Steve Kolenda Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 I have a 2000 R1100RT and have had some problems with the front brake switch (seems to stick in the on position). I'm wondering how far into the bike the connection to the wiring harness is. Does the Tupperware need to come off? Thanks in advance.
DrPaul Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 If the brake lever does not return completely to it's resting position, the swith may remain closed. Can you push the lever out and make the switch go off? If so, you either have grime around the lever pivot bolt or the master cylinder piston is binding (a rebuild is in your future). The switch itself may fail but I believe this is uncommon.
Steve Kolenda Posted May 3, 2009 Author Posted May 3, 2009 Paul, I think it is the switch. Yesterday I rode all day with the brake light on. When I got home I worked both the front and rear brake levers back and forth and was unable to get the light to turn off. After pulling the cover on the front brake lever I was able to manually activate and deactivate the switch several times which solved the problem at least temporarily. I loosened the two screws and rotated the switch in the direction of placing a little more pressure on the spring like activator. I suspect that there is possibly some dirt in or around the actual mechanical mechanism. My bike has 138,000 miles so there has been plenty of opportunity for some dirt to get in there. If the problem happens again I thought I would replace the switch.
eddd Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 I had a similiar problem on my '96. It wasn't the switch, but rather as Paul mentioned, it was a sticky master cylinder piston. I replace the seals and honed the cylinder and all was well. Here is a link to my post on the rebuild.
Steve Kolenda Posted May 3, 2009 Author Posted May 3, 2009 Correct me if I'm wrong but I would think that forcing the brake lever to the most returned position several times would have caused the light to go out. Are there any other signs of master cylinder rebuild being necessary? Would I see fluid leaking somewhere?
eddd Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Correct me if I'm wrong but I would think that forcing the brake lever to the most returned position several times would have caused the light to go out. Are there any other signs of master cylinder rebuild being necessary? Would I see fluid leaking somewhere? Yes, it most likely should have gone out. The need for a master cylinder rebuild is usually evident if you see some signs of corrosion on the outter surface of the cylinder. You may also feel a kind of crystal-like deposit. If you decide to take it a little further, the crystal-like deposits will be very evident when you pull back the rubber boot on the end of the cylinder. As for the switch itself, you have nothing to lose by trying some lubricating contact cleaner, which is available at places like Radio Shack.
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