weird connector on brake master cylinder

[0perose]

I replaced the master cylinder on my legacy wagon this weekend, and there was an electrical connector attached to the one in my car. I unhooked the connector, and when I got the old master cylinder out, the connector has some wires coming out of it.. that go into a little plastic tube type of thingamajig, that sticks into a narrow tunnel going under the master cylinder resevior... but seems to serve no purpose.. wtf is this thing? I don't see how it could possibly do anything?

my dad's opinion was that there was some angry and fed up designer working for subaru decided to make these things in his basement at night, and sell them to subaru as a required "safety feature" for the brake master cylinder, when in fact it's just some wires and a bit of plastic, but he's as much of a conspiracy theorist as I am...

so what does legacycentral think?

[Legacy777]

The only electrical sensor on the master cylinder is on the resevoir and lets you know when the fluid level goes too low.

[0perose]

The only electrical sensor on the master cylinder is on the resevoir and lets you know when the fluid level goes too low.

that must be it, but how does it do it? I assumed at first that it was "looking" through the resevior somehow to determine fluid level, like you say... but it's just a sealed plastic bar that sticks through a hole under the resevior. I really don't care what it is, was just wondering

[vrg3]

It's a reed switch. There's a magnet embedded in the little float, and when the float gets close enough to the bottom it trips the switch.

[0perose]

It's a reed switch. There's a magnet embedded in the little float, and when the float gets close enough to the bottom it trips the switch.

EXACTLY what I was looking for! thanks

[vrg3]