Reseting Brake Pad Wear light - help

[azca]

I replaced all brake pads on all 4 wheels and both brake pad wear sensors (front left and rear right) and tried waiting 40 seconds before starting the car and tried holding the brake pedal for 10 seconds, then starting the car, the brake pad wear light still will not go off.

How do I reset it?

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by azca

I replaced all brake pads on all 4 wheels and both brake pad wear sensors (front left and rear right) and tried waiting 40 seconds before starting the car and tried holding the brake pedal for 10 seconds, then starting the car, the brake pad wear light still will not go off.

How do I reset it?

Re-check your connections. The brake light doesn't get reset.

[1996 328ti]

Sometimes you need to drive thr car for several cycles before it resets.
Assuming the sensor is connected properly.

[azca]

sensors are connected properly for sure. I drove 60 miles in it already, still on

[1996 328ti]

Give it a couple days. Mine had to be reset by my mechanic.

[chaddy1976]

the brake pad sensors are an open circuit. when that curcuit is closed (sensor touching rotor) it grounds itself out, therefore turning the light on. It is possible that there might be an exposed wire touching or grounding out keeping your light on.

[Tyler]

Mine went off shortly after the car was on.

[azca]

should I try to disconnect/reconnect the sensor wires while battery is on? I changed the sensors when battery was unplugged

[chaddy1976]

no. it has nothing to do with the computer. it is just a manual connection. there is no reset. if you where to take the sensor on the end off and connect the two wires the light would go off because it is an open circuit. when the sensor gets worn down, when your pads wear down, the rotor acts as the ground turning your light on. you have a ground somewhere between the sensors and the light.(exposed wire)

[chaddy1976]

also make sure didn't install the sensors backwards

[azca]

backwards, meaning what exactly?

Originally Posted by chaddy1976

also make sure didn't install the sensors backwards

[chaddy1976]

Left front, right rear. They are specific. 2 different part numbers. if you flip them they will not work.
On mine there was a lot of dirt and grime i had to clean out of the enclosure where it connects.

[azca]

that's what I did and I know that front/rear are different. I even compared them to the stock ones I had, new sensors looked exactly like stock ones

Originally Posted by chaddy1976

Left front, right rear. They are specific. 2 different part numbers. if you flip them they will not work.
On mine there was a lot of dirt and grime i had to clean out of the enclosure where it connects.

[chaddy1976]

then there is a ground somewhere in the wires. either the front or back. it is going to be difficult to find using an ohm meter.
2 years ago I changed the rear and front brakes, not replacing the sensors. the light remained on. I cut the the sensors off and stripped the 2 wires to connect them together. the light went off. thats how I know that there is a bad ground somewhere.

[tigruppe]

Aren't the sensors a closed circuit? I thought the light tripped when the thin metal blade was worn through breaking the circuit. That is why there are two wires instead of one. This is why the light went off when you joined the two wides together. The different part numbers are only because of the length and rubber grommets that hold them in place.