ABS light on

[Dimitrix]

Hey guys

A few weeks ago I began to notice a problem in my brakes. Every now and then the brakes would lock which kinda scared me.

Well i didnt get it checked out when I had time and now the ABS light came on and i have no time to get the car in the shop because of full time work.



the brakes locked only 3 times in the past 3-4 weeks.

can anyone suggest what I should do or what the problem is?

I hope its just hte brake pads but I have no idea what Im talking about.

Also, how much would it cost me to replace brake pads?

Thanks a lot!
-Dimitry

[rodeo02]

When you say "locked", is this happening during normal braking situations? - or is it happening during HARD braking, where ABS would normally take over & prevent any one wheel from not rotating. If you can get your tires to lock-up & squeel on hard braking, you have an ABS issue, not a brake pad issue (not to say you don't need a set of pads as well). Sounds like your ABS pump may have failed.
Joel

[Dimitrix]

no... brakes work perfect during hard break
brakes lock during stops or slow movement (with leg on brake)... which is weird... sometimes i stop close to a car in front on me... when brakes lock the brake pedal grinds (like it would during ABS braking) and the car just moves forward...

so now I stop fuirther

also from time to time i hear this awful sound when i brake lighly (stop signs, etc) from the brakes

if it IS an ABS pump, is it OK to drive still? and how much would it cost to replace?

Thanks a lot!
-Dimitry

[rodeo02]

So your ABS is kicking on during normal braking situations?? Sounds like one of the ABS wheel sensors is bad / getting a bad signal.
Joel

[Dimitrix]

well i dont really brake that fast for ABS to kick in but today I was going downhill on a gravel road and i tried stoping but because of the gravel i was kidna of gliding so ABS kicked in then...

talked to parents, next week I can use their car to get to work. they're taking a week off (good timing)

also! what sucks is they car broke down today too. A/C isnt working and some compressor needs to replaced (mechanic said $500) and its a 02 mazda 626. brand new.

sigh no luck with cars
-Dimitry

[edit]
forgot to ask. how safe is it to drive with ABS not functioning well? i read somewhere that if ABS light is on then ABS system is turned off because thers a problem with it. I think in my case that would be good. before rodeo I always drove a car w/o ABS and didnt have any problems braking. or does it NOT shut off and just works but crappy?

[rodeo02]

If your ABS system is keeping you from braking properly & safely, you should pull the ABS fuse (fuse box under the hood) until you can get the system evaluated. You will not harm your vehicle or ABS system by disabling (yanking the fuse) on the ABS system. You ABS light will stay on while the fuse it out & you will have a non-ABS truck. G/luck

If your parent's 2002 Mazda needs a new A/C compressor, this should be 100% covered by mazda's 3yr/50Kmi bumper/bumper warranty.

Joel

[Dimitrix]

thanks a lot rodeo!

this explains a lot

i will probably pull the fuse out. as for the mazda, this past winter it was hit pretty hard causing 8 grand worth damage but was repaired to nearly perfect state. will the mazda dealership consider this? or is the warranty automatically applied?

thanks again!
-Dimitry

[rodeo02]

Hate to go way off topic - but so long as the collision work was done per mazda factory specs, the a/c work will be a warranty covered item - so long as you have less than 50000 miles on it. If a car has lots of warranty left, it's better to have collision work done at a dealer for that very reason. If one dealer gives you grief, try another one. Don't even tell them about the collision work. They'll find out if they need to.

As far as the Isuzu ABS wheel sensor thing goes - it's pretty typical for these things to go bad after 3-4yrs in rust-belt states G/luck
Joel

[Dimitrix]

i took the fuse out

seems to work ok

i have to call in the dealership and ask if I still have warranty
it says 3year/50,000 and its a 2000 rodeo :-/

in either case Id like to get it fixed soon
-Dimitry