WEBVTT - What do the brake warning lights mean in my car?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from house stuff works dot com

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<v Speaker 1>where smart happens. Hi Am Marshall Brain with today's question,

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<v Speaker 1>what do the break warning lights mean in my car?

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<v Speaker 1>Most cars have one or two break warning lights on

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<v Speaker 1>the dashboard. When you first start the car, all the

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<v Speaker 1>lights on the dashboard should light up. This is the

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<v Speaker 1>bulb check. They should go out in a few seconds.

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<v Speaker 1>If a light doesn't go out, then your car is

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<v Speaker 1>trying to tell you that there's a problem. If a

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<v Speaker 1>light does not light during the bulb check, it tells

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<v Speaker 1>you that you need to replace the bulb. Your car

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<v Speaker 1>illuminates the brake light to indicate one of two things.

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<v Speaker 1>Either your emergency brake is on and you release it

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<v Speaker 1>to solve the problem, or that you have lost break

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<v Speaker 1>pressure in half of the brake system. The brake system

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<v Speaker 1>is divided into two parts, each part trolling two wheels.

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<v Speaker 1>The goal is to lower the risk of a complete

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<v Speaker 1>brake failure. If one half of the brake system loses pressure,

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<v Speaker 1>the light comes on. Releasing your emergency brake is easy enough,

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<v Speaker 1>but what should you do If you've lost break pressure?

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<v Speaker 1>You should slowly and calmly pull over and stop. If

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<v Speaker 1>the brake system is completely failed, you'll have to use

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<v Speaker 1>the emergency brake for breaking. If the light stays on,

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<v Speaker 1>it means that the pressure on that one side of

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<v Speaker 1>the brake system is lower than on the other. There

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<v Speaker 1>are a couple of reasons why this could happen. There

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<v Speaker 1>could be a leak in one part of the system

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<v Speaker 1>making it impossible for one part of the system to

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<v Speaker 1>hold any pressure, or the hydraulic fluid could be low,

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<v Speaker 1>probably because of a leak. In either case, you should

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<v Speaker 1>have the car repaired before you try driving it again.

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<v Speaker 1>Cars with anti lock brakes have an amber or yellow

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<v Speaker 1>warning light which usually says ABS. If this light stays

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<v Speaker 1>illuminated after the bulb check, it means that there's a

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<v Speaker 1>problem with the anti lock braking system. The A B

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<v Speaker 1>S controller, which is a computer, will disable the system

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<v Speaker 1>and your brake should function as if you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>A B S. In other words, they'll work fine, but

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<v Speaker 1>you won't have the anti skid properties. In this case,

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<v Speaker 1>you can safely drive the cargo. A mechanic for service

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<v Speaker 1>for more on this and thousands of other topics. Is

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<v Speaker 1>It How Stuff Works dot Com