brake light in speedometer

[mbeamish]

hello have a 2003 mexican the brake warning light in speedometer comes on as normal when i turn the ignition on but when i start the engine the light doesn't go out completlely it flickers and glows sometimes when driving .The brakes work well and there is plenty of brake fluid
thanks mike

[Red1600i]

It's one of the two brake switches that causes this problem.

[phade]

The brake (!) warning LED is actually a low brake fluid level and alternator warning LED. The most common cause of that fault is slack alternator belt, worn alternator brushes and/or (less likely) alternator regulator.

The first thing you will need to check is the alternator's belt deflection. This should be between 11mm to 14mm at the centre of the belt with light thumb pressure at the centre of the belt. If you wish to measure the deflection using VW 210 then the values should be between 16.5 and 17.5.

If the alternator brushes are suspect and you need to fix your car in a hurry, then you could remove the alternator brushes and very gently file off the lip from the alternator brushes using a miniature rat's tail file. Alternatively, you could get brand new brushes and/or regulator from the VW Classic Parts Center http://www.vw-classicparts.de/ :-

Alternator brushes - part number 0409035031 €29.86

Alternator regulator - part number 040903803 €53.50

Note: Those prices excludes MwSt (Mehrwertsteur - in other words german VAT) @ 19% and excludes postage.

Don't bother with ordering from VW Heritage as their website doesn't return any results with those part numbers, despite the fact that VW Heritage is VW Classic Part's UK partner. It's a lot quicker and a lot less hassle ordering parts from the VW Classic Parts Center in Wolfsburg.

[mbeamish]

thanks for fast replies i have fitted new brushes( from manfred graf )and alternator is giving 13.8 volts but light still glows and flickers are the switches on the brake master cylinder and are they the same as 1970,s german beetles

[mbeamish]

looked at switches on master cylinder one was very corroded and a terminal broke off when i removed plug think that is problem