The dreaded warning symbol!!!

[Paulgo]

Hi guys

Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated guys as its driving me nuts!! It’s the warning indicator (!) on autocheck. It varies but tends to come on mainly when I pull in after a drive, or when parking. For instance, this morning not a sign all through my drive to work until I pulled in to activate the car park barrier at work. Not a harsh stop buttoday it tripped the warning! Normally when I drive home it waits until Im just about to reverse park or doin a 3 point at the bottom of the street, or just come to rest.

So it seems to be movement rather than brake related which suggests a switch / sensor. I can brake hard and smooth and its fine. A sudden jerk / stop at slow speeds and its off!!

Ive replaced the sender on the top of the power steering fluid reservoir and replaced the fluid itself. No real change. Tina had this problem and it seemed related to the fluid at the time but was more intermittent. I discovered that the white housing for the brake fluid reservoir sensor connector is broken / loose along the join in the plastic casing. This means the connector is able to wobble so I glued it – but it hasn’t helped. Could be something is damaged in there. I do have a spare master cylinder but don’t fancy changing it to find out!! Unless it’s possible to just remove the reservoir and switch.

Anything else that could trip this warning? Im pretty sure its not the bomb, at least from the usual test and I think a bomb usually shows itself as failing after the car has stood. This seems to be the opposite!

What else, or rather what does trip this warning so I can try to eliminate / check them? It doesn’t beep much and usually just flashes angrily at me but I sure would like to finally get rid of it!!

cheers

Paul

[dan_b]

Have you actually got a brake fluid leak anywhere? Check bleed valves/ brake lines for any sign of weepage.

[Sephiroth401]

(!)

I also am having trouble from the brakes with the same warning (!) but mine never turns off (only after the bump) basically from start its on and telling me not to go anywhere, good reason to as I can't even depess the pedel much well it's not normal. So things things to check are calipers (one of mine on the rear is very tight to the disc), see if a part of the brake hosing is bulging or pinched in anyway (part of mine on the front was bulged had the same simptoms as you did but when replaced all was fine this was before the bump, after I think somewhere is or has been pinched), what condition is the discs and pads. Have you tried parking on a steep hill and seeing if the handbrake stays the car (from what I know with all my audi's the handbrake is not adjustable so would be a caliper prob. feel free people to correct me if I'm wrong with any info as it's better to know then to carry on getting it wrong.
Question. have you had a detailed look yourself at everything you can thin of with regards to the brake compoents.

[Fat Audi 80]

It sounds to me as if the level warning is coming on intermittently for either the power steering reservoir or the brake reservoir.

Check if wiggling either of these changes the situation. If you have a problem with the connector for the brake reservoir, that sounds like the answer to me??

HTH

Cheers,

steve

[Mikes2]

I had this on the 90 20v and ended up replacing the reservoir with sensor. I tried replacing the contact switch but this made no difference. it was to do with the float inside the reservoir.

[Paulgo]

I think its defo related to the reservoir - and to be honest Ive just noticed the floaty thing!! Thought there was something caught in there till I realised!! Fiddled with it and seem to have made it significantly worse!! So now I have a good idea of the cuplrit!!

I had this on the 90 20v and ended up replacing the reservoir with sensor. I tried replacing the contact switch but this made no difference. it was to do with the float inside the reservoir.

How easy is it to remove just the reservoir part Mike from the master cylinder? The one thats one the car looks like it might almost pull off, but the spare I have looks a little more solid, I didnt want to wreck it trying. Also what about the floats as I dont think the replacement (pretty certain its from a 7a) has them - are they needed?? Or if I pulled them out of the original would it cause more problems?

Thanks for all the help guys!

cheers

Paul

[dtompsett]

Umm... doesn't that indicator also tell you if you have a burnt out brakelight bulb? I had the window-mount brakelight come off in my 90q, so the autocheck system constantly told me I had a burnt out bulb as soon as I pressed the brakes after starting the car. Indicator would stay on until I restarted.

This is actually how I found out my brakelight switch had gone bad... one day the indicator didn't come on.

Could also be the level sensor on the brake fluid reservoir.

[Mikes2]

The reservoir lifts up from the master cylinder. There are 2 seals which will probably come with it. You have to disconnect the clutch hose at the rear - have a container ready for fluid.

You also have to pull some brake fluid out from the reservoir first - I used a syringe.

The 7A and S2 reservoirs are slightly different. You definitely need the float as that determines the fluid level. I replaced the complete reservoir with float inside. I would not recommend messing with the float.