Porsche-O-Phile

I have a strange indication on my '85 n/a - the brake pad wear indicator warning lamp illuminates intermittently - as in, it will come on and stay on until you shut the car off, leave it parked for a while, and then start up again later (the light will come on when you turn the key, but go out once you start the engine - normal indications).

I thought the way this system worked was once the wear indicator sensor on the brakes had been severed (due to wear), that's it - the light would stay on until the sensor and brake pads were replaced. What would cause this intermittent illuminations? AFAIK all the brake pads are okay wear-wise (I'll check 'em probably this weekend to be sure) and the car doesn't "pull" or anything when the brakes are applied or make any noise or anything. All seems normal except the weird light coming on every several times I drive it until I shut it off. Any thoughts?

austin944

On my '84 the brake pad warning light comes on when the sensor makes contact, and always gets reset or cleared when you turn off the ignition. So depending on the wear of your pads and how hard you apply the brakes you may or may not see the warning light come on. Check your pads, they are most likely worn.

Porsche-O-Phile

OK thanks. I thought if the sensor wire was broken it would automatically come on at the next start, but maybe it's just barely at the threshold and not quite worn through yet. Either that or some sort of contaminant on the sensor I'm guessing. Either way, it's worth a look.

alpenweissisnice

I just replaced my pads and sensors and I still will occasionally get a warning if I have been doing some..."spirited" driving...Like you say, re-sets after the car is swtiched off. Many people jumper them to avoid the annoyance...

Rock

Mine did this same thing until eventually the brake pads were worn completly out. After that happened, the light stayed on permanitly