Technical Can you help? Brake pad sensor fault

[mark76dee]

We have a 53 jtd115 elx. It has had loads of (very expensive) problems so far, but strangely we still love it!

Now it has developed a fault on the brake pad level sensor.
The dash light flickers randomly, probably in time with road noise, and the very loud very irritating alarm goes off every few seconds.
I swear, the distraction is going to cause an accident!

The garage which recently replaced the front discs and pads said that the sensor is bust and have offered to replace it foc.
This could take a while though.

In the mean time is there any way to disconnect the sensor at the wheel?
If so, where is it? I read on here that it's just one sensor at NSF.
Will disconnecting it stop the alarm repeating itself every few seconds?

Thanks in advance!

 

[kentishbloke]

the sensor is built into the brake pads, so not sure how the people who replaced the pads can say the sensor is faulty...
More likely, the wire that plugs in to the sensor can get a bit brittle and lose insulation, so that where it rubs against any of the bodywork it creates a circuit and sets off the sensors. It would explain why it goes in time with road noise or bumps.
Two wires come off the front calipers, one is the ABS sensor wire and the other is the wear sensor wire. I'm pretty sure the ABS one is thicker. get a roll of insulating tape and get stuck in, I'd say

 

[mark76dee]

Thanks, will give it a go this evening and report back!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

bit slow with a reply here...

my Multi did this in France last year, initially just flickering the light, then fully on and beeping, then was fine for a while and eventually beeped all the time (during long autoroute trip). I knew the pads (with the sensor built in) were fine.

All the 'sensor' is is a bit of metal buried in the pad which, once the pads wear down, 'shorts out' the circuit via the disc. (So not sure what your mechanic proposes to replace...) What had happened to mine was that the wire to the pad (which runs round behind the wheel and connects to the inner pad of the left hand wheel) had been rubbing on the wheel or the disc and the insulation had worn away, so shorting out and falsely reporting pad failure. I simply cut the wire a bit further up! (Make very sure to cut the pad wire, not the ABS wiring) I will (but haven't yet) put a replacement length of wire in, using crimp-on bullet connectors to fit the new bit in.

 

[exciton]

Hi All,

Also just had this fault come up on my Multi. Exactly the same explanation as above. Basically wire from NSF brake pad must have broken and the free part was rubbing against the brake disc and shorting causing the sensor alarm. I just taped the wire up out of the way. Not sure what caused it but judging by the amount of insulating tape all over the wires then it looks as if the garage who changed the pads a year or so ago must have had problems/bodged it somehow and whatever the official connector between the pad wire and sensor cable was is now missing!

Does anyone have a photo showing the correct routing of the wires etc? I guess it does not really matter but I imagine that my set up must have put additional strain causing the break.

Cheers
Mark

 

[mark76dee]

Been away camping and not had chance to whip the wheels off yet.
It stayed silent all the way there but started up again driving us all mad on the way home!
Tomorrow after work weather permitting....