XJ11 Defeat the brake warning light - rear MC

[KA1J]

Don't know why it has decided to remain on but it does. Started intermittently when I'd press the foot brake and now the warning is persistently on. I have to use the defeat button to get the flashing red to stop but it still shows brake is a problem on the LCD. No problem with the brakes or proportional valve, it's just a stuck switch.

What do I need to do to make the computer happy? I can tell if there's a functional problem & there isn't.

Thanks

& hope everyone's having a fun summer with great rides!

[Yahman]

Did you check the fluid level? That's what the switch detects.

Ride safe,
Larry

[KA1J]

Yes, it's full. The level was at the proper place on the sight gauge and I added more to see if that would help. Full to the brim and the warning is still there.

Between the proportioning valve and its MC, I really don't want to haul that out of there and would be happy just shutting the warning off. I check fluids frequently though they never do go down before I change them.

[Yahman]

Check the connection on the wire going to the master cylinder. I think it needs to be grounded to turn the light off. I replaced mine with a master that didn't have that wire and I believe that's what I did, hooked it to a ground point.

Larry

[KA1J]

Thanks larry,

I'll do that tomorrow morning.

I've been doing so many things this year, rehabbing a Maxim-X & readying a XJ650 to sell. With that I haven't done as much riding on the 1100 & noticed that light problem had finally become permanent. Kind of a bugger to have it always telling you there's a brake issue when its fine.

Ride safe & have fun!

Gary

[crazy steve]

According to the wiring diagram, disconnecting the wire to the master cylinder will turn off the light.

[Jerry]

Brake warning light is tied to both the front and rear master cylinders. Don't assume the problem is in the rear master. Check front fluid level as well.

IIRC - could be wrong - that disconnecting the wires and jumping them together will turn off the light. Switch is normally open and closes when the fluid level drops.

The XJ warning circuits are generally pretty solid and don't often fail. If the light is on there is probably a reason for it.

[KA1J]

I haven't been able to check it out yet, family medical issues are in the way but the light would earlier only come on when I would touch the rear brake & after a few hundred feet of bumpy road, would go out. Never happened with the front brake. Seems pretty assured it is rear only & it's working wonderfully & the proportional valve is doing its work well.

Always something... Hopefully to get to it tomorrow.

[crazy steve]

You might try flushing out the reservoir; that switch is operated by a small float, you might have a bit of crud in there hanging it up....

[OregonRider]

Same issue with my XJ1100 only the Brake light is always on. Flushed both front and rear, with the reservoir cap off I manually moved the float down and let it float back to the top of the fluid. The Brake warning light never went out. Fluid levels good, brakes work. only other thing I can think of is the switch is bad.
It's now just habit to turn off the blinking red warning light at start up. seems easier than trying to locate new brake float switches and try to figure out how to replace them with causing a leaky reservoir. Much less try to find replacement switches.

[KA1J]

I need to follow-up on this thread for the next person with the issue who is looking for a solution; The answer was as mentioned above & that is; to defeat the always "on" of the brake warning system from the rear brake, you must ground the wire coming from the MC.

there are two wires from the rear MC, connected behind the relay panel that go to the computer. I tried everything I could think of to make the proper connection but didn't get it right. I tried grounding to a bunch of screws and finally came to realize the metal attachments were floating off ground and just because it's a screw or bolt doesn't mean its grounded...

I found which of the two female plugs (on the dashboard side of the connectors) which needed to be grounded to make the LCD light go out and then I attached the wire to a bolt on the frame and all's good. If I can find a XJ11 MC I'll pick one up and see if the oil indicator switch works in it & if it does I'll replace the one I have. FWIW, I used a male connector & wire that went to an old Suzuki turn signal that was rusted badly (they use the same wiring connectors we do). I removed the wire & put a ring terminal on the other end & routed it out of sight. I also attached a waterproof note to the "jumper wire" to explain what was done so the next owner won't have to wonder what's what. I do though plan to keep this bike as long as can still ride so that'll hopefully be a long time.

Also have an occasional oil light warning but the oil is only 2K of running time on it this year and its at the proper level so I have yet a 2nd sticky oil indicator. At least this one goes out after 4-5 minutes of riding time.

Have dino oil in it now & think I'll try the Rotella 6T & see how well that does, maybe that'll loosen the switch & douse the warning light?