1994 Q45 and Worn Brake Pads Indicator

[coolman]

I asked my local mechanic to perform the modification to remove the "Worn Brake Pads" message that appears on the dash board. This procedure is found at:http://www.q45.org/g50padsworn.html

What happened is my mechanic did not read the printed instructions I gave him and spliced the wires of the front driver and passenger side. He says it was a 2-wire cable. After the mods, the "Worn Brake Pads" message did not go away and the ABS Light on the left side of the dashboard is now turned on. Please see the two pictures.

I have a few questions:- Did my local mechanic splice the ABS electrical line? If so, is there any danger in driving a car with the ABS Light turned on? My car never had ABS (anti-braking system) installed.- What can I do to fix the ABS wire issue? Can I just unsplice the wires and not connect the two sides of the wires together? What other possible solutions can I do?

Here are two pictures. I turned the steering wheel all the way to the left to expose the cut/spliced wire which has a black outter jacket.I will attach the second picture in a reply.

Any advise or suggestions is appreciated.

[coolman]

Here is the second picture. Both pictures are taken from the front drivers side. I think the mechanic used black electrical tape which explains why the outside jacket of the wires is black in color.

Where and how do I find the real wires leading to the brake pad sensors. Do I really have to take the wheels off.

[elwesso]

first thing is, your mechanic is not very smart and did not read the instructions properly.. he indeed cut the wrong line, to the ABS line.. There isnt any danger of driving the car sans ABS, you just wont have ABS, but the brakes will work fine.. He'll have to reconect the wires..... Thats the only solution really.. I think probably hte best thing you could do is get a connector and crimp them in and cover it with electrical tape.... IT shouldnt be a big deal to get the ABS system back on-line at your convenience...

There are 2 wires on the brake caliper, and those are the ones you want to CUT and SPLICE together!!!!!!!!!!!!

[qsiguy]

Unless mine is different than others, my '94 only has the brake pad indicators on the pass. front and rear. There are no indicators on the drivers side front or rear. I have my rear one bypassed but I still use the front one.

[Rex]

Unless mine is different than others, my '94 only has the brake pad indicators on the pass. front and rear. There are no indicators on the drivers side front or rear. I have my rear one bypassed but I still use the front one.

Good detail, and please tell the guy to splice them together on the wheel side of the connector.

Side note Why do people remove/not use the sensors? Even the cheapest brake pads (Albany brand) include the sensor!?!?

[coolman]

Is there any way I can do this wire splicing without removing the wheel? Can I simply turn the wheel to get at the wire. Also, I was told that this wire goes into the brake caliper. What does a brake caliper look like? I am totally new to car repairs/mods.

Also, which side of the wire should be spliced? The wire connecting to the brake caliper? What does it mean by "on the wheel side"?

Thanks

[qsiguy]

The reason my rear one is bypassed was because when I replaced the rear pads the set I got was missing the sensor. They are due for replacement again now and I will by reinstalling the sensor. I don't have a problem with the sensors. I assume people bypass them to get a few more miles out of their pads without the pesky "idiot light". I think the feature is great.

Off subject, did you get my email about the tension rods Rex? I'm in the market for a set and you said in another thread you had some for sale.

[elwesso]

I bypassed mine because the Z32 pads dont have sensors!!!! I hate that system, its just another idiot light to annoy me, but sometimes there are people that NEED them because they dont check their brakes as often as they should!!!!

BTW new pads dont come with new sensors, my OEM pads didnt come with them..

[JedCoop]

If you get pads for a '95 they will not come with sensors...If you get pads for an early '94 they will come with sensors.Not sure where the line is exactly. But the ones with sensors can cost about $16 more....

Other than sensors, the pads are interchangable.

[Rex]

If you get pads for a '95 they will not come with sensors...If you get pads for an early '94 they will come with sensors.Not sure where the line is exactly. But the ones with sensors can cost about $16 more....

Other than sensors, the pads are interchangable.

Interesting nugget of information ... I'll have to see if they try to give me pads sans sensor when I go to replace the pads on my 95. The OEM pads I got for my 94 had the sensor.

[Jesda]

Good detail, and please tell the guy to splice them together on the wheel side of the connector.

Side note Why do people remove/not use the sensors? Even the cheapest brake pads (Albany brand) include the sensor!?!?

Because it doesnt work. I just replaced all my pads. They were terribly low and the warning message didnt come on. The little plastic piece didnt wear far enough I guess. Does it only come on when you have 10 feet of braking ability left?

On both my Qs, its been useless. Worthless exercise in overengineering. But hey, at least it isn't iDrive.

[Rex]

Because it doesnt work. I just replaced all my pads. They were terribly low and the warning message didnt come on. The little plastic piece didnt wear far enough I guess. Does it only come on when you have 10 feet of braking ability left?

On both my Qs, its been useless. Worthless exercise in overengineering. But hey, at least it isn't iDrive.

I would hazard to guess the sensors were installed on the wrong side (further from the rotor) of the "mounting point" causing them to not come in contact soon enough. On both front a rear axles on my Q, I thought there was plenty of thickness left when the warning would indicate "Worn Brake Pads".