Brake pads light

[Rsnail]

Thank you guys but I can't imagine how the "tip" of the sensor can wear out, which tip are you talking about? There are only 2 plastic walls right and left next to a small metal piece, and with a small clip around the metal piece so that the sensor fits in, I can't imagine how the sensor itself would wear, isn't there a wire or a loop in the pad that actually wears out and that breaks the continuity of the circuit? Because otherwise I can't figure out how that works based on what I've seen

[FrenchMike]

Originally Posted by Rsnail

Thank you guys but I can't imagine how the "tip" of the sensor can wear out, which tip are you talking about? There are only 2 plastic walls right and left next to a small metal piece, and with a small clip around the metal piece so that the sensor fits in, I can't imagine how the sensor itself would wear, isn't there a wire or a loop in the pad that actually wears out and that breaks the continuity of the circuit? Because otherwise I can't figure out how that works

one pict is Worth thousand words



Mike

[Rsnail]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

It is just a loop in and out of the pad, of thin wire, close to the metal base of the pad. Once the pad wears down to the loop, it breaks the loop and the light comes on. A useful bit of test kit would be two old sensors from a worn out pad, with the two wire ends just shorted, so you can plug them in in place of the suspect sensors. If all is well with the rest of the wiring - the light should then go out immediately. You could instead, simply use a pair of new pads complete with sensors, just plugged into the black sockets.

Or even link the two pins of the black socket at a pinch.

Ok so if it is the loop of wire in the pad itself that wears down as I was thinking and not the actual sensor itself that wears down, then why do people say that when you change the pads you should change the senors too? What is the point if they are not the wearable part and can be reused?

[FrenchMike]

Originally Posted by Rsnail

Ok so if it is the loop of wire in the pad itself that wears down as I was thinking and not the actual sensor itself that wears down, then why do people say that when you change the pads you should change the senors too? What is the point if they are not the wearable part and can be reused?

[Phill_190]

Sometimes if i hit a pot hole my pad indicator comes on once the car is turned off and restarted later on the warning has gone until the next pothole sets it off!

[FrenchMike]

Originally Posted by Phill_190

Sometimes if i hit a pot hole my pad indicator comes on once the car is turned off and restarted later on the warning has gone until the next pothole sets it off!

Surely a poor conection somewhere in the circuits front /rear

see preferably connector's pins

[raykay]

Originally Posted by Rsnail

What is the point if they are not the wearable part and can be reused?

As in FrenchMike's picture. The sensor clips in to the pad, and as the pad wears away, so does the tip of the sensor, and eventually reaches the point where the wire loop in it is also worn away away and breaks the circuit, switching the warning light on.
Which is why a sensor cannot be reused once it has been worn away and the circuit broken.

[crazy frog]

Deductively coincidence aside. If you have been tinkering under the bonnet have you disturbed a connector or snagged the wire.
I once had a bent pin inside the connector not making contact, but the black plastic connector fitted together on its guides ok. 10 mins of head scratching then looked inside and saw the bent pin. Straightened it out with plastic tweezers

[Rsnail]

Took yesterday a look at the whole cabling system and couldn't find a problem, the pads are still 10mm thick botf front and rear, the sensors are not worn, but I know that the problem comes from the front because I bent a small metal bobby pin and stuck it inside the front loom comimg from the car's sensor connection to make the circuit closed again. I can only think of a front sensor problem, because the pad is good, and the connection from the car's end to the sensor connection is also fine because otherwise when inserting the bobby pin the connection wouldn't have gone closed thus the warning light disappearing

[mystabe]

Originally Posted by Jim Jamieson

Brake pads sensors are useless IMO

On my last three cars I've looped them out. It's a simple job, just unplug the sensor, cut the wires short of the plug, bare both ends and solder them together then either tape the bare end up or use heat shrink.

BTW on my Jaguar XF the brake pad indicator came on when I had approx 50% of pad wear left. Mind you my local Jaguar Stealer said they were worn 90% six months earlier.

I've had this problem for a while now after the light popped on after driving over a pothole, I tried all the previously mentioned ways to fix it but the light stayed on I'd learned to live with it but it's annoying at night because the IPK screen is always lit - I had wondered if you could bypass the circuit......so guess what I will be doing