I'm trying to tackle a few issues I've been having with my 2002 4300 HST. For a couple of years my parking brake light has been stuck on... but I can guarantee the brake is NOT on
I realize there are cases where the brake is stuck but this is not one of them. Yesterday I took the plastic panels off the dash/console to give it a good inspection. My throttle had been leaking down so my main goal was to find and tighten the throttle so it would stop leaking down (success there!)
Anyway, with the panel off I'm 99% certain I found the switch that controls the parking brake light. It kinda works backwards in that the light is supposed to be activated when the pedal is depressed and the "plunger" is released away from the switch mechanism??? Anyway, I can't think of anything else this could be. With the panel off I set the parking brake which let off the switch arm. Then, with the tractor running I manually worked the switch arm on and off. It made the clicking noise you'd expect but no change to the light. I tapped on it a little, and stood on my left foot, but still nothing. Changed to the right foot and still nothing
I did the usual and followed the wiring harness. Checked the connections / removed / inspected / reinstalled. No change.
I'm just wondering if anyone with a lot more experience with the electrical side of this thing could tell me if there is anything other than this switch that it could be. I can also tell you that around the same time (can't say with 100% certainty because I rarely used it) the cruise control stopped working. I was thinking there must be some kind of safety mechanism that would prevent cruise control operation with the parking brake activated (sounds reasonable).
Here is a picture of the switch I'm referring to. The pedal is in the non-depressed position which puts it into contact with the switch arm (as you can see).
I haven't tried removing the switch and giving it a good cleansing as I was running out of daylight. I found a replacement switch for $24 online and if you guys think this is likely the culprit it may be worth it to just replace it.
I realize there are cases where the brake is stuck but this is not one of them. Yesterday I took the plastic panels off the dash/console to give it a good inspection. My throttle had been leaking down so my main goal was to find and tighten the throttle so it would stop leaking down (success there!)Anyway, with the panel off I'm 99% certain I found the switch that controls the parking brake light. It kinda works backwards in that the light is supposed to be activated when the pedal is depressed and the "plunger" is released away from the switch mechanism??? Anyway, I can't think of anything else this could be. With the panel off I set the parking brake which let off the switch arm. Then, with the tractor running I manually worked the switch arm on and off. It made the clicking noise you'd expect but no change to the light. I tapped on it a little, and stood on my left foot, but still nothing. Changed to the right foot and still nothing
I did the usual and followed the wiring harness. Checked the connections / removed / inspected / reinstalled. No change.
I'm just wondering if anyone with a lot more experience with the electrical side of this thing could tell me if there is anything other than this switch that it could be. I can also tell you that around the same time (can't say with 100% certainty because I rarely used it) the cruise control stopped working. I was thinking there must be some kind of safety mechanism that would prevent cruise control operation with the parking brake activated (sounds reasonable).
Here is a picture of the switch I'm referring to. The pedal is in the non-depressed position which puts it into contact with the switch arm (as you can see).
I haven't tried removing the switch and giving it a good cleansing as I was running out of daylight. I found a replacement switch for $24 online and if you guys think this is likely the culprit it may be worth it to just replace it.
