[Spazdan]

Hey Fellow Zookers!

Have a bit of a curly one for the brains trust.

I have a 2000 Grand Vitara made into a rally car we use to do fundraising rallies with under the Road Boss Rally banner.

Lately i have been chasing what sounded like a miss in the engine at times and the engine seemed low on power. I did notice the handbrake light was on all the time but this was the only warning light that shows up on the dash.

So after replacing spark plugs and coils i went for a drive to see if the miss was still there. It was at times and still seemed low on power. As I was driving, i was playing with the handbrake lever trying to get the light to go off (as i thought it was the switch playing up) but found when pulling the handbrake up the light would get brighter and then go duller when the handbrake lever went down again.

So this makes me think this is another warning light rather than just the hand brake. Reading the manual, it says that it can also come on if the brake fluid level is low. Checked the level and its 3/4 of the way to full mark so all ok.

Just took the car to the corner store and noticed that the light is no longer on, and now the car goes like a cut snake again!!! So much more fun to drive when the light is not on!

So getting to the question, Does anyone know what else this light could mean and why would it cause the engine to be in a de-rated kind of mode....

Thanks for your help guys - i have 20 days to sort this out before off on another rally in NSW.... Nothing like leaving it to the last minute!!!

[BlazeOrbit]

A possible electrical issue greater than it appears could be at hand if the handbrake light malfunctions thereby affecting how the engine operates, perhaps a grounding problem. Occasionally, when the vehicle detects malfunctions, such as problems with the braking system, it may go into a “limp mode.” The fact that everything is okay with the car now that the light is off means that there may have been just a bad contact or coincidence. Regardless, I would advise checking the wiring on the handbrake again and, if possible, looking for any stored codes in the ECU. I hope everything goes well with the rally – there’s no better feeling than being able to fix something at the last moment!

[Gwagensteve]

I was going to say the same thing. This has nothing to do with diagnostics. I would put money that there is no connection at all between the ECU and the brake system warning lights.

My guess is also a grounding problem.

[Spazdan]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.