What does the exclamation mark mean?
The illumination of a red exclamation mark on the instrument panel informs the driver that the fluid level in the brake system is insufficient. When this sign lights up on the instrument panel, it is necessary to stop the car as quickly as possible, check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir, as well as the brake line for leaks.
The fluid level should be between the minimum and maximum marks; if there is not enough liquid in the tank, it must be added.
If, during inspection, leaks of brake fluid are found from the fittings of hoses and tubes or other connections, it is prohibited to continue driving.
What to do if the lamp comes on?
- The first thing you need to do is check the fuel fluid level. This is done simply and without any difficulties. Open the hood and look at the level, it should be between o and “MAX”. The level must be monitored constantly; for those who forget to do this, there is an exclamation mark. It lights up based on a signal from the sensor, which signals when the fuel level is below the permissible level.
By the way! There are often cases when the light comes on when driving over uneven surfaces and goes out as soon as the car drives onto a more or less level road. This happens precisely for the reason that the level of “brake fluid” is close to o and when the car is rocking, the sensor detects a low level and signals this to the instrument panel.
- If everything is in order with the brake fluid level, you need to check the fuel injection system, which is located in the brake fluid tank. I'll tell you how to do this now.
2.1. Turn on the ignition and make sure that the exclamation mark lamp comes on, that is, the indicator of insufficient fuel level. It should light up and go out if the level is normal and the sensor is working.
2.2. We turn off the power from the sensor and look at the lamp; if it goes out, most likely there is a problem with the sensor. Check the sensor, sometimes the problem is that the float fails and sinks to the bottom even though the fuel fluid level is fine.
2.3. If, after turning off the power from the sensor, the exclamation mark on the panel continues to light, most likely the problem is in the wiring, and the sensor itself is working. Perhaps the reason is a short circuit in the wiring, or something else, but one way or another the problem will be associated with a faulty wiring and a violation of its integrity.
Why may TJ levels decrease?
The reasons for the decrease in level may be the following factors:
Brake fluid leak
This problem can occur after driving on deep snow or gravel roads, where brake line tubes and hoses are at risk of damage. Leaks are also possible at the connections of the calipers and the main brake cylinder.
Pad wear
When the pads are worn out, the caliper piston comes out of the seat much more than with new pads, therefore, the volume of fluid required to fill the space increases, and the fluid level in the reservoir drops.
When replacing the pads with new ones, the level should be restored to normal.
Damage to the fuel level sensor
This reason occurs quite often. The cap of the brake fluid reservoir contains a sensor that measures the fluid level; when it drops, the contacts on the sensor close and the lamp on the instrument panel lights up in the form of a red exclamation mark, informing that the brake fluid level is low.
Quite often it happens that the fuel fluid level is within acceptable ranges, but the indicator still lights up, this indicates a malfunction of the level sensor or its power circuit.
Reasons for the appearance of the icon
The most common cause of a car's brake system malfunction is a drop in brake fluid level. For this reason, on some cars the “exclamation mark” icon may “blink”, depending on driving conditions (the brake fluid splashes in the reservoir, causing its level to become lower or higher).
The fluid level may drop for several reasons, for example: due to a fluid leak, due to severe wear of the brake pads, or due to evaporation during long-term operation without replacement (fluid replacement according to the regulations must be done at least once every two of the year).
Checking the fuel oil level sensor
Checking it is quite simple; to do this, you need to unscrew the brake reservoir cap without disconnecting it from the connector. Then forcefully raise the “float”, then the lamp should go out; if this does not happen, then most likely the problem is in the sensor.
The next step is to check the control circuit. To do this, disconnect the sensor from the connector and insert a jumper into the plug, closing the two contacts together. When closed, the lamp should light up.
We hope our article was useful to you.
Exclamation mark blinking on viburnum
Why is there a red triangle with an exclamation mark and a sign next to the battery?
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Specifically, the transcript is written like this.
Warning lamp for malfunction of the electronic brake force distributor (connected as an option). The lamp lights up red when the ignition is turned on and goes out after 2 seconds (self-test mode). Further, this is my explanation, and if it is on, it means a malfunction of this system, and this is 100 percent true. Mikhail S. Well, he was right, but he was wrong about the level of brake fluid. But that's not the point. So this lamp, well, it refers to the ABS, but specifically speaks about the EBD system, in short, exchange rate stability. Do you have a car with abs and speed control? It happens that a Lada without abs but this lamp is present. But in such cases, it only works when the ignition is turned on and goes out. Well, if there is no abs, it will never burn constantly.
The triangle seems to be on the right - an emergency signal. On the left, where the battery sign is, a circle with an exclamation mark indicates a brake failure.
This icon lights up when the brake system is in an emergency condition. Check the brake fluid level, then carry out diagnostics with a scanner and check for errors in the ECU memory.
