Brake Lining Warning Light - BMW Forum

Neil Paz · 10-03-2006, 04:41 PM

Ever since I bought my `84 325e last year the red Brake Lining warning light has been on. I checked the brakes and found one of the two sensors was cut (probably from contact against the wheel).

I replaced the pads and sensor (front) making sure to loop it around the bleeder valve dust cover like the Bently manual says but the light on the instrument panel is still lit.

The guy doing the safety inspection is giving me a hard time about it.

What else could it be?

I checked the other (rear) sensor and pads and they seem fine. I disconnected it to make sure there was no corrosion on the contact pins and reconnected it. The caliper piston isnt even touching the sensor yet (3mm) on the rear brakes.

BMWJNKY · 10-03-2006, 06:13 PM

Broken soder joint in the cluster. If you know what you are doing and where to look its about a 45min repair. This is a really common problem with E30's.

Rfitz25 · 10-05-2006, 01:05 AM

Thanks AJ,

Thats interesting. I just ordered 2 sensors one for front one for rear.

I hope they work, if not, I'll be asking were this solder joint is so I can reflow it, with some flux I suppose?.

Neil Paz · 10-14-2006, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ's320i

Broken soder joint in the cluster. If you know what you are doing and where to look its about a 45min repair. This is a really common problem with E30's.

Can you tell me more about the cluster? Where is it? I need to be able to explain it to a mechanic.

gotKRAUT · 10-15-2006, 02:23 PM

the gauge cluster, where the light is...

as far as the repair im not sure

BMWJNKY · 10-15-2006, 10:03 PM

Without having a cluster apart in my hand its hard to explain where the joint is cause I just do it from looking at it cause I know what one it is by sight.

You have to take the cluster completly apart down to the circuit board. All I remember from location is that it is on the same side of the cluster the temp gauge is on. You have to be carefull doing this repair cause you can accidently sodier 2 connections together. Sometimes repairing the broken joint doesn't work. This happened in my Bronzite E30. I had fixed the joint when I first got the car but early this summer the light came back eventhough the brakes were good all arround, the sensors were good and the harness to the cluster was good. I resodierd the joint and the light still stayed on so I ended up taking out the bulb for the brake lining light.