Brake Pad Sensor

O

oo7ml

Active member
Hi, the handbrake light turns to from red to amber when i release the handbrake which. My pads and brake fluid are all fine so it seems like the sensor is faulty... which i was told was a common problem on BMWs today.

Has anyone ever had their Brake Pad Sensor replaced?
 
for the low cost of them, I changed both when I replaced my front and rear discs and pads...

never had any fail mind you, I have on my Audi, not any BM I've had (3 of)
 
Brake pad sensors are easy to change, but the amber light indicates low fluid, not worn pads, so if the fluid is fine, the LEVEL sensor is possibly at fault, or a bad wiring connection.
 
Someone in another recent thread had a similar problem. They cleaned around their front ABS sensors and checked the connections and the light went away. Makes no sense to me, but easy enough to do, so worth a go. YMMV.
 
Take off the front wheels. One side has 3 cables going to the brake callipers, the other 2. One is obviously the brake hydraulic line. The odd one on one side only is the pad sensor. What's left is the ABS sensor cable. Be sure there is no debris between the sensor end and the disc rotor. Check the connection at the inner wing for signs of corrosion or damage.

There are rear sensors also, but the sensor end is buried in the axle bearing assembly so unlikely to collect debris. It's worth checking the connection though.
 
oo7ml said:
The fluid is fine, so must be faulty sensor
Click to expand...

Hi,
you could also eliminate the brake fluid low level sensor from your diagnosis by pulling off the connection at the sensor...I think it's normally open line and closes when low on fluid, so if you pull it off it will be open line...If the light goes off then you know !

Of course it could be normally closed in which case you'll have to bridge the 2 connections to see what happens(I don't have a wiring diagram )
Maybe someone has ??
 
The WDS indicates it is normally open, so unplugging should remove the error, but I would still do as fixit man suggests and see what happens with the contacts bridged as well. The more information the better. :thumbsup:
 
Changed my brake pad sensor this morning,15 min job no special tools needed,take off left front wheel. PS use a headtorch or handlamp under there the sensor cable plug has a press in retaining clip,easily missed.
 
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