FIAT Doblo (2001 - ) - 07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid

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Fri 8 Jan 2010 20:16
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - Diamond
My work van is leased so it doesn't get the attention it should get, anyway, driving along and the brake warning light comes on at the dashboard, although not all the time. Brakes work and feel fine by the way.

Checked the reservoir and it was barely on minimum! Now the reservoir is a fairly simple affair, no wiring or anything attached to the cap, it's just a cap that screws on. Inside there is the 'toilet roll' type tube going down into the chamber.

Thing is, when I started pouring the fluid in, it immediately came up to the top, very little from the bottle went in to make it come up like this. However, I can still see that the fluid 'inside' the chamber is still at the minimum mark. It's as though the 'toilet roll' tube has filled up and nothing else. Because of this the warning light is still coming on at times.

How can I get the reservoir to fill up properly or am I missing something here?
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Sun 10 Jan 2010 18:03
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - Diamond
Anyone?
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Sun 10 Jan 2010 20:21
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - elekie&a/c doctor
It is possible that the fluid reservoir is full,but due to its design being made up of several chambers with baffles,appears empty at certain viewing angles.Could the brake warning light be a brake pad wear warning also?hth
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Sun 10 Jan 2010 20:38
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - Diamond
Not really, very little fluid went in to make the fluid rise to the top - all I can think is that there is some sort of air lock in the chamber itself, but would this be possible though? Think I'll take it to the brake place tomorrow.
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Mon 11 Jan 2010 18:50
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - Diamond
Problem fixed. Went to ATS and the chap had a look, at first saying that the reservoir was full, but then realised it wasn't! He then got a pair of long nose pliers - I wondered what he was going to do with them! - and pulled out a nylon filter, the same shape as the 'toilet roll' described above. The mesh was extremely fine on this, so fine in fact that the new fluid wasn't going through it, and no, the mesh wasn't blocked up with anything!

Once this was out it was a simple matter of filling up to the maximum mark, filter and cap back and job done. To ATS' credit they did not charge for their time.

I knew it was something simple but I've never come across a filter like this before, so a bit more learnt.
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Mon 11 Jan 2010 20:15
07 1.3 Issue with topping up brake fluid - Halmer
Sorry it's too late but I had exactly the same issue with my wife's Punto last year.

Washed the filter out in some meths and it was fine. The fluid trickled thro' it then. It gets gunged up even tho it looks clear.
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