I replaced the rear brakes on my 06 RKC today. Took me all of 15 minutes and all was well. Everything tightened up, turned the ignition on, capped the master cyl and pumped the rear brake. All good. However- no brake light.

Weird.

Brake light functional with the lever, no go with the pedal. Can say 99.9% sure it was fine prior to the pad change.

I jumped the rear switch, brake light illuminated. Heading to HD to grab a switch tomorrow and see what happens,

did i miss something?

also, it’s a hydraulic switch. What are the chances of me being able to swap it out and not having to bleed the brakes?

 

You did the proper trouble shooting to identify the rear brake switch as the culprit. before replacing the pads, did you just squeeze the pistons back into the caliper or open the bleed screw to let the fluid in the caliper out? If you pushed the old fluid back into the brake line, there may be a chunk of dirt plugging the port in the rear brake light switch. Replacing the switch without bleeding the brake line opens you up to another piece of crud plugging the new switch. Bleed the rear system before you replace the switch and then again after. The second time is to get rid of any air that might sneak in to the open switch fitting. No shortcuts with brakes.

 

I did not open the line when compressing the pistons.

 

I guess I do a quick bleed before I buy a switch

 

AND after replacing the switch. You don't want any air in the line.

 

Not so much as a drip from the switch. Boom... back in action for $23. Kind of odd that the switch went bad when I replaced the pads.... either way, total detail and I’m back in action


not bad for an old-*** 2006

 

A drop does not need to come out for air to get in, but if the brake feels solid, you are probably OK. Your bike, your choice.

 

I take it you mean you replaced the brake pads? When doing that you should always IMHO also bleed your brakes. Simply pressing the pads back in is not good practice. Before you spend any money sort out your hydraulic fluid and test again.

 

Glad it worked out for you.
Also - bleed is one thing, flush is another.
I prefer flushing my brake systems, bikes, autos, whatever. With my Mity Vac, it does not "Over Stroke" the master cylinder and keeps older systems from forcing the plunger over the "Ridge" that often leads to more problems. After all, all it costs is brake fluid, and brake fluid is pretty cheap...

 

I’ve been compressing caliper pistons since I was 15. I’ve had exactly 1 cause an issue.

Either way- all is well!