Brake Pads Worn

[Jesda]

So, last year I replaced the front pads and cut the pad sensor wire. A year later, I wanted to go and tie the wire together and short it to get rid of the stupid warning message. However, I cant find it. I removed the passenger side front wheel and could not, for the life of me, find the wire.

Did it snap off and disappear? Where is it routed through so I can find it?

Thanks,-Jesda

[Jeff Williams]

Hard as I might, I can not see the wire, from here, either. I think you are SOL.

Just kidding

My wires were routed very closely to the brake lines, and ALB lines.

[Q451990]

Just so happens that mine is up on jack stands this morning. The yellow arrow is pointing to the sensor wire. I'd cut it at the red line and twist it together. You don't want to cut the wire going back to the ECU, since you'll prevent ever going back to the OEM sensor set-up.

Heath

[Jesda]

The wires were cut last year, but I left them dangling. And now theyre gone. Hopefully I can find the wire this evening.

[pito11213]

I have the same issue about missing wires

I just had the car on the lift and saw that the sensor was there with the wires dangling not connected. I do not see where the wires were connected to and that pissed me off.

[Jesda]

Thanks for the photo Heath!

When the car cools down this evening (just got back from Firestone to balance/rotate wheels) I'll print out your photo and go take a look.

My setup looks identical to yours right now, with the dangling rubber piece. The problem is I cant find the rest of the wire going back to the dash so I can tie it together and fool the sensor.

I assume that yellow line also shows where the original wire came from?

Thanks-Jesda

[Q451990]

The yellow line is pointing to the wire coming from the back of the inside brake pad (where the sensor is located. This is the wire (if you can find it) that I would cut and splice.

The thick wire with the rubberized connector or boot is the one that goes back to the ECU. That end of the connector is held on to the caliper with the two phillips head screws.

Heath

[Jesda]

That wire is gone, like completely gone. A shame, because it was there last year. I tried hunting it down. here's some photos of what I did find:

Thats my sister. The look on her face as I walked to the garage said "Good luck breaking your car!"

In my hand is the wire end attached to the caliper, which is still there from last year. The rest of the wire is apparently missing.

I wondered where the wire was routed through. I saw a mysterious hole that it could have fit through, so I wadded up a receipt and slid it in so I could see where it comes out of on the other side.

On the left, you see where the piece of paper comes through the hole.

I found this! A connector connected to nothing. I have a California Q; I dont know if that matters.

I cut it off and twisted the wires together just as a hunch. Of course that did nothing, and had no effect on idle or anything else I could tell. Perhaps something was disconnected and reconnected to something else when I had the keyless entry/remote start installed last year.

And those are the remains, which of course I'll reattach.

After all this, nothing solved. I guess I'll live with it.

[elwesso]

Those conncetors are there for nothing.. I have them as well.....

Looks like we'll have to do our little method of diabling it the other way, the "back way"..

[Q451990]

If you follow the larger black wire down it should join in to the connector that would feed the sensor. Maybe you could jump the two pins with something... If I get a chance I'll look in my parent's garage and see if I have my old cheater plug. Typically the rears wear out first and I change them as a set so the fronts may have never worn out for me to make a cheater plug.

Heath

[elwesso]

Jesda... when you twisted the wires did you strip them???

[Jesda]

Yes.

[DAEDALUS]

Good Lord! Does the car still run? You see a connector sitting out in the open on top of a valve cover and you assume it's for the brake sensor, so you SPLICE THE WIRES TOGETHER?

[DAEDALUS]

How do you know those wires aren't there for some silly reason, like, I dunno, hooking up to something for diagnostics? Please untwist them ASAP and cap them off.

[Jesda]

[quote=" Jesda And those are the remains, which of course I'll reattach.

After all this, nothing solved. I guess I'll live with it. [/quote]

[Rex]

Jesda... when you twisted the wires did you strip them???

That's a funny summation of Wes' opinion of Jesda's mechanical skills.

[JT_MONEY_2004]

I think jesda subliminally knew it was just a dummy connector, i dont think he would have cut it just off a hunch...if so he's got some big kahonas

[Jesda]

I hate you guys.

