hey guys when i brake half the time my emergancy/ parking break light will come on but the parking break is not engaged does any body know what that means, and also i am loosing coolant but have no leaks i go through the amount in the overflow tank every mounth is that normal?

 

Make sure that your parking brake pedal is all the way up when you release it. It should come all the way up and hit the rubber stop when released. There should also be a slight amount of slack in the brake cable that runs under the driver side of the cab at that time too. If the pedal isn't coming all the way up, try setting and releasing the parking brake about three times to see if it comes all the way up. On your coolant loss, no it's not normal. You shouldn't be loosing any. If you can't see any coolant puddles under the truck then it's probably going out the exhaust which could be either a bad head gasket or cracked head. Might even be an intake leak. Look at the engine oil dip stick to see if it's extra full or foamy or has a green or yellow color in it. Take a good look around the engine on the sides below the heads and around the water pump and hoses for trails of fluid. Also look around the radiator and all the hoses for leaks. Then do a pressure test of the radiator with a pressure tester from an auto parts store. Once you have the pressure pumped up to the pressure printed on your radiator cap you might be able to see a leak in one of those places. You can also check the radiator cap to see if it is holding the pressure it is rated for. Usually around 15 to 17 pounds. You'll need to do this test when the engine is cool so when you open the radiator cap hot fluid won't spray out. Check for dark streaks of liquid in the coolant which could be engine oil. Check to see if water keeps dripping from the tail pipe even after the engine has been warmed up for a good while. This could be where it's going. Tell us what year your truck is and how many miles it has and what engine? Let us know what you find.

 

On the brake light coming on when applying the brakes, this usually indicates a low level in the brake master cylinder reservoir. So check it ASAP & if low top it off with the specified Motorcraft fluid.

It's a good idea for us to to get in the habit of pulling the hood & checking ALL of our under hood fluid levels at every gas fill up!!!!

The brake system doesn't use fluid doing it's thing, so either your brake pads/shoes are really worn, which will cause the master cylinder brake fluid level to drop over time, or maybe you have a fluid leak.

On the engine coolant consumption question, it's certainly not normal for the overflow tank level to dop that much in that amount of time from something like evaporation.

So without more clues, like external leak signs, I agree with Rangerman Stan, it sounds like the engine may be consuming the coolant & thats not good for a number of things, from engine bearings, to O2 sensors, to cat converters, so you need to look into this pronto.

I'd do, or have a coolant system pressure test done as Stan has suggested & have the radiator cap tested also.

Following the tests & signs that Rangerman Stan outlined should get you close to the coolant leak source.

Let us know what you find.

Edit: Also might be helpful to know which engine you have, how many miles on it & where you are on past & present due scheduled maintenance items.

 

i have the 3.0L with about 26000 miles on it and no major problems besides those 2