General Warning light on dash
- Thread starter IAFYM
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General Warning light on dash
Check brake pads/shoes
Yup, My bet would be on a pad getting "thin". Not all of the pads are connected to the warning system so it's possible for one of the pads (2 per wheel) to be more worn than the one with the electrical connection but as long as the calipers are working correctly pads normally wear at roughly the same rate. The mechanism is pretty crude, usually just a "probe" on the pad itself which is connected to an electrical wire running back to the vehicle. When the pad wears down to the designed minimum acceptable thickness (commonly around a couple of millimeters) the end of the probe contacts the disc itself so earthing the connection and lighting up the light on the dash. It will often be intermittent, as you are witnessing, when first it makes contact. then as the pad continues to wear you'll find it comes on permanently. It's telling you to check the pads now before they wear through to the metal backing which will damage the discs.
My boy's Punto has drums on the rear and I don't remember seeing any sensors on them when last I serviced it. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a drum brake with sensors on the shoes? - but I stand ready to be corrected. So if your car has drum rears then it's almost certain to be a front brake which is the culprit. Of course it would be a good idea to whip the drums off for a look see although rear brakes normally wear down much more slowly than fronts.
Please do let us know what it turns out to be as this might help others with similar symptoms.
Front wear sensor on the punto is on the inner pad of the front off side calliper, there is no wear sensor on the near side.
[ame]https://youtu.be/-ckfnRZ2X_A[/ame]
Weirdly if you have rear discs on the punto they have wear sensors on both sides, so with front and rear disc brakes you get wear sensors on 3 wheels... Italian logic.
[ame]https://youtu.be/-ckfnRZ2X_A[/ame]
Weirdly if you have rear discs on the punto they have wear sensors on both sides, so with front and rear disc brakes you get wear sensors on 3 wheels... Italian logic.
Weird and wonderful. Very "Italian" couldn't see the Japs or Germans doing it this way? Brings a smile to my face.
Bernievarian
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The pad with the wear sensor has to be installed on the piston side !
That's the side that wears the fastest, the other side (usually outer) is pulled against the disk by reaction (the caliper slides in its holder) where it loose a bit of energy (friction on the sliders), enough to make a wear in-balance between both sides ...
BRs, Bernie
If someone here helped You fix -or better, understand- your issue, hit the thanks icon @ bottom right corner, it's free and makes us feel helpy ;-)
That's the side that wears the fastest, the other side (usually outer) is pulled against the disk by reaction (the caliper slides in its holder) where it loose a bit of energy (friction on the sliders), enough to make a wear in-balance between both sides ...
BRs, Bernie
If someone here helped You fix -or better, understand- your issue, hit the thanks icon @ bottom right corner, it's free and makes us feel helpy ;-)