[Mr1der]

good thing he's not an EOD technician huh?:D

[elwesso]

A knife shouldnt be allowed in his hands within 20 feet of any car..... He'll have to be scanned before allowing to proceed.....

Hell, just with any tool..

However, i have to agree with daedalus... I dont know what they are for (and havent discovered even through my many straight through reads of hte FSM), but its an open connector so I say undo it... I wasnt going to say anything since you didnt mess anything up....

[DAEDALUS]

hooking up to something for diagnostics?

Say, maybe, an adapter tool to check spark timing? I know you read this in the FSM Wes!

Method B works. What other methods are there?

[elwesso]

Method A is the "traditional way" with taking out the no1 coil and jury rigging a spark plugs wire from the plug to the coil, etc.....

Method B is the clamping of the wire, that I discovered!

On a side note, this picture really shows where the connector and wire is that you use for Method B... As far as I can tell there are one of these special wires on both sides of the engine, and its in a similar place on the drivers side and is idential looking.....



Method C is using SST, where you unplug the 2 connectors going into the ignitor packs, hooking it into the little thingy, and clamping the wire on there........

As far as I can tell they are "check connectors" as refrenced...

In fact, I got so interested in tihs I re-read the last pages of the EL section and I cant find ANYWHERE these little mystery connectors... They arent listed in the main harness connectiosn, where it lists EVERY conncetor, its function, and where it goes..... Weird...

[DAEDALUS]

My bad. I thought the SST connected to it. Surely it's there for a reason. Maybe some kind of factory calibration. Someone hook up a scope to it!

[DAEDALUS]

Jesda, looking at your pic, it appears the only thing missing is the actual sensor itself. The wire in your hand in the one pic goes to a connector on the caliper, right? The other end is the sensor that goes to the pad. The wire in your hand in the pic is the one you want to strip and tie together.

[Jesda]

The wire in my hand, which I cut off a year ago, goes from the caliper to nowhere. Its the other end that goes to the rest of the Q's electronics that I cant find. But no bother... I should have tied and secured the wire when I first cut it but didnt. So I'll accept the persistent warning message. I have no intention of selling the Q, now that guides are done, so reverting to OEM isnt a concern.

Thanks,-Jesda

[Q451990]

Why not just jump out the two pins on the connector that's attached to the caliper? You should be able to find some "banana clip" type connectors and a small wire and make a jumper pin.

It's nice to have those dual trip meters and have that display dim down at night, instead of wide-open bright.

Heath

[Rex]

If I understand correctly, you need to trace the wire from the caliper as far back as possible, but the wire (that goes back to the car) is no longer there. You should be able to find that info in the FSM, which I'm pretty sure Wes has committed to memory. He should be able to tell you where it runs to (from the rotor/caliper). This may be a mod most never considered. If you were to pull both the front and rear sensor wires, you could reduce your weight by 8 to 10 ounces. Lighter weight car will go faster .

[par2za]

hey to throw my 2 cents in the sensor wire disconnected and straped inside the wheel well is fine ive been reading and looking at circuit wiring diagrams the sensor to the brake pads are at an open circiut. the the brake pads wear until the sensor makes contact with the rotor completeing the ground thus activating the light via the module. so if you disconnect and leave alone the light should not come on based on the wiring diagrams.

[Jesda]

Why not just jump out the two pins on the connector that's attached to the caliper? You should be able to find some "banana clip" type connectors and a small wire and make a jumper pin.

It's nice to have those dual trip meters and have that display dim down at night, instead of wide-open bright.

Heath

Heath...

It is my understanding that the pins on the caliper are currently connected to nothing, since I cut the wire. And it is the other missing piece of wire, connected to the rest of the Q's electronics, that needs to be shorted.

Correct me if I'm wrong...?

[elwesso]

The actual brake sensor module (all 4 sensors go into this that then trips the idiot message), and we can just jump it right there... EL-163 in the 1994 manual (that was from memory for Rex! ) Harness connector F94 rings a bell but I cant remember... its on the far right hand side of the page, it should be accessable with the glove box out.....

Me and Jesda discussed this and it would be a good way to disable all the sensors and never have to worry about it ever again...