More on the $1100 brake pad warning light...

["Geoff Jenkins" <jenkinsg@pilot.msu.edu>]

> From: MSV96@aol.com [mailto:MSV96@aol.com]
>
> Based on what you're saying it sounds like the break in the wire
> is inside the dash, or on the display PCB. I have not seen an S4
> instrument cluster apart but imagine it consistes of a circuit
> board with flex connector type things like earlier models.
> I feel your pain as I do know that the little triangle is
> annoying. My guess is that it is still an open connection someplace.

[Car: '94 S4 - Problem: brake pad warning light is on permanently, wires at
pads check out fine, problem was temporarily fixed (it seemed) by use of
Stabilant on the back of the PCB]

Yes, the wires at the pads seem fine, and having soldered them together, the
pads are out of the issue. The light is now back permanently, and no
"jiggling" of wires at the brakes could get rid of it. So... the most likely
culprit is some kind of short at the dash "box".

Three possible solutions have been mentioned:

a) A lister has a spare dash cluster from a '92 100. The part numbers are
close but not identical (I'm told that the numerics are, but the alpha
suffixes are different). So, I don't know a) whether it'd work at all and b)
what features I'd lose. The price, however, is good enough to make it worth
a try if plan (b) below doesn't pan out.

b) Re-solder the connectors at the back of the cluster. Problem being, which
ones? There are quite a few, and the odds of me messing around with all of
them without doing more harm than good are pretty poor.

c) Bite the bullet, buy a new cluster, but get one with a trip computer and
boost gauge. I'm presuming that this would be from a Canadian-spec S4.
Currently I'm running about 1.25 bar of positive pressure, but I'm
contemplating going all the way to +2 bar with an RS2 turbo etc.
Unfortunately, I don't know how far the Audi gauge will go, or whether it's
accurate enough to have much value.

So, are there any BTDTs on any of these three options? Any info would be
appreciated. As a last alternative, does anyone have any idea how to "kill"
one particular warning without losing the rest. Pads I can check, but I'd
rather not lose the radio display etc...

TIA,

Geoff

'94 S4