Brake Pad Wear Indicator

2001 Modena

The red brake light in the instrument cluster flickers, which indicates worn pads and / or low fluid level. It is neither in this case, because the pads are only a few thousand miles old and the brake reservoir is full. That leaves wire connections as being suspect.

Four questions:

1 - Can the sensors that clip into the brake pads go bad?

2 - What is the illegible word between LEVEL and CHECK in the attached picture?

3 - What does pressing the orange button do ... force the dashboard light to turn on as a circuit check?

4- Has anyone needed to replace the white and yellow reservoir cap assembly?
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There's a float under the cap that rides on top of the fluid. It's possible that yours is faulty.

 

1- I've seen it happen on other marques, albeit quite infrequently.

2- I'm guessing "INDICATOR" because... (See answer to 3)

3- Yes.

4- You do.

 

I tested the cap in a glass of water and the float floats. I also jumpered the wires connecting to the white portion of the cap, but the red light on the dashboard did not come on.

 

Makes sense, but I can't push the button and see the instrument cluster at the same time. I'll ask Pit Lizard to sit in the driver's seat for me.

 

Andy, what happens when the wires are disconnected from the cap but not jumped? It's possible that the circuit is designed with those contacts normally closed so that the warning light comes on when the fluid is low and/or the contacts in the cap are bad.

Tell the lovely PL hello for me.

 

I disconnected the two wires from the cap then drive home from work ... brake light still flickered, suggesting to me it is one of the four pad sensors (or wiring, oh joy) at fault.

Roger that, to PL. We went to COTA for the Ferrari Challenge and it certainly brought back some track memories.

 

Isn't there a separate warning light for the pads? I forget-- it's been a while since I've been in a 360.

I even still have a track car but it's still been way too long since I've been at the track. One of my longtime coaching clients even offered to let me drive his race car a couple of weeks ago but I begged off due to the heat. Getting older sucks. Hope I'll run across you guys at a Challenge event one of these days. It'd be great to see you both again.

 

The instrument brake light is common to the wear sensors and the fluid reservoir.

Ditto, ditto!

 

The brake pad sensor wiggled out of the backing plate and got yanked off by the rotor. Exposed wires were making intermittent contact, thus the flickering red BRAKE light in the instrument cluster.
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