96 Xantia - Mysterious Broken Wiring

[WaldoMcBaldo]

After examining my strut tops the other day I noticed some very dodgy looking wiring leading to the brake calipers. On the passenger's side it's broken clean in two and left hanging, and on the driver's side it's well on it's way to doing so. To my knowledge the car doesn't have ABS so I'm a little confused as to what the wiring is for. I looked in the Haynes and it looks like it could be for the brake pad wear sensors, however there's no warning lights on the dash (Surely a break in the circuit would trigger a warning light)

I'm starting to think that it may be the brake sensors, however someone has pulled the bulb on the dash or pulled the corresponding fuse to extinguish it. Can anyone shed any light on to what they go to / are for?

[Hell Razor5543]

It could well be for ABS, and that either the ABS warning light has blown or been removed. If you check just in front of the LHM reservoir and find a block with pipework and a large connector it would indicate ABS. However, I would expect a more knowledgeable person could give you better advice.

[Old-Guy]

You don't say exactly what model (in your signature would be a good place) so I can't tell if it should have ABS.

Been there, done that (repaired the pad wear warning cable) this last week-end! If it's broken pad-wear sensor wire(s) broken, there's no ECU involved so there's no warning if the circuit is broken (circuit works by the disc wearing away the end of the 'sensor' to provide a ground path through the indicator bulb.

If it's ABS sensor wires, then the ABS ECU tests the circuit on start-up and turns the ABS light OFF after about 10 seconds (checked at MoT for blown/missing bulb).

So it's very easy to check the ABS warning light: turn on the ignition and the orange ABS light (refer to handbook) should be lit (bulb OK), start the engine and it should go out after 10 seconds (ABS ECU start-up tests passed).

Looking under the wheel arch, the pad wear sensor and ABS sensor cables should share that double retaining bracket on the inner wing forward of the strut and both arch up before going to the hub/strut area. ABS winds its way round to the rear of the strut through several more brackets; pad wear pushes into one more bracket before ending in a connector on the forward face of the strut from which 2 thin wires go to the calliper. A further clue from a broken pad wear cable is the colour of its two cores - one red, one green. The green is grounded on the strut so grounding it to see if the (red) brake warning light lights is doomed to failure!

Either someone has done a fairly comprehensive job of removing the ABS sensors, or it was never fitted to your car. BUT, my impression is that it was only some of the early 'sinker' Xantias that didn't have ABS and that well before your car was built, ABS was standard on all Xantias because the tendency of the light-yet-powerful brakes to lock-up frightened off some customers.

A trip to a scrappy is indicated

[WaldoMcBaldo]

Cheers for the replies guys. She's a 1.9 td SX, however I'm sure I've never seen the ABS light come on with the rest of the startup checks. One of the cables is definitely a light green colour so with that and the lack of any dash warning light I'm beginning to think it's the pad wear sensor wire that's gone. As for someone removing the ABS, it's possible. I'm the second owner but the first seems to have done some pretty weird things to the car (Airhorns, giant Hella spotlights on the front), but why the hell they'd remove the ABS is beyond me.

[c.morewood]

I'm pretty sure that's the ex brake wear indicator wiring. I snipped mine off at the same place as the outer sheath had broken allowing the exposed wires to touch illuminating the dash light.... never been a factor for me, my pads disintegrate before they wear out, being a motoryclist I tend to use engine braking.

[Hell Razor5543]

If you could pop up the last 8 digits if your VIN somebody with the relevant access could let you know what factory fitted equipment your Xantia has.

[citroenxm]

I also can confirm that SX TD Xantia DID ALL have ABS, however, the ABS leads are a high flex lead, and they dont actually physically Split, its ALWAYS the PAd Wear leads that split. They are of a far lower quality cable. I think the ABS sesnor wires are a "Leoni" type cable which is high flex outer plastic/rubber coating. This doesnt stop the copper breaking inside them though.

If you have NO ABS light on the dash on startup then a previous owner may well of removed the warning lamp to hide a non working ABS system, however, if that picture above is of your ACTUAL car, the ABS lead should be in the clip next to that broken lead, and its not there.

Have you also got electric rear windows, and electric mirrors and front fog lights too??

[wurlycorner]

That is the brake pad wear loom. The ABS sensor has a longer sheath (so it doesn't break like the pad wear one!)

(bad) pic from mine below. Cable on the left is the ABS, right is pad wear.

[WaldoMcBaldo]

I also can confirm that SX TD Xantia DID ALL have ABS, however, the ABS leads are a high flex lead, and they dont actually physically Split, its ALWAYS the PAd Wear leads that split. They are of a far lower quality cable. I think the ABS sesnor wires are a "Leoni" type cable which is high flex outer plastic/rubber coating. This doesnt stop the copper breaking inside them though.

If you have NO ABS light on the dash on startup then a previous owner may well of removed the warning lamp to hide a non working ABS system, however, if that picture above is of your ACTUAL car, the ABS lead should be in the clip next to that broken lead, and its not there.

Have you also got electric rear windows, and electric mirrors and front fog lights too??

That's a picture of the actual car, took it this morning. I only have the front electric windows, manual (I think, the knobs don't do much at all) mirrors and no factory fogs, only the Hella's the PO installed.

[Hell Razor5543]

Would it be possible to post a picture of the dodgy wire that goes to the calliper at the point where it meets the calliper? That way it may be possible to identify what it does.

[citroenxm]

Then your car is NOT an Sx and doesnt have abs so no bulb has been removed and theres no dodgy abs on yur car.

I can very safely say that those wires are for pad wear warnings and NOTHING ELSE.

[WaldoMcBaldo]

Well guys this thread has given me a chuckle at least. When I first got the car it had numerous foreign stickers plastered all over the back; the previous owner obviously took it as far afield as Germany. My first job was to remove them all. While I was at it I took the Xantia and SX badges off because they were a bit of a state too. The PO obviously took the time to source a genuine SX badge and put it on the car! I checked the V5 and it's registered as an LX. You'd have thought he'd at least have put a VSX badge on!

[Rhothgar]

That's brake pad wear wire!