205xld brake warning circuit

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Mon 4 Nov 2002 18:25
205xld brake warning circuit - rooster_lxy
The brake warning light on my 205XLD appears to be on all the time. As far as I know there are three warning switches that would trigger this light: mechanical switch beneath the handbrake lever; contact switch on the brake pads; and float switch in the brake fluid reservoir. Applying the handbrake makes the warning light glow brighter so I am assuming that this switch works OK. New brake pads have just been fitted so the contact switch shouldn't be activated (I've had a look and there is a good clearance between pad and contact). Also the brake fluid is up to maximum (actually a little over maximum) so the float switch shouldn't be activated. Are there any other switches that I am forgetting about? Any ideas what else could causing the problem?

Cheers
Rooster
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Nov 2002 19:17
205xld brake warning circuit - JohnD
Check the wiring to the brake pads. If it's shorting it will cause the warning light to show.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 7 Nov 2002 17:26
205xld brake warning circuit - Andrew-T
Having checked brake pads on about a dozen 205s over the years I guess about half of them had broken wear-detector wires. You could have a short somewhere. If you are checking anyway, I decided to do without a rather unreliable warning system.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 7 Nov 2002 19:16
205xld brake warning circuit - Ian Cook
You could try a process of elimination. It's fairly simple to disconnect the leads from the reservoir switch, and not too difficult to pull the bullet connectors out of the wear sensor leads to the pads. I'm not sure about the handbrake switch, though.

At least that would be a start.

Ian Cook
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 Nov 2002 13:18
205xld brake warning circuit - rooster_lxy
Having looked at the handbook for the 205XLD, it suggests that there are in fact two warning circuits. One has both the handbrake switch and the brake fluid reservoir float switch on it, while the other has just the contact switch on the brake pads. The dashboard warning lights for each circuit are in separate places: the handbrake/brake fluid level light is up next to the coolant temp/STOP/alternator warning lights while the brake pad wear light is below and left of the fuel gauge. I've never noticed this last warning light until now. There is a coolant level warning light down there as well.

The problem I have is with the handbrake/brake fluid level light that is on permanently, rather annoyingly when driving at night. Looks like I will be spending a few hours circuit testing at the weekend. Any top tips for this?

Rooster
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....