This icon actually stands for this:
The icon lights up along with a warning message on the instrument panel.
Is this situation with the engine running? Is the battery light also on? Is the check indicator on or off? In general, are there any problems with the operation of the engine and the behavior of the car?
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1) Hello. On my viburnum, a red exclamation mark in a circle lights up and goes out, sometimes it blinks, what is the reason.
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18 comments on “Exclamation mark on the instrument panel of the VAZ Kalina. On my viburnum, a red exclamation mark in a circle lights up and goes out”
1. Malfunction in the brake system.
1 check the brake fluid level. I had this when I was ten
Most likely there is not enough brake fluid due to worn pads or a leak.
2 any after 3000 km change Castrol 5-40
1. The pads are worn out. Either the liquid has leaked or the sensor is faulty.
This is a “brake failure” indicator (indicator lamp for emergency condition of the service brake system). Take a closer look at the Operation Manual that came with the car, it says this there. The buzzer should still beeping. They correctly noted that this is probably a low level of brake fluid in the reservoir. Open the hood, apply brake fluid, look, maybe there is fluid leaking somewhere, maybe you need to tighten the connections. In general, this is bad; it’s better to deal with such a defect.
1 brake fluid level
2 do a break-in with inexpensive but not nasty oil like Lukoil. After 5 tkm we change with washing to another oil
2 after a thousand change the oil. Drive at least with mineral water
. Asks
: Smirnov Sergey.
The essence of the question
: An exclamation mark lit up on the instrument panel of the VAZ-2112, I don’t understand why?
Good afternoon I sometimes get an exclamation mark in a circle on my dashboard, most often this happens when braking! Please tell me what could be the reason and how to solve it?
Why does the exclamation mark (!) light up on the instrument panel?
At the moment when the car brakes, the brake cylinders are pushed forward as much as possible, thereby acting on the pads. At this time, the cylinders are filled with the required amount of brake fluid in the system, and its level in the reservoir drops. It is for this reason that such an exclamation mark lights up
on the instrument panel, informing the driver about the minimum level of brake fluid in the reservoir, and accordingly in the system as a whole.
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All my life I have been surrounded by cars! First, in the village, already in the first grade, I was rushing around on a tractor through the fields, then there was JAVA, then a penny. Now I am a third-year student at the Polytechnic Faculty of Automotive Engineering. I work part-time as a car mechanic and help repair cars for all my friends.
Video with an overview of all warning lamps on the VAZ-2112
Reasons for appearance
If such an indication occurs, first of all we check the sensor itself
, which is located in the brake fluid reservoir. It is a float that actively interacts with the brake fluid.
When the float is dismantled, it must be put away on a rag.
In order to check its serviceability, it is necessary, with the engine running, remove it from the tank body and manually change the position of the float. If the indication on the instrument panel does not disappear and does not react in any way depending on the influence on it, then the sensor is faulty and needs to be replaced.
However, if the sensor is working properly, there may be a brake fluid leak.
Where might brake fluid leak?
It is very easy to find out whether the required level of brake fluid is in the system, since it can be seen visually through the brake fluid reservoir. Its level should always be closer to o
, and if it is significantly less, or its level has dropped, then a leak is possible.
Brake cylinder
The front brake cylinder is leaking
First of all, inspect the brake cylinders on all wheels for leaks.
As a rule, leaks most often occur on the rear drums due to their excessive overheating. It is not difficult to notice a leak on the cylinders, since in the case of the front cylinder, the leaks will be noticeable on the caliper, and on the rear, it can drip directly from the drum. Problems with these elements usually arise during the cold season.
Brake hoses
The brake hose has cracks.
It is also very easy to determine the presence of ruptures or cracks in brake hoses, since this is all visible to the naked eye. Most often, they crack at bends or due to friction with adjacent elements of the car body.
Master brake cylinder
Traces of brake fluid are clearly visible on the body.
When inspecting the brake master cylinder, inspect its external condition for visible leaks.
The main place where a rupture can occur is the rubber seal located closest to the vacuum booster.
Location of the vacuum brake booster and master cylinder
If a leak occurs, it will drip onto the gearbox housing, and then onto the CV joint on the left side. This is easy to notice, and only then proceed to replace it.
- If you find any of the above elements to be faulty, it must be replaced immediately. Since the operation of the car with such malfunctions is impossible.
- After replacing an element of the brake system, be sure to do so, since air will accumulate in the system during work.
How the icons on the device panel work
To understand what is happening with the car, first the car owner needs to understand how the icons on the device panel (pictograms) work and how they indicate defects.
On different cars, a huge number of different icons can be displayed on the device panel, informing the driver about the performance of a particular system. This includes a braking system, an anti-lock braking system, a motion stabilization system, a battery charging system, an airbag system, a tire pressure measurement system, and auxiliary systems such as cruise control.
