic.. Suddenly the brake light
> goes on on the dashboard.. I double checked the hand brake, hit
> the brake pedal a couple of times (worried something was stuck)
> but the car wouldn't move!



You mean the brakes were locked on solid, and even taking your foot off
the pedal didn't release them?



> turning the ignition off-on fixed it (whew).
> But it definitely raised some concerns.. I wonder if anyone has seen
> anything similar and had some ideas.



There is a TSB (03-078) that describes something similar to this.

The fix involves replacing the "filter" inside the master cylinder
reservoir. The "filter" is the loose cup inside the MC.

Remove the MC cap, taking care to make sure no dirt drops inside. Remove
the filter, place it into a VERY CLEAN Tupperware WITH a lid. Replace the
MC cap. Now drive around for a while without the screen. Does the problem
recur? Make 100% certain no dirt drops inside the MC while doing all this!



--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

thats the bizarre part about it.. i didnt have my foot on the gas
or brake.. the car was inching forward and then suddenly it stopped.
thats when i saw brake lamp lit..
the manual says the brake system might need checking.
i got my brake pads replaced not too long back and got an oil
service done recently.. need to check the brake fluid..
btw is there a general checkup that can be done in such situations?
would somethg have shown up on the 65k service?

thanks for all the inputs!

Tegger wrote:
> "blade" > wrote in news:1165876879.999403.3000@
> 73g2000cwn.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Was driving slow in stop-and-go traffic.. Suddenly the brake light
> > goes on on the dashboard.. I double checked the hand brake, hit
> > the brake pedal a couple of times (worried something was stuck)
> > but the car wouldn't move!
>
>
>
> You mean the brakes were locked on solid, and even taking your foot off
> the pedal didn't release them?
>
>
>
> > turning the ignition off-on fixed it (whew).
> > But it definitely raised some concerns.. I wonder if anyone has seen
> > anything similar and had some ideas.
>
>
>
> There is a TSB (03-078) that describes something similar to this.
>
> The fix involves replacing the "filter" inside the master cylinder
> reservoir. The "filter" is the loose cup inside the MC.
>
> Remove the MC cap, taking care to make sure no dirt drops inside. Remove
> the filter, place it into a VERY CLEAN Tupperware WITH a lid. Replace the
> MC cap. Now drive around for a while without the screen. Does the problem
> recur? Make 100% certain no dirt drops inside the MC while doing all this!
>
>
>
> --
> Tegger
>
> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"blade" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Was driving slow in stop-and-go traffic.. Suddenly the brake light
> goes on on the dashboard.. I double checked the hand brake, hit
> the brake pedal a couple of times (worried something was stuck)
> but the car wouldn't move! turning the ignition off-on fixed it (whew).
> But it definitely raised some concerns.. I wonder if anyone has seen
> anything similar and had some ideas..
> Some background: off late my car sounds different when idling..
> I had a stall as well while driving up an incline.. This time i was
> giving it enough gas to keep it moving forward slowly as opposed
> to the brake and then hit the gas to prevent it from rolling back..
> Was worried about my battery and got it checked, looks ok..
> thanks!
> 99 accord lx 65k miles.

If the car didn't move, and if you have ABS, that may have operated the
brakes,
and by turning off the ignition and starting back up, reset the system! Head
for your Honda dealer..that might happen on the freeway at 70 mph?>

nope, no abs on my car..
brake fluid level looks ok as well..

Andy & Carol wrote:
>
> If the car didn't move, and if you have ABS, that may have operated the
> brakes,
> and by turning off the ignition and starting back up, reset the system! Head
> for your Honda dealer..that might happen on the freeway at 70 mph?>

"blade" > wrote in
ps.com:

> thats the bizarre part about it.. i didnt have my foot on the gas
> or brake.. the car was inching forward and then suddenly it stopped.
> thats when i saw brake lamp lit..
> the manual says the brake system might need checking.
> i got my brake pads replaced not too long back and got an oil
> service done recently.. need to check the brake fluid..
> btw is there a general checkup that can be done in such situations?
> would somethg have shown up on the 65k service?


Just to clarify, would this be the ABS light or the normal Brake light?

And when you ay it "stopped", you mean the brakes locked on and wouldn't
release, or did the engine stall instead?


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Tegger wrote:
> "blade" > wrote in
> ps.com:
>
> > thats the bizarre part about it.. i didnt have my foot on the gas
> > or brake.. the car was inching forward and then suddenly it stopped.
> > thats when i saw brake lamp lit..
> > the manual says the brake system might need checking.
> > i got my brake pads replaced not too long back and got an oil
> > service done recently.. need to check the brake fluid..
> > btw is there a general checkup that can be done in such situations?
> > would somethg have shown up on the 65k service?
>
>
> Just to clarify, would this be the ABS light or the normal Brake light?
>
> And when you ay it "stopped", you mean the brakes locked on and wouldn't
> release, or did the engine stall instead?

it wasnt the ABS light (dont have ABS)..
car should have kept moving with the momentum it had had the engine
stalled right? also would the normal brake light go on in case of
stall.
finally like i said i had the engine stall on me once while i was going
up an incline in stop and go traffic.. i was stepping on the gas ever
so slightly to hold the car and a little more to move it up.. probably
not recommended but a smoother ride for the passengers..
i am worried as to why it stalled then? and if it is a sign of other
issues.

Tegger wrote:
> "blade" > wrote in
> ps.com:
>
> > thats the bizarre part about it.. i didnt have my foot on the gas
> > or brake.. the car was inching forward and then suddenly it stopped.
> > thats when i saw brake lamp lit..
> > the manual says the brake system might need checking.
> > i got my brake pads replaced not too long back and got an oil
> > service done recently.. need to check the brake fluid..
> > btw is there a general checkup that can be done in such situations?
> > would somethg have shown up on the 65k service?
>
>
> Just to clarify, would this be the ABS light or the normal Brake light?
>
> And when you ay it "stopped", you mean the brakes locked on and wouldn't
> release, or did the engine stall instead?

it wasnt the ABS light (dont have ABS)..
car should have kept moving with the momentum it had had the engine
stalled right? also would the normal brake light go on in case of
stall.
finally like i said i had the engine stall on me once while i was going
up an incline in stop and go traffic.. i was stepping on the gas ever
so slightly to hold the car and a little more to move it up.. probably
not recommended but a smoother ride for the passengers..
i am worried as to why it stalled then? and if it is a sign of other
issues.
thanks for your reply!

"blade" > wrote in
oups.com:

> Tegger wrote:

>>
>> And when you ay it "stopped", you mean the brakes locked on and
>> wouldn't release, or did the engine stall instead?
>
> it wasnt the ABS light (dont have ABS)..
> car should have kept moving with the momentum it had had the engine
> stalled right? also would the normal brake light go on in case of
> stall.



Ah, this is different! The car stalled, the brake light went on and the
car stopped, right? That's quite normal. The transmission dragged the
car to a stop, not the brakes.

You probably noticed the charge light also went on when the car stalled.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your brakes. You simply have a
stalling problem.

Why is your car stalling? That's an extremely difficult question to
answer without seeing the car.



> finally like i said i had the engine stall on me once while i was
> going up an incline in stop and go traffic.. i was stepping on the gas
> ever so slightly to hold the car and a little more to move it up..
> probably not recommended but a smoother ride for the passengers..
> i am worried as to why it stalled then? and if it is a sign of other
> issues.
>


How many times in total has it stalled on you this way?

Are there any error codes stored? Is the Check Engine light on?

How old are the plug wires? Distributor cap? Rotor?

If it's stalling repeatedly, you need to have a good Honda mechanic see
the car personally.




--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/