after replacing front disk pads and rotors I am having problems with my brake system. I bled the front wheels but the brake light comes on any time I even touch the break petal. If I press the break petal very slowly the abs light does not come on at all. However, if I press normally it will come on but then goes out when I get resistance. Could I still have air in the system or is there an electrical or mechanical problem I should check.
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When the ‘BRAKE’ warning light appears, whilst it is still illuminated, press the VCM button.
What do you see on the LCD display - ‘Fail’ or ‘Pad’?
I get the “pad” message. Since I just replaced the front pads and the message did not appear until after this work, could this be a sensor problem? Also could this cause the ABS problem?
If I recall correctly, the brake fault warning messages on the VCM readout are prioritised so that the most serious appear first and, if there are others, they will only appear when the first fault is cleared.
If that is the case you may also have a ‘FAIL’ code waiting to be displayed indicating that the Teves brake pressure or brake fluid level is low which would of course then trigger the ‘ABS’ warning on the dash - but that VCM ‘FAIL’ warning will not appear in the LCD display until you have cleared the pad wear fault.
Again IIRC, the pad wear sensors on your car are only fitted to the left front and right rear brake calipers so either of those or their wiring may need attention. The PAD warning will appear if the pad wear circuit is grounded OR open circuit and since you reported that it appears whenever you first touch the brake pedal, it could be that the sensor wiring is grounding on the edge of the brake rotor, a common occurrence if poorly routed.
Hi, sometimes when the pad wear sensors are disconnected to change the pads they don’t make a good connection when you plug them back together. Corrosion can form inside the female sockets, and they also tend to open up slightly over time so the pins on the male plug do not make a good connection when you snap the two halves together.
You could try clearing the PAD warning by unplugging both wear sensors and linking them out with a small loop of similar sized cable across the sockets. Then try the brake pedal to see if the PAD warning reappears. If there is no PAD warning appearing remove the link from the front plug and reconnect it back in place then try the brake pedal again. If the PAD warning reappears you know you have a problem with either the lead from the pad or the connection at that plug.
You can then replace the wire loop on the front plug while you reconnect the rear plug and repeat the test.
Don’t forget to clear the PAD warning from the memory before testing the rear connection.
If after checking you find it is one or both of those plug connectors not making a good connection, and not the pad wear sensors or leads (the prime suspect) you can either try making the pins a little thicker by tinning them with solder, or use a thin strand of wire in each socket, cut to length so it sits just below the surface. The solder or the wire only needs to be very thin, just enough so the pins are a snug fit and make a contact along most of their length when you push them home.
Hopefully with the PAD warning out of the way you can check your VCM for the things Bryan mentioned in relation to your ABS warning and proceed from there.
Good luck.
cheers.