Help.... Warning light

[MontysMaverick]

Hi, am I right in thinking the red light, with the ( ! ) symbol, comes on if brake fluid is low, and at a guess until I check, it may come on if it thinks there is no vacuum in the brake sevo, either there is no pressure, or the switch/sensor is disconnected. But not certain, most other cars do this.

To check the servo, with engine off press brake several times, this will empty the servo.
Press lightly on the brake and as you start the engine the pedel should go down a little if its working.


Re fault codes, we don't have fault codes on the 2.7TD, so it's not that.
Hand brake light is seperate, and operated by a switch under the handbrake next to the adjuster. Hope this helps,
Best regards, Rustic

Hand brake light is seperate, and operated by a switch under the handbrake next to the adjuster.

Is this inside near the handbarke or outside ????????

 

[rustic]

Rustic yes yes you are right ref servo but all is fine with that and I am sure this light is for brake fluid level ONLY but have just looked at the manual sent by Briggie and I read it as on pg 81 that the brake fluid level and parking brake are on the same circuit which makes me think that the post about checking the handbrake parking switches underneath the motor is worth a look, but where is the handbrake switch, ???

Read my post again, handbrake switch is under hand brake lever with the brake adjuster,
But if yours is the TD then it operates the red lamp to the left of your light.

 

[MontysMaverick]

my manual say brake fluid low

handbrake switch is normally under the handbrake and is just a little plunger switch

does the handbrake lght still function properly

Yes no problem with handbrake light

 

[kbekl]

right just had a look its on page 88 and the wire is 46 y/b

its a swing arm switch so either have a bit of crap in the resi or the arm has got lodged in place or going to ground

have a look inside the resi with fluid taken out

as its a swing are it will only come on it it make contact with the internal contact or it is making its own contact elsewhere its need to be grounded out to come on then you have a bare wire touching the body or engine

 

[MontysMaverick]

right just had a look its on page 88 and the wire is 46 y/b

its a swing arm switch so either have a bit of crap in the resi or the arm has got lodged in place or going to ground

have a look inside the resi with fluid taken out

as its a swing are it will only come on it it make contact with the internal contact or it is making its own contact elsewhere its need to be grounded out to come on then you have a bare wire touching the body or engine

Karl I think your on the right tracks here, but the garage tested and found that if you disconnect the wires near the reservoir and jumped the 2 terminals (which should make the light go out nothing happened :doh:doh
But if the wire goes into the loom and touches earth somewhere then the light will come on and not go off, This is what worries me as I dont fancy stripping the loom back and tracing all the wires back to the light, If this has happened then its got to be coincidence, BUT i feel that since the reservoir is up top and the front pipe is down below then it would make sense to start underneath first, Question is "where do I start"?????

 

[clivvy]

ive read the posts, but have we actually figured out what the light actually means? take a pic for me,. I have a tdi but i have the owners manual for a TD, so this explains what the lights are for....or are you clear on this part??

 

[kbekl]

Karl I think your on the right tracks here, but the garage tested and found that if you disconnect the wires near the reservoir and jumped the 2 terminals (which should make the light go out nothing happened :doh:doh
But if the wire goes into the loom and touches earth somewhere then the light will come on and not go off, This is what worries me as I dont fancy stripping the loom back and tracing all the wires back to the light, If this has happened then its got to be coincidence, BUT i feel that since the reservoir is up top and the front pipe is down below then it would make sense to start underneath first, Question is "where do I start"?????

it could be that the wire was tugged and scraped along a sharp edge whilst doing the work but most likely not related and is just a coincidence

cant find it on the wiring diagrams so you have 2 options you can trace the wire and find the fault (the best way)

or you can make a new wire for it, but then you don't know if their is an underlying problem

 

[kbekl]

ive read the posts, but have we actually figured out what the light actually means? take a pic for me,. I have a tdi but i have the owners manual for a TD, so this explains what the lights are for....or are you clear on this part??

its the red (!) next to the handbrake light

 

[clivvy]

ok, so, in a diesel, it two meanings. illuminated whilst driving is low brake fluid-top up and have brakes checked. second is no brake booster vacuum. So, they knocked something to do with the brakes, so id be checking the connector to the reservoir again, and trace the wire back. Id also check the brake lines on the calipers....

 

[MontysMaverick]

ok, so, in a diesel, it two meanings. illuminated whilst driving is low brake fluid-top up and have brakes checked. second is no brake booster vacuum. So, they knocked something to do with the brakes, so id be checking the connector to the reservoir again, and trace the wire back. Id also check the brake lines on the calipers....

