Brake pad warning light came on whilst on my recent holiday in France. "Odd", thinks I, "I only did the pads about 8000 miles ago, they can't be that worn". Had a quick crawl underneath but couldn't see anything untoward so dismissed it until I could be back at home with a proper jack etc.
Well, at home now, so jacked the van up and took the caliper off today (Fiat tightwads only put the warning sensors on one side on X244 Ducatos). Loads of meat on the pads, as I expected, but where the brakes have got hot the insulation on the sensor wire for about 1mm next to the pad has melted - just enough to short it out onto the backing plate I think.
We've had a few holidays in mountainous areas and despite careful driving, engine braking, never braking continuously etc etc and generally treating the brakes as you should we've had a few instances on long downhills where the brakes have got hot enough to smell a bit - never enough to fade, but enough to whiff a bit.
I wouldn't have worried too much about the sensor but I noticed that the friction material was just starting to come away from one of the backing plates, so it's new pads & discs, as the discs are past their best.
A timely reminder with motorhomes and brakes to check the pads carefully, the friction material starting to part company from the backing plate long before the pads are worn out is not uncommon.
Well, at home now, so jacked the van up and took the caliper off today (Fiat tightwads only put the warning sensors on one side on X244 Ducatos). Loads of meat on the pads, as I expected, but where the brakes have got hot the insulation on the sensor wire for about 1mm next to the pad has melted - just enough to short it out onto the backing plate I think.
We've had a few holidays in mountainous areas and despite careful driving, engine braking, never braking continuously etc etc and generally treating the brakes as you should we've had a few instances on long downhills where the brakes have got hot enough to smell a bit - never enough to fade, but enough to whiff a bit.
I wouldn't have worried too much about the sensor but I noticed that the friction material was just starting to come away from one of the backing plates, so it's new pads & discs, as the discs are past their best.
A timely reminder with motorhomes and brakes to check the pads carefully, the friction material starting to part company from the backing plate long before the pads are worn out is not uncommon.