Whenever you start the engine, all the icons on the device panel should light up and go out after a second or two - thereby showing that the light bulbs in the icons have not burned out, the icons themselves are operational, and the systems that are tracking are operational. If, when starting the engine, all the icons go out, and one or two remain glowing, it means that the system they are tracking requires checking.
From time to time, icons may appear on the device panel while the vehicle is moving. Most often, this means that the car requires urgent intervention from servicemen and the driver urgently needs to brake and turn off the engine.
Also, on some car models, the “exclamation mark” icon may not glow all the time, but from time to time it will light up and fade away – “blink”.
conclusions
Please note that replacing brake fluid is also necessary because, over time, it accumulates water particles from the air and becomes less effective.
With the development of the automotive industry, more modern instrument panels (DP) began to be used in vehicles. The software is used to inform the driver about the basic parameters of engine operation, as well as to warn about possible malfunctions in the operation of systems and components. What does the exclamation mark and other indicators mean? A description of the main icons is given below.
If two icons are lit, “exclamation mark” and ABS
This often happens when two icons light up on the device panel, for example, an “exclamation mark” and an ABS icon (or a stabilization system icon in the form of a “car on a crooked track”).
Because the braking system of a car is often very closely connected with the ABS system (Anti-lock Braking System) and the motion stabilization system, then if a malfunction occurs in one of these systems, the second one may also stop working and/or forced to shut down by the on-board computer. Therefore, if two icons appear on the device panel at once, you will have to find the fault in two systems at once.
Information indicators
The lights on the dashboard can indicate failures in the operation of the engine and other systems, or be of an informational nature. In any case, the car owner must be able to decipher the “messages” transmitted by the control module in order to promptly fix the problem in the event of a breakdown. First, let's look at the description of information indicators.
| Icon | What does it mean |
| A yellow wrench in the background of the car indicates that the system has detected a malfunction in the engine. The EPC failure indicator may indicate problems with the sensors or controllers; sometimes the wrench icon appears when there is a malfunction in the electronic component of the transmission. Computer diagnostics of the car can tell you exactly what this error means. | |
| A red indicator in the form of a car with a lock usually lights up in the event of malfunctions in the operation of the anti-theft system, in particular, we are talking about a standard installation. In practice, such malfunctions are usually accompanied by the inability to start the power unit. If the indicator simply blinks when the car is locked and its security is activated, then there is no need to worry. | |
| The exclamation mark indicator can only appear in a car with a hybrid power unit; its appearance is due to problems with the operation of the electric drive device. When such an indicator appears, it is better to perform computer diagnostics - this option is the most relevant if you want to get accurate information about the breakdown. | |
| An icon in the form of a car with an open door may light up on the instrument panel if the ignition is turned on or the car engine is running and one of the doors is open. This can also apply to the trunk lid as well as the hood. If you checked the doors and are sure that they are all locked, then most likely the reason is inoperative limit switches that are installed on the doors or on the pillars between the door and the body. It may be that the electrical circuit connecting the limit switch is damaged. | |
| The ESP icon is a vehicle stability control sensor. The indicator may appear if the system has detected a slippery section of the road along which the car is moving. Activation of this unit is carried out to prevent wheel slipping by reducing the power of the power unit. In principle, the appearance of an icon does not threaten the car with anything bad, since the indicator itself is informational. However, if a yellow triangle, wrench or wear symbol lights up next to the light, then you need to worry about the performance of the system. | |
| The wrench symbol in yellow tells the driver that the vehicle is due for maintenance. You need to change the oil, check the filters, etc. When the maintenance is completed, the indicator can be reset by briefly disconnecting the battery terminals. |
Reasons for shutdown
The main reason lies in the electric power steering. When ignited, the system performs a self-diagnosis and if the mechanism does not pass it, a signal is turned on indicating a malfunction. The color of the signal indicates the degree of danger. The light turns red, the problem needs to be fixed urgently. If the color is yellow, the vehicle can be operated, but safety precautions should be taken. There may be several reasons why the electric power steering on Kalina does not work:
- speed sensor malfunction;
- torque sensor malfunction;
- speed exceeds 60 km/h;
- engine speed is less than 400 per minute;
- failure in the control unit;
- poorly soldered contacts;
- insufficient tension.