Clivvy, Thanks but....3 mechanics have been pouring over this for nearly 1.1/2 hrs and theyve done all that youve said but still the damn things ON, the problem is that the connector on the brake reservoir is only 7/8 inches long and then it disappears into the loom and is gone, its had contact cleaner on it and wiggled about and everything other than a puff on a Rothmans :lol :lol :lol
It really has got me (and them ) stumped :doh :doh :doh
Again thanks, Clivvy, keep thinking as Im sure someone will hit on why its like it is :thumbs :thumbs :thumbs

 

[MontysMaverick]

it could be that the wire was tugged and scraped along a sharp edge whilst doing the work but most likely not related and is just a coincidence

cant find it on the wiring diagrams so you have 2 options you can trace the wire and find the fault (the best way)

or you can make a new wire for it, but then you don't know if their is an underlying problem

Karl Have a look at pg 81 in the manual that briggie has listed on here and let me know what you think :thumbs :thumbs :thumbs

 

[rustic]

Did the exhaust fitters use welding equipment to either replace a stud or to errode a stud, as the front pipe is difficult to replace without sheering a stud?

 

[macabethiel]

Red brake warning light

On my R3mR I had the same issue earlier in the year.

On mine the light has three functions.

1. Handrake warning light.

2. Low brake fluid.

3. Brake servo fault.

On mine it was a perished vaccum hose. There were six or seven hoses in all the and they run from the vacuum pump on the alternator.

 

[clivvy]

Clivvy, Thanks but....3 mechanics have been pouring over this for nearly 1.1/2 hrs and theyve done all that youve said but still the damn things ON, the problem is that the connector on the brake reservoir is only 7/8 inches long and then it disappears into the loom and is gone, its had contact cleaner on it and wiggled about and everything other than a puff on a Rothmans :lol :lol :lol
It really has got me (and them ) stumped :doh :doh :doh
Again thanks, Clivvy, keep thinking as Im sure someone will hit on why its like it is :thumbs :thumbs :thumbs

ok, heres an idea....remove the negative battery clamp for 10 mins....and then check your fuses, maybe they blown a fuse.

 

[MontysMaverick]

Did the exhaust fitters use welding equipment to either replace a stud or to errode a stud, as the front pipe is difficult to replace without sheering a stud?

Yes, the guy dropped the front prop and undid the exhaust at the rear of the front pipe.

Then got the "bottles" on the front part, Hope this helps

Think your heading somewhere with this???:thumbs:thumbs

 

[kbekl]

Karl Have a look at pg 81 in the manual that briggie has listed on here and let me know what you think :thumbs :thumbs :thumbs

problem with that diagram is it is only showing 1 lamp not 2

so from that diagram the parking brake and the level switch run the same light which is not the case

the only real way to test is to chop the wire and see if the light goes out

btu if it is attached to the other thing that clive is talking about i would say it is a brake problem not an earth fault

as it is an electrical falut can you not run the diagnostics system on the car or get it plugged in at the garage ??

 

[MontysMaverick]

ok, heres an idea....remove the negative battery clamp for 10 mins....and then check your fuses, maybe they blown a fuse.

Clivvy, Appreciate you trying, but again its been done, battery terminals off for 10 mins and then back on, fuses checked, x 4 times, as I say they did try, even had me driving around to see about servo/brakes etc and with the connector to the brake fluid reservoir disconnected, Again thanks for your help it is really appreciated, trust me.:thumbs:thumbs:thumbs

 

[briggie]

maybe its me , but i dont believe in co incidences .... i suspect that when fitting the exhaust , some damage /or similar occured

 

[MontysMaverick]

problem with that diagram is it is only showing 1 lamp not 2

so from that diagram the parking brake and the level switch run the same light which is not the case

the only real way to test is to chop the wire and see if the light goes out

btu if it is attached to the other thing that clive is talking about i would say it is a brake problem not an earth fault

as it is an electrical falut can you not run the diagnostics system on the car or get it plugged in at the garage ??

Karl, its a bugger aint it, but as I have said before does a 2.7td have a diagnostic system on them that can be plugged into a machine, I and Rustic dont think so, BUT a guy at the garage had one of those snap on diagnostic machines and on his sheet they can be plugged in, apparently 3 plugs are needed but his sheet didnt say where these 3 plugs were so they abandoned that idea saying "it would probably only do the engine management system and not the electrical faults like bulbs etc and cause your motors a 95 model it probably relates to a TDI not the TD) Now how true this is I dont know, so I had to take their word for it :nenau :nenau :nenau

 

[rustic]

Right, hold your horses, I have a copy of the French manual for the TD.
So I will compile how it works on the next post. few minutes ....:thumbs
Rustic