Suiicidalpenguin

Alright 87 GXL auto.

Question 1!
My idiot cluster decided the 2 days ago that it was going to intermittently blink, stay on, or work normally. I figured the car was doing Morse Code, thought I might have my own KITT in the making. Alright all seriousness, the cluster started this and all the lights except the Brake & the one in the bottom right next to the brake one (which I can't remember for the life of me or maybe that isn't actually one and im hallucinating). Everything is working fine except for the brakes (will be in question 2 started well after the brake problem). Could I have jogged/broken something under the master cylinder theres a group of wires (I just changed the master). Or could there be something else?

Question 2!
My sensor under the master is good but leaks from the base (the rubber boot on the bottom fills with fluid). I can not afford a new sensor its about 120 at Mazda. The question here is, if I plug the hole temporarily what am I facing? I'm not really sure what the sensor is, if anyone could enlighten me that'd be awesome lol learning as I fix things.



Thanks in advance guys.

InsomniacFC

iTrader: (4)

1. Bad solder joints in the idiot cluster. You're going to have to de-solder and redo the solder points in the cluster. There is a write up or two on the forum that you can find by searching. I had the same issue a few years ago and re-soldered the whole thing and now it works just fine. Even the clock.

If you have no soldering experience i'd look into finding a friend who can do it, but if you are mechanically inclined you could google "soldering" and figure it out. A solder sucker, iron, and solder shouldn't run you more than $25 at Radioshack.

EDIT:

From way back in 2004...

"Cold Solder points fix for the Clock/Idiot light (Tuck)

Start by placing the blade of a flathead screwdriver under the front lip of the plastic trim piece that is in front of the clock/idiot light unit. Pry it up and you will see two screws that hold the assembly in place, one on each side of the unit. Remove these screws and pull the clock unit out. The wires are tight but some slack can be pulled out from the inside of the dash. Unhook the clock/idiot light module. Remove a few screws from the back of the unit and carefully check and resolder all the solder connections on the socket for the plug. Resolder other stuff if you are feeling adventurous. Installation consists of plugging the unit back into the wiring harness, screwing it back in, and snapping the trim piece back over the unit. It is short and sweet. One important note, if you decide to resolder ALL of the solder points in the unit, be careful, there are a number of delicate components that can be killed with great ease by overheating, especially under that little black plastic thing.
Cold Solder points in the Logicon (Mike Mario)"

Note: Remember to de-solder first.

Icemark

#1 Idiot lights flashing on, or staying on indicates a bad or failing alternator. On a S4, if all (or the majority) of the lights are coming on, then it would not be bad solder joints, as the lights are triggered to ground from the CPU. So there is no sense in wasting your time doing what satanicmechanic suggested. Instead fix or replace your alt. I would bet that the voltage on your dash voltmeter is under the 12 volt line when this is happening, also suggesting that again... you have a bad alternator.

#2 The sensor under the master brake cyl is separate from the fluid reservoir, and does not plug into the reservoir or stop the reservoir from leaking. It is a magnetic pick up that when the magnet in the reservoir gets close enough, it triggers the sensor.

So removing it will do nothing and you can't plug the hole, because the hole does not go through to the fluid.

InsomniacFC

iTrader: (4)

Dang, thought I had it. Listen to Icemark. He knows what he's talking about.

Suiicidalpenguin

The batt voltage never drops below 14, in worst case scenario (night time with stereo on) it will drop half between 12 and 14. When the Lights come on the meter stays the same. It seems to start up when I hit a good bump, and will stop after a few more.


As for the sensor when pressure is applied to the brake the rubber boot on the base of the sensor fills and leaks with brake fluid. When the sensor was off it was a bored cone with a maybe 1/8th inch hole into the master in which the nub of the sensor pops into... so i don't understand hat one... but it being a magnetic pickup makes sense now looking at that Nub. Tomorrow after work ill take a picture of what I mean, maybe I am explaining myself wrong.

*EDIT* I know what I said wrong, not the level sensor. The Sensor/switch that bolts into the bottom of the master is what leaks