91 Accord brake light indicater goes on

A few times the brake warning light goes on when I start the car. The
brakes seem fine, fluid level is good, brake lights are working. The
light stays on until I turn the car off and on, and then the light is
off.

I read the other brake light question (on the CRV) but the filter
looks fine.

 

is it a honda master cylinder or a cheapo after-market one? if the
latter, the fluid level sensors are garbage and often give this trouble.
disconnect the sensor wires and monitor the fluid level visually.

 

Is it your parking brake switch? I had a bad connection on my '91
Accord which caused this same symptom.
Or, it could be the sensor in the master cylinder. Those are known to
be a little flaky unless the fluid is really high.

 

I don't know. It was replaced about 18 months ago but that is
apparently not the problem. I suspect that the light is on because a
brake light is actually out. I sent an idiot to check the lights when
I hit the brake and he said the lights were fine. But I just checked
myself and one light is indeed out.

It is, naturally, the light that gets water in it when it rains hard.
I'll have to do some work on it this weekend.

Thanks for the help. Sorry for wasting time on this.

 

4ax.com:

Replace the taillight gasket. It's making a poor seal and allowing water
in. You've likely got some corrosion in the affected sockets, so a bit of
work with some sandpaper would do you good.

 

Thanks. Plus I probably have to change the bulb.I have the gasket,
I've been meaning to change it for a few months. I tried once but
couldn't get the plastic off even after removing the four bolts. And
it is not the side with the key. I'll have to try again.

 

There are SIX nuts, not four! Look more carefully!

 

and use some dielectric grease to prevent more socket corrosion from
happening.

 

Good point. Ordinary white lithium grease works just fine, in case you have
that. Even Sil-Glyde silicone grease works.

 

No, there were only the four. This is the part on the trunk, not the
body of the car. I just kept pulling and it popped off. There was
something else holding it though that looked like it should have been
pushed to release but it came off anyway.

I got put on the new gasket and replaced the bulb, and the brake
warning light went away.

I didn't use any grease on the bulb though; the guy at the parts store
said that it really didn't need it. There wasn't much corrosion, I
think the bulb just went.

Now I just have to wait for it to rain and I'll find out if the gasket
fixed the leak. The old one was pretty dried out so I think that it's
a fix.

Thanks for the help.