Repairs needed for safety cert.

[Ben Geller]

I went to get a safety cert. done on my trac last night and here's what they say I need.



- Brake indicator light fail (light on dash when ebrake is on is not working)

- Right outer tie rod loose

- Both front sway bar link ends missing



Here are my questions...



Indicator light not working.

I assume it would be the switch on the ebrake pedal or the electrical connection behind the brake pedal that has failed or dirty? Or, When you first start the trac is that one of the lights that come on prior to start because mine doesn't. Can someone check that for me please?



Tie Rod is pretty self explanatory...

Change the tie rod and should be good. Mark with marker, unscrew, then install new one to that point? Is an alignment mandatory after this?



front sway bar end links...

Now this is the one I have never had any experience with. What needs to be done here? Is this a big issue or simple fix? Anyone have a picture of what and where this would be?



Unfortunately I need to sell my trac due to an expanding family, so quick, cheap fixes are the way i'm looking to go. If I was keeping the trac i'd be going all out!



Thanks in advance!

Ben

 

[Mark K 2]

Both front sway bar end links missing? How the hell did that happen?

 

[Ben Geller]

I have no idea. I looked under the truck and didn't see anything that looked wrong.



Does anyone have a pic of what they should look like?

 

[Todd Z]

This should help... SEE link...



Todd Z

 

[Ben Geller]

That's them. Actually lack there of. Neither are there, no remnants of them either. Weird. It's almost as if someone forgot to re-install them after some service work. :sad:

 

[Todd Z]

They are known to break and fly off.....



Cheep to fix, about 12 bucks.....



Todd Z

 

[Ben Geller]

Thanks Todd.



Now that i've got your attention.. Any idea on the brake indicator light not coming on when the ebrake is pressed? Switch on back of peddle?

 

[Doctor CAD]

It is NOT an E brake indicator, although it doubles as one.



IT IS A FAULT WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM INDICATOR. If that light is lit YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM. Kinda like the oil light, if it is on you are in trouble.



It is vital that you have it working correctly.

 

[David Ponder]

FFS, I have an 01 also. I went and checked. The brake light, (Near left turn light) will not light up with the key in the on position, and E-brake off. It WILL light up momentarily as you rotate the key from the "on" position to the "start" position.



That said, MY Trac is not lighting up the E-brake light either. I will check it this weekend when I have time, but it looks like a simple one wire switch that applies ground when the E-brake is pressed. I'll post again when I have time to look further into it. May be a bad ground on the switch.



Also, It is VERY odd that both end links are missing. As Todd said, they can break and fall off, however when one breaks, it releaves the pressure on the other one, so it would not normally have broken off too. Very Strange indeed.

 

[Todd Z]

There is a switch on the mechanism.. I bet it is almost just dirty and can be cleaned... OR the wire is off it...



Todd Z

 

[Ben Geller]

Thanks for all the help guys. I kind of assumed it would be a connection or something. I'm at work, so can't look until later. Ive been doing some more research and this seems to be a common issue. Although when I start it up, I dont even get the quick little flash of the light.



Doctor... I know. As I stated "Brake indicator light fail" I know that this light is for low brake fluid, etc. I called it an ebrake indicator because when I apply my ebrake, the light is NOT coming on. If I had a light on, I would be happy. lol.



This site is great.:haveabeer: