fixing ABS light

[mongo]

does anyone know which wire lights up the abs dummy light, i am going to cut it so it wont stay on,,,there is nothing wrong with the brakes that i can find, so i will just snip the wire, so if you have a wiring schematic i would appreciate it......96 gl

[DRW1000]

The ABS light illuminates when there is a problem with the ABS system. It does not indicate a problem with the brakes themselves just the antilock portion.

Have you given up on repairing the ABS sytem? Check the fluid level. The ABS enses low fluid before the regular brake system has a problem with it.

If all else fails and you want to just turn off the bulb I would reccomend removing the lightbulb rather than cuttin a wire.

[mongo]

well if getting to the bulb is easier, thats what i'll do, but do i have to pull the instrument panel to do that? seems like all the wires going to it are exposed thats why i was opting for just cutting the wire,,,

[DRW1000]

I was under the impression the instrument panel was fairly easy to get to.

I was simply suggesting a non destructive method that could easily be diagnosed should the vehicle change hands. I agree that cutting the wire would be easier. I too have the ABS light on. So far I have ignored it but I am thinking of removeing the bulb.

[knucklebuster2]

Have it scanned. It most likely is a wheel speed sensor.

[tyvy]

Originally Posted by mongo

does anyone know which wire lights up the abs dummy light, i am going to cut it so it wont stay on,,,there is nothing wrong with the brakes that i can find, so i will just snip the wire, so if you have a wiring schematic i would appreciate it......96 gl

You my want to check the fuze. That's how I fixed my problem.

[winterover]

I had the same problem with my windstar...simply top off the brake fluid, it should go off then

[mongo]

did the top off brake fluid, no work,,,pulled the passenger side speed sensor and sprayed it with wd40 and it cleared the abs light,,,go figure...

[road_rascal]

I suggest cleaning sensors with contact cleaner or compressed air, not WD40. Just my $.02 though .

Originally Posted by mongo

did the top off brake fluid, no work,,,pulled the passenger side speed sensor and sprayed it with wd40 and it cleared the abs light,,,go figure...

[JohnyChevyEG]

The ABS light on my Windstar is coming on and going off at times. I am thinking about doing the same steps you guys are taking. Where is the wheel speed sensor located? Thanks.

[mongo]

easy to see, just take the wheel off, its held on by one screw be hind the rotor (front wheels) has a wire going to it

[khaley76]

Where are all the speed sensors located? Thanks!

[swerling]

I am having similar ABS lite problems. The lite goes on after the vehicle is put in motion. After the car is started I jacked up the front wheels and spun each one, no lite. I did the same for the rear wheels, I started the car with the rear end jacked up and manually spun each wheel. The ABS lite went on after spinning a rear wheel and stayed on until the car was turned off. It doesnt matter which rear wheel. Does this mean a front wheel sensor is bad? Does the scanner the Auto-Zone folks use diagnose a wheel sensor problem?

[12Ounce]

You have made some interesting observations by spinning the wheels and noting the ABS light...I'm not familiar enough with the system to give a good guess. I wonder if the front wheels are only active when the tranny output shaft is spinning?

My local AutoZone can only make OBDll scans...none of the others. But other AutoZone stores may have different scanners. I had to go to the Ford dealer to get ABS/Trac-control scanning done.

[DRW1000]

Swrling,

I never thought of your test but it is an interesting one. I am curious though- Why did you suspect a front sensor when the light came on after spinning a rear wheel?