Brake sensor question

[wresnick]

I've been reading a lot about brake sensors here, and have a question that I could not find answered.

I see one group of people who say to just replace the thing and get it over with, and another group who say just short out the wires to get the message to go off. I've replaced the rear sensor twice so far in the past 14 years. Once was my fault for not checking the brakes often enough and the other was due to a bad proportioning valve. (Ironically, I had a master cylinder waiting to be installed anyway, but missed it by a few days.)

The way I see it, if your sensor told you that you need to check your brakes, even once, it means that you are not diligent enough to rely on bypassing the thing in the first place, and things can go wrong anyway and cause unexpected wear.

The problem is that I didn't want to spend all that money on a simple sensor that's nothing more than a loop of wire, especially since I just bought one relatively recently. What I ended up doing is just covering the end with aluminum foil, wrapping it around the tip, rubbing it to make sure it touches the contacts, and putting the spring over it to keep it in place. I figure that if I try to be diligent, and I expect the front to go before the rears anyway, then it won't be an issue. I also figure that if the foil touches anything (such as a rotor) it will get ripped to shreds within seconds, and my warning will come on. It might not be quite as soon as with a new sensor, since mine had a day or two of wear past when it went off, which could be more than the thickness of the foil, but it does not seem to be something that would make a significant difference.

My question is what am I overlooking? This solution seems simple enough that somebody must have thought of it before, but unless I'm just bad at searching the forum, I can only assume that people have ruled this out as a solution. Am I taking some sort of risk that I don't realize, or am I being delusional in assuming that the spring will be sufficient to hold the foil in place for the next few years?

[elwesso]

WElcome to NICO Wayne...

First off that certainly is an interesting thought.. to "fix" the sensors....

Personally I still feel thats counterproductive for most people to try and fix things like that..... I hate that stupid little info center, i wish it would tell me low fuel (even though it rarely gets that low anyway) and my trip meter... i dont want to know when my lights are out, i can figure it out on my own.....

Anyway, before I digressed on my minor rant, i still feel that it would cause more headache thatn its worth... I know when my brake pads are worn because they start to squeak.. how hard is that to figure out???

im not belittling your idea, i just think it seems like a waste of time, IMHO... Meaning, id never bother with that crap, just splice them together and look at my pads everytime i check my tire pressures (which is every gas fillup, right... RIGHT??? )

[wresnick]

WElcome to NICO Wayne... Anyway, before I digressed on my minor rant, i still feel that it would cause more headache thatn its worth... I know when my brake pads are worn because they start to squeak.. how hard is that to figure out???

I don't know you well enough to question your marital status or anything so personal, but I would like to mention that my wife is the primary driver these days. It took her by surprise. She also mentioned some issues with controlling the vehicle and fishtailing. With a limited slip differential, that sometimes happens. If you've figured out by now that one of the tires was incredibly low, then you know my answer to your question. Fortunately, I told her to just leave it in the garage and I got to all of it the next day. But sometimes, I get the "I've been meaning to tell you that there's a red light on but I keep forgetting" speech.

I suppose I could teach my wife how to look at pads, but that assumes that she ever checks the tires. I know I should be more diligent, and whenever I drive the car I tend to notice problems and take care of them. But sometimes, it's less often than I realize. As I mentioned, had I gotten around to the master cylinder a week earlier, it would not have been a problem. But had I waited even longer, I might have needed new rotors too if not for the dash board message.

[elwesso]

Wayne

No one touches my car without me near it..... Then I just tell them, dont do aynthing I wouldnt do.......

Anyway, you can assume that brake pads will last you about 20k AT LEAST, thats how long they last me and I tend to slam on the brakes at 80 sometimes.....

Once you start getting around 20-30k range on the pads, then you can start looking at them..... Id suggest getting a new set of pads, be fresh, bypass the sensors, and go from there.

[redmanfx]

Brake Sensors? You mean we have brake sensors on the Q? I find that dealing with your better half that you never know something is wrong with their car until it's been going on for a while anyway. Saying that I just replace brake pads when problems like that arise. That and check the rotors for abnormal wear.

red

[Rex]

I'm a little confused, why does anyone bypass the sensor (save Z32 and other "upgrades"). The factory and even the cheapest (Albany) replacement pads include the sensors.

As for the thread starter, I can only suggest you take "her" car for a fill up or something once in a while.

[Q451990]

Back to the original question - in 7+ years of internet forum activity, I've never heard of this solution for a tripped sensor. I certainly think it's worthwhile to keep it working... for the most part factory pads will trip the sensor a few thousand miles before they're actually worn out (and making a noise) so the warning is a good thing in my book. Please let us know how the foil trick works!

As far as your wife driving the Q... let's just say that mine thought the low oil pressure idiot light on her Mercury Tracer was the "oil change light thingy" once...



Welcome to NICO!

Heath