Traction control/ABS issue
73stingray
12-07-2008, 12:50 PM
This is for a 99 grand am SE 3.4L.
About half the time i drive now that there is snow/ice on the ground, I will hit a slippery spot and instead of the low trac light coming on and off like it usually does, the car will chime and the trac control and ABS lights will come on and stay on, disabling both systems.
This past summer I had one of my front wheel bearings replaced because I was constantly getting the traction control/abs/tire pressure lights on and the dealer told me that it was a bad wheel speed sensor. That had the same initial symptoms too.
Are there any other components to the trac control system that would cause this kind of problem, because it seems kind of ridiculous that it will only work when the roads are dry.
About half the time i drive now that there is snow/ice on the ground, I will hit a slippery spot and instead of the low trac light coming on and off like it usually does, the car will chime and the trac control and ABS lights will come on and stay on, disabling both systems.
This past summer I had one of my front wheel bearings replaced because I was constantly getting the traction control/abs/tire pressure lights on and the dealer told me that it was a bad wheel speed sensor. That had the same initial symptoms too.
Are there any other components to the trac control system that would cause this kind of problem, because it seems kind of ridiculous that it will only work when the roads are dry.
xeroinfinity
12-07-2008, 01:07 PM
Its possible the wheel speed sensor you had replaced or the othe rone is going bad. Typical on N bodies to go thru them, especialy if the repalcement was a cheap chinese part they last about 1 yr.
If you get it scanned with an ABS capable scan tool, not usualy the free ones you get at AZ, it will show whats up.
But when working correctly the lights will flash on/off when your wheels spin, even if youre going 50mph.
WHen the lights stay on your ABS and trac control doesnt work so you'll spin more when taking off in snow/ice.
A lot of times I turn mine off in winter driving by pushing the ETC button on the dash.
If you get it scanned with an ABS capable scan tool, not usualy the free ones you get at AZ, it will show whats up.
But when working correctly the lights will flash on/off when your wheels spin, even if youre going 50mph.
WHen the lights stay on your ABS and trac control doesnt work so you'll spin more when taking off in snow/ice.
A lot of times I turn mine off in winter driving by pushing the ETC button on the dash.
73stingray
12-07-2008, 09:26 PM
The one that was just replaced was by the dealer, and they replaced one I had done by a different shop 2-3 years earlier. I'd hope the dealer would use GM parts for what they charged me, and I'd hope they'd have all the scan tools to figure it out too.. that's the only reason I went to them instead of doing it myself. The tech I talked to still said it took them a while to figure out what to change, so it's possible they still had no idea and just guessed.
I know the trc light should come on when the ETC is working, but it seems like half the time when it tries to come on, the whole system just shuts down. I don't really care if the traction control turns off, but I'd still like to have the ABS.
are there any other parts of the system besides the bearing/sensor that can cause this problem?
I know the trc light should come on when the ETC is working, but it seems like half the time when it tries to come on, the whole system just shuts down. I don't really care if the traction control turns off, but I'd still like to have the ABS.
are there any other parts of the system besides the bearing/sensor that can cause this problem?
xeroinfinity
12-08-2008, 06:38 PM
Well Gm uses mostly Ac Delco, which AC Delco has been outsourced to China on several of thier parts.
It could just be a bad connection. I've seen several with bad plug ins and or wires down by the hub/sensor.
You can test the sensor your self.
Connecting an Ohm meter to the leads on the hub sensor(not the wire harnes side) you should get about 1200 ohm and it should change steadily/evenly when you rotate the wheel.
It could just be a bad connection. I've seen several with bad plug ins and or wires down by the hub/sensor.
You can test the sensor your self.
Connecting an Ohm meter to the leads on the hub sensor(not the wire harnes side) you should get about 1200 ohm and it should change steadily/evenly when you rotate the wheel.
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