109041 (brake) fluid reservoir indicator

[Jonathan]

Are replacements for these available somewhere? They show as out of stock and $0.00 on the Houston site. A crossover of some kind maybe if there aren't NOS ones?

Mine seals find and brake fluid doesn't leak, but whatever might have been in there to sense level and light up the brake warning bulb on the cluster doesn't work anymore. Just something lingering on the to-do list that I'd like to finally get working again.

[DMCVegas]

I wonder if these generic Girling switches and caps might work...

http://www.competitionsupplies.com/b...uid-reservoirs

They're available on a few different sites. I know that I have just a generic cap for my home made brake bleeder that fits fine.

[DMCMW Dave]

Are replacements for these available somewhere? They show as out of stock and $0.00 on the Houston site. A crossover of some kind maybe if there aren't NOS ones?

Mine seals find and brake fluid doesn't leak, but whatever might have been in there to sense level and light up the brake warning bulb on the cluster doesn't work anymore. Just something lingering on the to-do list that I'd like to finally get working again.

They don't usually work very well. The switch contacts get contaminated over time.

You really only need the cap, not the whole reservoir. Test the circuit first (jump the two pins together on the connector).

A generic cap may fit but the hard part may be finding one where the float is the right size and drop.

[Jonathan]

They don't usually work very well. The switch contacts get contaminated over time.

You really only need the cap, not the whole reservoir. Test the circuit first (jump the two pins together on the connector).

A generic cap may fit but the hard part may be finding one where the float is the right size and drop.

I understand the "button" on the top of the switch part is supposed to be a test button... to force the brake light on the dash to come on. When I press this spot, it's like there isn't anything under it, or whatever is, is not connected as it might have been originally. Like what was underneath popped out the other side or at the very least whatever used to feel like some resistance isn't there anymore.

My brake light comes on when I pull the parking brake handle, so that aspect of the circuit is ok. I'll try the jumper on the pins at the harness side of the reservoir indicator connector and see what happens. I think I might have done this in the past and no light came on at the dash, but that might have been when some bulbs weren't good or it might be telling me I have another problem somewhere between the reservoir and wherever that piece of wiring harness meets up with the cluster circuit.

I'm tempted to take it apart and see if I can figure out why it doesn't work but don't really want to wreck it in doing so. If the inside column part was somewhat similar to the fuel sender for example, I might be able to see where the problem is. Like you said though, maybe they don't work well even in the best of circumstances. I don't get any leaks at the cap or the underside of the reservoir, so you're right, no need for a new reservoir and cap.

Just a small/trivial piece on the car that isn't working that I wanted to get sorted out. If the consolation prize is that my to-do list has gotten pretty short over the past few years and this one stays on it, hey, I'll take that too.

[Jonathan]

Test the circuit first (jump the two pins together on the connector).

I'll try the jumper on the pins at the harness side of the reservoir indicator connector and see what happens.

Ok, the circuit tests out fine. I jumpered the two pins on the connector on the harness and the brake light on the dash came on. So my problem's narrowed down to just the switch on the reservoir.

I took the cap out of the reservoir while the wiring connector was still attached to see if the light would come on sensing no fluid and it did not. I did not try to take it apart.

[DMCMW Dave]

My personal advice FWIW:

Ignore it:
---It's not leaking
---The wire falls off and it doesn't work anyway
---You maintain your car well enough to notice brake fluid pooling on the floor or low in the reservoir
---They don't even check for that functionality in concours. The only reason to fix it is that you are a perfectionist or you live in a country with an MOT that checks for it.

[Jonathan]

My personal advice FWIW:

Ignore it:
---It's not leaking
---The wire falls off and it doesn't work anyway
---You maintain your car well enough to notice brake fluid pooling on the floor or low in the reservoir
---They don't even check for that functionality in concours. The only reason to fix it is that you are a perfectionist or you live in a country with an MOT that checks for it.

Those are good points, Dave. Thanks. I can use all the help I can get in avoiding the perfectionism trap. This one will gladly come off the to-do list and go on the "good enough" list instead.

[Josh]

Those are good points, Dave. Thanks. I can use all the help I can get in avoiding the perfectionism trap. This one will gladly come off the to-do list and go on the "good enough" list instead.

lol same here. As an exercise we can trade cars. This will force you to ignore your perfectionist ways. Either that or go crazy. haha

[Shep]

My personal advice FWIW:

Ignore it:
---It's not leaking
---The wire falls off and it doesn't work anyway
---You maintain your car well enough to notice brake fluid pooling on the floor or low in the reservoir
---They don't even check for that functionality in concours. The only reason to fix it is that you are a perfectionist or you live in a country with an MOT that checks for it.

Curious: what about those of us that don't check the brake fluid regularly? Or notice a pool on the floor but can't identify it right away (say, mistaken for an oil leak or just dirty water)? Is there any crossover part we can get for that? I honestly do not know what the status of mine is, but I'm not sure if it was ever replaced come to think of it, so this thread leaves me wondering if there's an alternative somewhere.

(And come to think of it, being a perfectionist when it comes to the brakes is not a bad thing! )

[DMC-Ron]

Ok, the circuit tests out fine. I jumpered the two pins on the connector on the harness and the brake light on the dash came on. So my problem's narrowed down to just the switch on the reservoir.

I took the cap out of the reservoir while the wiring connector was still attached to see if the light would come on sensing no fluid and it did not. I did not try to take it apart.

Jonathan,
The switch in the brake cap is fairly simple but somewhat delicate. I would flush it out to see if the contacts are cruddy or stuck. Don't flush with anything that would harm the nylon/plastic (i.e. don't use brake cleaner). You could flush with silicon spray but you need to wipe it down well before reinstalling. Silicon doesn't go well with brake fluid.

Ron

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