anti-lock brake light has been on for awhile

[jimmybosox]

Background = had the car in the shop for a creaking/squeaking sound when I turn either direction at low speed. Original shop thought it could be the ball joints, so I took it to the Chrysler dealer. They had taken care of a similar issue 1.5 years ago for free as part of the ball joint recall (control arm recall?). Anyway, they determine that it's not the ball joints, but the passenger front wheel bearing. I tell them to go ahead and replace it. They pull the wheel off and call me back to the shop. They don't want to remove the brake caliper bolts because they look like they could break if they do. The top one is not tightened all the way in, and the bottom one is cross threaded. I tell them to put it back together until I can get a replacement caliper since this is my daily driver. I've got an appointment next Friday to have the wheel hub and bearing replaced along with the caliper replacement.

Ok, now my question. My anti-lock brake light has been on for awhile now and none of the shops I've taken it to can diagnose the problem. Could the bolt issues on the caliper be causing a malfunction of the anti-lock brake system? Could this be the reason for the anti-lock light being on?

Thanks,

Jimmy

1997 Eagle Talon TSi AWD Turbo

 

[theSicKness]

does the ABS turn its self off as soon as you start the car or after driving?


id say no to the caliper, but yes to the wheel bearing its self being a problem... the wheel speed sensor determines if one wheel is moving faster than the other during breaking.. if its seeing this problem due to a wobble or any other factor it will try to correct if not it shuts its self down...



my .02

Jesse

 

[jimmybosox]

Thanks, Jesse.

That makes sense.

When I first start the car, the anti-lock light is off for a couple seconds, but then comes on and stays on. I'll check in a few minutes when I go home to see if the light comes on when the car starts moving or before I start rolling. If it comes on before I start rolling, it wouldn't be the speed sensor getting bad readings, would it?

BTW - congrats on getting your ride back.

Paid attention to the anti-lock light when I started the car to go home from work. It turns on before the car starts moving,

 

[theSicKness]

thanks very much im glad to have it back


sounds like the pump its self is bad or a major system problem.. or simply enough did you check the fuse?.. could be mabey one of the wires are cut on a Wheel speed sensor..



Jesse

 

[luv2rallye]

On a 2g you can read the ABS diagnostic code to tell you the problem: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...-reading-2g-abs-diagnostic-trouble-codes.html

 

[jimmybosox]

On a 2g you can read the ABS diagnostic code to tell you the problem: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...-reading-2g-abs-diagnostic-trouble-codes.html

That's excellent info. Thank you. Now, which pin is pin 1? I know it's one end of the long row, but is it the end pin nearest the passenger side of the car or the end pin nearest the drivers side? I've never done this type of test before. Do I need some kind of wire with alligator clips at each end? Can I ground it to any metal item under the dash?

 

[luv2rallye]

Pin 1 is shown here as you are facing the pins: OBDII - On-Board Diagnostic's System - Does My Car Have OBD-II? The Connector and Communications.. I can't say if it's closer to the driver or passenger because the connector is sometimes mounted differently on different years/models. But you can believe the picture. You can connect it to pin 5 or any metal under dash.

 

[Artago]

Check your transfer case for low gear oil. My ABS light came on just before the T-case seized. It was low on oil and overheated. There is a bolt on the t-case you can remove. Top if off with oil if it's low. It may or may not be the problem but check it anyways just because T-cases are expensive and gear oil is not. Good luck.

Tom

 

[jimmybosox]

Check your transfer case for low gear oil. My ABS light came on just before the T-case seized. It was low on oil and overheated. There is a bolt on the t-case you can remove. Top if off with oil if it's low. It may or may not be the problem but check it anyways just because T-cases are expensive and gear oil is not. Good luck.

Tom

Thanks for the warning Artago. Checked the transfer case. All is well there.

Now to find the right tool for grounding that pin. Radioshack maybe? I'm guessing I just need a length of wire with alligator clips at each end.