Warning symbols on the visor
Now we suggest you familiarize yourself with the warning indicators on the tidy. Let's consider only the most common symbols (video published by Kirill Mukhin).
| A yellow steering wheel symbol indicates that the steering system needs to be adapted. If this indicator lights up red, then you should diagnose the performance of the amplifier, which can be electric or hydraulic. |
| The key sign in the background of the car usually flashes after the car has been armed. If the lamp is on without blinking, this indicates possible problems that have occurred in the operation of the system. Typically, the appearance of the symbol is due to the fact that the anti-theft system mechanism cannot read the tag from the key or that the installation has not turned on. |
| The handbrake icon is always on when the handbrake lever is raised, as well as when there is a malfunction, in particular, wear on the brake pads. Sometimes this symbol appears when it is necessary to add brake fluid to the expansion tank. If the pads are intact, the fluid level is normal, and the indicator lights up when the lever is released, then most likely you need to change the brake fluid level sensor; it is located in the fluid reservoir. |
| The yellow coolant symbol indicates the need to add consumables to the reservoir. The indicator may light up if the sensor or float in the expansion tank breaks down, and if it lights up red, then the power unit may have overheated. Before adding antifreeze, you need to eliminate the cause of its leak, and also make sure that the engine is not overheated. |
| The washer system symbol appears when there is insufficient washer fluid or water level in the tank; in some cases, the cause is a clogged level sensor. In more modern cars, the icon may appear if the fluid used does not match. |
| Traction control indicator. If the symbol lights up continuously after starting the engine, then there is apparently a problem with the system. The indicator itself may look different, it all depends on the car. |
| This is the catalyst icon; it usually lights up after the unit has been overheated. A related symptom is a lack of engine power. The cause of overheating may be poor throughput of the catalyst cells or problems with the ignition system. If the catalyst fails, the fuel consumption should also increase. |
| Such a lamp indicates that a problem has occurred in the exhaust gas purification system. In practice, this light most often appears after the car has been filled with low-quality fuel. The reason may also be due to the inoperability of the lambda probe. |
Photo gallery “Dashboards of different cars”
1. Tuned PP in VAZ 2109
Lights indicating a malfunction
Now let's look at the indicators that indicate problems.
| The red battery symbol lights up on the control panel if there is no battery charge from the generator unit. In the case of hybrid cars, the appearance of such a light will be accompanied by the inscription Main. |
| A lamp in the form of an oil can informs the driver that there is a lack of motor fluid in the power unit. The symbol always appears when the ignition is activated and disappears after the engine is started. If the indicator lights up after starting the internal combustion engine, then you need to check the oil level in the engine, all leaks must be eliminated. |
| Malfunction of the airbags. You need airbags; if an emergency or collision occurs, then most likely the airbags will not deploy. |
| This symbol can be made in different variations. If the color of its glow is red, then there are malfunctions in the functioning of the brake system, so the system must be checked before driving. The lamp may come on as a result of a lack of brake fluid in the reservoir or worn out pads. It is possible that the reason for the appearance of the lamp is due to a sensor failure. |
| The on-board computer detected malfunctions in the functioning of the ABS. If there is ice on the roads, then the problems must be corrected, since such driving can be very dangerous. The brake will function, but the ABS system will not work. |
| The Check Engine light comes on when the electronic control unit detects a malfunction in the operation of the power unit. There can be a huge number of reasons in this case, so you need to do computer diagnostics. |
| Faulty glow plugs - this symbol is only available in diesel vehicles. If the light is constantly on, you need to check the ignition system. |
If you are faced with a problem with the dashboard not working, then the video below will allow you to familiarize yourself with the repair process using the example of a Volkswagen car (the video was filmed by the altevaa TV channel).
Hi all! Today I want to raise a rather current topic that, judging by the questions on the forums and the number of requests in search engines, worries a large number of people. I want to talk about a phenomenon where when you press the brake pedal, an exclamation mark on the dashboard lights up.
I will try to give a comprehensive answer to this question and explain why this happens and what kind of damage may be involved. Go!
Let me start, perhaps, with the fact that if a lamp (!) lights up on the panel, it means something is wrong with the brake system. As a rule, this indicator signals a low level of brake fluid (BF) in the system. As you can imagine, faulty brakes are no joke and the problem needs to be addressed. I’ll say more, if anyone doesn’t know, OPERATING A CAR WITH A BURNING INDICATOR (!) IS PROHIBITED!
Since you don’t know what’s wrong and what caused this error to appear on the dashboard.
Fuse box
The weak link of the electric power steering on Kalina is the fuse box; if something doesn’t work, it’s worth checking them. To get to them, you need to open the dashboard, to the left of the steering wheel. To do this, pull the top part towards you and the latch will open.
Check if the fuse is working, if it fails, replace it. It is very easy to check, check the integrity of the thread inside the fuse. Changing a 50 amp relay to a 30 amp one will also help.
Newer versions of Kalina are equipped with electric amplifiers from Hyundai, which has a positive effect on its reliability. However, there are still thousands of cars with the domestic version, which malfunctions and breaks down from time to time. Now it will be easier for you to repair the electric power steering on Kalina yourself. The main thing to remember is that not every amplifier shutdown is a breakdown. And you can find the problem yourself and fix it, but somewhere you will have to go to a service center.
