Abs Warning Light

My ABS Light is on.

How can I pull the code to find out what the problem is.

Searched the Forum and found nothing to the likeing.

Brakes work fine, but the damn light won't go out.

Check the fuse, it's fine.

Is there a way I get the code useing a paperclip, like the SES light.

Don't know. I'd check the wheel speed sensors and wiring, just to rule them out. Sometimes they get damaged or disconnected, etc.

"Is there a way I get the code useing a paperclip, like the SES light." Depends on the model year. Safest bet is to take to AutoZone or some place like that and have them read the codes for you.

In the meantime, check the wiring to the ABS.

Yes,

Jeff, Nailed it right on the money. Can you believe a new speed sensor is over $40.


Yes, Kok, I do have OBD I.

hello, I am new member here as of today/oct. 5th...and I have a 1996 lumina APV and today my brakes,seems like the rear ones, when coming to a stop, just before stoping brakes would like jump a bit, then after awhile the Service anti lock brake light came on and stays on....was the problem you were having sound similiar to this? and do you have the lumina car or apv?

when i describe brakes reaction it is when van is coming up to stop sign or light and just before final stop, feels like something grabs then let's go then finally grabs, maybe like it is slipping, im pretty sure the pad's/shoes are good, but it must be something to do with the ABS, and I am not too familiar with all the parts associted with ABS brakes.

So should I have autozone check for codes also? should i check sensors/connections? is there anything else I can easily check? or should check? I am pretty handy when it comes to doing backyard mechanic work on my vehicles so, I do have some knowledge of car repairing, just never had to deal with any ABS systems as I dont think any of my cars ever had ABS till now..lol. or if they did I didnt have any problems with them untill now

I know a coworker of mine said his ABS light came on in his ford windstar minivan, and he is not very backyard mechanically inclined, so he took it to shop and it cost 800.00 plus to have it all fixed...well I am the more inclined to try and save myself that kind of bill if I can do it myself.

My Lumina would activate the abs just before coming to a stop and the blue abs light come on. Turns out I had a rear sensor that went bad. On the rear they're sealed inside the rear hubs and have to be replaced as a unit. New hubs are expensive, so I got one used and replaced it myself and fixed the problem.

hello again, well today I vetured out to AUTOZONE and to try and have them see if any fault codes were in system that could help out with the Amber service anti lock brake light coming on intermentinly in pastfew days. usually when coming to a stop sign or intersection and slowing..just before final stop....brakes will make a grabbing/jumping a bit, like something is off on the ABS System, but van does stop. so I am learning towards the fact that it is probabbly one of my wheel sensor's. which on the 1996 APV/Van, they are in the wheel hub assembly and cost about 150.00 each for the fronts, and 200+ for the rear,...so I go to Autozone and they employee tell me they can not get those types of codes for antilock brake error codes, only the dealer has that ability. so after that i drive over to my local midas muffler reapir shop, and they do a quick visual on it and mechanic recomends bringing it to dealer also. he did not find any visual problems, and didnt charge anything for a quick look under the vehicle, but also stated that wheels sensors for ABS are expensive and not sure which wheel sensor is the problem...so after all this, now I go to dealer to see what they say.
I asked the guy if they could pull the codes to see what error faults could be there, and how much would it be to do this, without spending a fortune..he said about 70.00 just to look but that, I may find out that it states one code for particular wheel sensor, then later on, another sensor could also go in future, so basically unless I leave my Van there and get an outrageous bill afterwards upwards of 300.00-1,000.00...Im out of luck.
one thing that he did mention was that if I pull the fuse, next to the ABS relay, under the hood in small black plastic housing, near master cyclinder, that this would totally disable the ABS System, but the SERVICE ABS AMBER light would stay on continuosly, which I firgured it would,and leave me with just base braking only. so just for the heck of it, I got home looked under vehicle myself, wiggled the sensor plugs, visually inspected wiring and anything else, but didnt see anything suspious. after this I decided to take out the 3 amp fuse next to ABS Relay and totally disable the ABS Brakes. so I took it for test drive and yes the Amber light does stay on continuosly now, but when coming to stop/stopping/slowing...there is no more suden grabbing/jumping and brakes seem fine, other than the fact I no longer have Anti locking brakes, which can be dangerous in icy weather, or having to brake extremely quick and hoping Van doesn't slide/veer out of control, because of the loss of no ABS.

