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General 100hp Insufficient brake fluid do not proceed!

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General 100hp Insufficient brake fluid do not proceed!

Murano16v

Murano16v

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Except that there is plenty of the stuff. Could not top up as already full. Anyone had this warning. Just came on all of a sudden as I was tanking along on the motorway.
I did proceed of course, but checked as soon as possible.
 
This is (I suspect) the rubber on the inside of the cap falling down and interfering with the float which measures the brake fluid level. It happened to Lloyd71 in his 500 and as I mentioned in that same thread the same thing happened in the wifes Legacy. Hope that helps :)
 
306maxi said:
This is (I suspect) the rubber on the inside of the cap falling down and interfering with the float which measures the brake fluid level. It happened to Lloyd71 in his 500 and as I mentioned in that same thread the same thing happened in the wifes Legacy. Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...

There is a rubber cone type thing in the small reservoir, but can't see what its meant to do. It just sort of sits there in there amongst the brake fluid. Can't see anything that looks like a float. There is a larger reservoir to the right of the engine bay. No rubber thing in this and is full of fluid.
 
Push the cone back up, that's where it's meant to be, not sure how they measure the fluid level in the Fiat but in the Subaru it's a float sort of thing. Like I said though, push it back up and all will be fine :)
 
Murano16v said:
There is a rubber cone type thing in the small reservoir, but can't see what its meant to do. It just sort of sits there in there amongst the brake fluid. Can't see anything that looks like a float. There is a larger reservoir to the right of the engine bay. No rubber thing in this and is full of fluid.
Click to expand...
The small reservoir on the driver's side is for the clutch (only) -- only the RHD Pandas get a hydraulic clutch, so its not mentioned in the handbook. The rubber cone in there is the seal to keep moisture out. There is no level sensor on this little reservoir.

The brake fluid is in the bigger container on the passenger side. Unlike some cars (such as mentioned in previous answers) the wiring and float is not on the cap but actually connected to the bottom of the reservoir. Check the plug is attached here and that the wires to it have not broken where the go into the plug. So long as the fluid is between the min and max marks, all should be well. But if the warning stays on (and red light on dash too) then there must be something wrong with the float -- either obstructed as in 306maxi's reply, or broken - which I suspect is new reservoir territory?
 
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Herts Hillhopper said:
The small reservoir on the driver's side is for the clutch (only) -- only the RHD Pandas get a hydraulic clutch, so its not mentioned in the handbook. The rubber cone in there is the seal to keep moisture out. There is no level sensor on this little reservoir.

The brake fluid is in the bigger container on the passenger side. Unlike some cars (such as mentioned in previous answers) the wiring and float is not on the cap but actually connected to the bottom of the reservoir. Check the plug is attached here and that the wires to it have not broken where the go into the plug. So long as the fluid is between the min and max marks, all should be well. But if the warning stays on (and red light on dash too) then there must be something wrong with the float -- either obstructed as in 306maxi's reply, or broken - which I suspect is new reservoir territory?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I have checked the wiring connection by disconnecting and reconnecting. Can't see how the float would be damaged at only 5000 miles as surely it does not have to do much, but anyway, I guess the only answer is a trip to the dealer.
 
Had a closer look, and one of the wires has just snapped off right at the end of the connector, which leaves only about half an inch of wire before it disappears into the loom. So difficult to repair.
Spoken to a dealer ( SGM ) who tells me that wiring is not covered on the 3rd year warranty. This on a car that has only covered 5500 miles and has not had a single warranty claim made against it. Anyone know if I'm being told the truth or bu*****t?
 
Murano16v said:
Had a closer look, and one of the wires has just snapped off right at the end of the connector, which leaves only about half an inch of wire before it disappears into the loom
Click to expand...
That's what I thought you'd find. Others have had same problem with wires to the reverse light switch, and on my Multipla, a similar problem stopped the horn working.

Unwind some of the tape covering the loom and you can reach more wire. Then with a combination of heat shrink sleeving and a soldering iron you can repair by adding in a new section. But, you will need a new plug too. See if you can locate an auto electrician local to you to do this for you.

Seems the weight of the 'protection' on the loom is too much for the very thin wires Fiat use on the Panda
 
Herts Hillhopper said:
That's what I thought you'd find. Others have had same problem with wires to the reverse light switch, and on my Multipla, a similar problem stopped the horn working.

Unwind some of the tape covering the loom and you can reach more wire. Then with a combination of heat shrink sleeving and a soldering iron you can repair by adding in a new section. But, you will need a new plug too. See if you can locate an auto electrician local to you to do this for you.

Seems the weight of the 'protection' on the loom is too much for the very thin wires Fiat use on the Panda
Click to expand...

The wires are incredibly thin as you say. Also there is absolutely no slack whatsoever, and I guess with movement and vibration it's surprising it lasted as long as it did. Most certainly poor assembly/design, and I may take it up with Fiat or simply attempt a repair myself. Either way I'm not paying Fiats hourly rates to get it fixed.
 
Mine has been doing this on and off for a year or so. Had to silence the buzzer! As you can see from the image it's down to the purple cable here degrading and coming away from the plug. From this morning the brake warning light is now on permanently as the cable has finally broken away.

Not sure if this is repairable without replacing the sensor itself also.
 

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Strip back the wire, solder on a new length and protect with heat shrink sleeve. You may need a new connector block but the contact pins can be removed with a jeweler's screwdriver to release the retaining tag.

The new wires should be made long enough for the joints to be supported with zip ties so it doesn't fracture where the solder ends.

An auto electrician would do it for not much money.
 
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