*EDIT* Wrong again. The OBDII connector attached to the car houses the female ends of the connections. Looks like a need a jumper with very small probes on the ends, not alligator clips. Any ideas on what to use or where to find a jumper like that? I don't recall seeing any at Radioshack with small enough probes. I'll be heading back tonight to take a second look.

*Additional Info* OK, so now the passenger front axle, hub and bearing have been replaced. Wheel speed sensor looked ok. Battery disconnected to clear any codes. Anti-lock brake light still comes on and stays on. And, as a side effect, my cruise control no longer sets. It wasn't working before anyway, but when I pushed the set button, the green light on the dash would come on, now it doesn't. I have not found a way to ground pin 1 on the OBDII connector yet, so I haven't checked the error code manually. Guess I'm going to need to use a length of wire, flatten the ends and trim them so they fit in the OBDII and use that as a jumper between pin 1 and pin 5. If anyone knows a better way, I'm all ears.

 

[jimmybosox]

Update -

Using the links provided by luv2rallye I was able to clear the anti-lock light. It came back on as soon as I started to move the car.

I tried to diagnose the code by grounding pin #1. The anti-lock light came on for a second and then I got three very quick flashes. They seemed to quick to be the code though. If it is a code, then it's 13 which would be:

13 – Rear right wheel speed sensor (open circuit)

Does right mean passenger? Anyone know how to test that speed sensor or what I should be looking for when I pull the wheel off?

 

[luv2rallye]

Yes right is passenger side.

Unplug wheel sensor and measure resistance between the 2 terminals sensor side. Should be 1.0-1.5k ohms. Since you get an open circuit code (13) you may read infinite here which means the wire is broken (most likely) or the sensor is bad (less likely). If ok continue.

Remove cable clamp and check sensor cable for breakage, damage, or disconnection. Bend and slightly pull cable while checking. Also check pins in connector.

Measure resistance between each terminal and the body that the sensor is mounted in. Should be 100k ohms or more.

 

[jimmybosox]

Yes right is passenger side.

Unplug wheel sensor and measure resistance between the 2 terminals sensor side. Should be 1.0-1.5k ohms. Since you get an open circuit code (13) you may read infinite here which means the wire is broken (most likely) or the sensor is bad (less likely). If ok continue.

Remove cable clamp and check sensor cable for breakage, damage, or disconnection. Bend and slightly pull cable while checking. Also check pins in connector.

Measure resistance between each terminal and the body that the sensor is mounted in. Should be 100k ohms or more.

OK...I'm finally getting around to this. Question #1...wether the wire is broken or the sensor is bad, isn't the repair the same? I mean, don't I need a whole new sensor with wire either way? Is this difficult to replace on my own? I'm guessing one end of the wire has a connector. That should be the easy part. How does the sensor come out?

 

[luv2rallye]

They're pressed in so tight that usually you have to destroy them with hammers, chisels, pry bars to remove them. They also have a plastic case which often cracks or disintigrates in the process of removal (http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/200953-how-remove-abs-speed-sensor-hub.html). They also are very pricey.
So IMO you're much better off to first check if a wire is broken between the sensor and the connector, and if so, just repair/replace that wire (wires break far more often than the sensor fails). Use a multimeter to check wire continuity (you can stick a safety pin through the wire insulation at the sensor end).

 

[jimmybosox]

I got a replacement wheel speed sensor for the passenger rear wheel at a good price due to the holiday sales on OEM parts that were going on. Installed by the local shop yesterday. Anti-lock light is still on. They disconnected the negative from the battery after the install. I need to run the test at the OBDII connector again to see if I get a different code now, but this is pretty frustrating.

 

[50trimmed1g]

Did you ever fix this??

 

[Tomcat5678]

Did you ever fix this??

He did fix this, he sold the car to me and now I have the same issue.

So, no, this issue has not yet been fixed. The light is driving me crazy and I've only owned the car for a week. I am working on getting this fixed first before any other work. Will post any updated here if/when I get this fixed.

 

[rlacasse1]

Not positive on DSMs, but some cars will throw on the ABS light when the brake fluid gets low. Just a thought.

 

[luv2rallye]

^^^ Not on a DSM. That makes the brake light go on.