WTF?? Brake Lining Light Light Mystery

[bimmerboy12]

Hi all you E30 wizards I have a question that needs answering. I just replaced the pads and sensors on my 88 325i cabrio- replaced the sensors because I was sick of the annoying red light. After I was finished, was thrilled to see the light was off.... for awhile. It is completely randomly coming on and off. At one point I could bang the dash (to make the tach work) and the light popped on, so I thought that there is a loose connection to the light but the current to the light never stopped. Then it was off all day today, even if I banged on the dash. I traced both sensor wires and they both look good.

Any ideas???? Could this have anything at all to do with the batteries in the cluster going dead?

Thanks!

Brian

[DaveSmed]

There is a resistor that is soldered on the board that is fond of desoldering itself with age. If you reflow the joints, you should be in good shape.

[dark_islight]

Mine does the same when the roads are wet and slushy.

I have been all over the system looking for the short but mine can't be in the cluster.

I suspect a ground or loose connector on the sensor line that is open to the wet conditions.

[bimmerboy12]

on the cluster board? Do you know how many ohm resistor it is (I can find it based on the stripe colors).

There is a resistor that is soldered on the board that is fond of desoldering itself with age. If you reflow the joints, you should be in good shape.

[jrblazr]

Seems to be a common problem. I have the same on my car. I saved this to a WORD file some time ago, and here is an excerpt:

If you aren't getting voltage or the correct current, the problem is very likely on the cluster circuit board. Remove the board and re-flow the solder around the 220 ohm resistor. This resistor is mounted next to the C1 blue connector on the PC board. It sticks off of the board on long leads. There are on-line pictures to locate the resistor, and you can confirm the correct part by looking for the red-red-brown color bands.

Hope this helps you out. I plan on doing this sooner or later.

[bimmerboy12]

Perfect. I will try this this weekend. Thank you!

Seems to be a common problem. I have the same on my car. I saved this to a WORD file some time ago, and here is an excerpt:

If you aren't getting voltage or the correct current, the problem is very likely on the cluster circuit board. Remove the board and re-flow the solder around the 220 ohm resistor. This resistor is mounted next to the C1 blue connector on the PC board. It sticks off of the board on long leads. There are on-line pictures to locate the resistor, and you can confirm the correct part by looking for the red-red-brown color bands.

Hope this helps you out. I plan on doing this sooner or later.

[delphini]

My lining light is also always on but you gotta understand how tiny these wires are , a break in the line somewhere could also be the culprit of the light gremlin . Eventually i will just take the bulb out of the dash when i get around to it.

[nando]

the cables for the sensors sometimes rub on the wheels - eventually it rubs through, and when it grounds on the wheel or gets wet the light will come on and off. the main wiring is much heavier than what comes on the sensor but you should still check to see if it's frayed..

[e34john]

the cables for the sensors sometimes rub on the wheels - eventually it rubs through, and when it grounds on the wheel or gets wet the light will come on and off. the main wiring is much heavier than what comes on the sensor but you should still check to see if it's frayed..

thats what happened to mine. i fixed it but after the drop and new wheels it got caught somehow and ripped off. im just getting rid of the bulb when i tear out the cluster to fix the odometer gears.

[bimmerboy12]

Seems to be a common problem. I have the same on my car. I saved this to a WORD file some time ago, and here is an excerpt:

If you aren't getting voltage or the correct current, the problem is very likely on the cluster circuit board. Remove the board and re-flow the solder around the 220 ohm resistor. This resistor is mounted next to the C1 blue connector on the PC board. It sticks off of the board on long leads. There are on-line pictures to locate the resistor, and you can confirm the correct part by looking for the red-red-brown color bands.

Hope this helps you out. I plan on doing this sooner or later.

WOW! It was exactly as you said. The resistor was loose, I reflowed the joints, and problem solved. Thank you!!!

[dlmrun2002]

Flowed the Joint.. Nice words on a a Friday night.. lol
dlm