so can anyone here let me know If I have my ABS totally disabled will this damage any of the ABS system, if I leave it this way for awhile, till I get enough money to actually buy some wheel hubs with the sensors inside them? can you see qany other side effects from doing this? most likely this will need to be fixed sooner rather than later, because I doubt I can get a Inspection sticker with the ABS Light on all the time. then again I could always remove the bulb in the instrument dash panel to make light go off.
my first lumina APV was a 1994 and I dont remember it having ABSBrakes and I never had any problems stopping quickly or in wintry conditions when I was driving it..actually it went great in the wintry weather. it wouldnt be so bad and idea to have ABS Brakes on a vehicle, IF it wasn't a poor design by putting the wheel sensors inside a 150.00-200.00 wheel hub assembly just to have to replace a 15.00 parts...someone goofed on this design

It wont hurt to pull the fuse. I did the same thing for the same reason until I could get a different hub. I didn't have to take mine to a dealer. My repair shop had a fancy diagnostic computer that coud read all the sensors on the car. It didn't register as bad, it just didn't show up on the machine, so the mechanic suspected that was the one bad and it turned out correct. I replaced mine myself with a used one and it was very easy to do. About 30 mins. of work. Just pull the wheel and drum. Remove the four small bolts to the hub and remove the abs connector. Then remove the hub assembly. This part takes some effort because it is stuck on there pretty good. After that just put the new one on. Don't have to mess with the brakes. Call around some shops that has the right machine and go wth the cheapest one to hook it up only. Good luck.

when you did your's, was it the front or rear hub? If I had to do the front I would at least have to remove the caliper? did you get the used one from a junkyard? one last thing...if it is my front and I get just one front hub with the sensor in it, and try it on the left side first...and then discover it is not the left side that is defective, could I then use same hub on the right side, and put the old left side hub back on the left side...or do they sell left and right front hubs, and they are not interswappable?

I mention this because maybe a trip to my local junkyard I could get just one front hub, and trouble shoot it first onleft side then for right side, instead of buying 2...that is, if they can be used on either side..I am not sure if this is posiible, that is why I ask. Maybe a few phone calls tommorrow and someone of the shops can verify to me if this is possible.

Do you feel the brake pedal push back against your foot as the light comes on, or is it just the rear brakes feeling like they are grabbing? IF you don't feel the vibration/feedback at the pedal from the ABS motor kicking in, I would say your problem isn't the ABS system. These vans are famous for brake dust staying in the drums causing the rears to grab as you are almost to a complete stop. This grabbing can cause a wheel speed sensor out of range detected tripping the ABS light. It is also possible that a drum has warped and is out of round, or a wheel cylinder is starting to leak, getting brake fluid on the rear shoes, causing them to grab. Check the simple cheap stuff before you go changing a hub bearing, you have to take the drum off anyway, so do a brake inspection first.

WELL, It has been a few weeks now that I have been driving with the abs brakes disabled (removed the fuse underhood for this) and I finally was able to go out and trouble shoot. first thing I did was to place fuse back in and then i discconected plug that is located on passenger side under the van near rear right wheel, to disable just the ABS to the 2 rear wheels...then i took it for test drive and grabbing effect was gone so I knew it was one of the 2 rear wheels that was the problem. I took off the left/passenger side drum first and check it for any visual problems, like crimp wheel sensor wire or brake dust build up. I noticed a bit of brake dust build up in drum and cleaned it up. Then I put everything back together for test drive again. after driving now for 2 days there has been no problems, no grabbing no service antilock brake light coming on...ABS brakes seem to be working normal again, so I guess it just must have been the brake dust that was causing the problem. I am glad this was the case as it didnt cost anything to fix it, other than my time troubleshooting. Thanks al for the help and advice and replies...for now I am running smooth and the ABS is running as it should.