Brake Pad Wear Sensor

[Mike Floutier]

Hi all,

I just changed my rear brake pads as the wear indicator was lit and the pads indeed were pretty well worn out.

However, I managed to damage the little sensor when I removed it and although it fitted back ok it was still giving the dashboard warning which is annoying as I'm a professional driver and it can worry some passengers.

Can I disable the warning feature (eg by disconnecting the sensor wiring plug)? I'd like to do this as the sensors are expensive and I always make my own visual checks on the pad thickness when doing services.

Many thanks!

Mike

[1990LS400]

I wonder if you could muck around with the rear brake sensor connector: i.e. use a jumper wire to bridge between pins on the connector to fool the system.

The rear brake wear sensor isn't all the expensive in the U.S. and the one on the U.K. spec 02 LS430 appears to be the same as on the U.S. spec 02 LS430. According to the following website, the part number is 47770-50060 ; http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_E_2002_LEXU...EAGKW_4707.html

Parts.com has the rear brake wear sensor for US$58.65 which is about the same as I paid for a front brake wear sensor for my 2000 LS400: http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/index.cfm?...or&siteid=2

At what mileage did the rear brake wear sensor indicate that the rear pads were worn? The original rear pads on my 00 LS400 are still OK at 110,000 miles and should last until at least 125,000 miles. US$58.65 doesn't seem very much for a part that has to be replaced every 125,000 miles.

What does the rear brake wear sensor cost in the U.K.?

[Mike Floutier]

Thanks for your reply Jim.

The rear pads were changed at 70k and 140k according to the service records. And now they are worn down to about 2mm at 172k which I guess is a surprise.

The sensors over here retail at £93 which is around US$140.

I'll experiment with the wiring and see what happens.

It is strange about the pad wear though as I bought the car at 143k and I'm a very gentle driver. I'm wondering if they billed the previous owner for the pads and never changed them. I think they did the same with the diff. fluid change because when I went to undo the plugs they looked as though they had never been touched.

I'll see how long these new pads last.

Kind regards,

Mike

[curiousB]

The sensor is just a wire loop. When you wear too far you break the loop embedded in the little plastic portion attached to the pads. It would seem simple enough to just cut back the sensor cable, strip and splice the wires together. A little soldering iron and rosin core solder next. Then some electricians tape and or heat shrink tubing. Just cut back the sensor wire far enough such that it does bounce around or get caught in something. You'll lose the warning feature but people survived the century prior without brake pad warning sensors. If you're diligent about checking then the electronic monitoring is overkill.

[Mike Floutier]

Thanks CuriousB,

To be honest, I didn't believe that the sensor was just a bit of wire that the disc breaks (pardon the pun); destroying the expensive sensor in the process.

However, I followed your excellent plan with the soldering iron etc. and I now have a brand new sensor free of charge - and it works! No more passengers freaking out about the flashing red warning triangle on the dash AND no more "BEEEEP" every time I start up.

Thank you again, that was so helpful!

Kind regards,

Mike

[curiousB]

Hi Mike,

Good to see your warning light has taken the day off. Just a minor correction, you now have a brand new UN-sensor! ;)

[Mike Floutier]

No it's better than that, I pushed the wires through the sensor and only lost 5mm in the splicing. It was easy to pull the wire back flsh into the sensor which I've re-installed so it should still work; not that I really care - lol.

[SKperformance]

You can also solder the end of the sensor that is worn and coat it with a high temp silicone and it will keep working again until the pad wears it out again.

[curiousB]

Good idea to keep the moisture out of the wires as salty water will corrode copper wires pretty fast. High temp silicon also a good idea as it is readily available in home stores in the HVAC section and it’s an excellent sealer and electrical insulator. Exposed wires could lead to a conductive path to ground creating erratic triggering of the circuit.