abs

[jeremy2201]

i just bought this car from a buy here pay here lot so im going thru it checking things out. the check oil light bugs me, even after i changed the oil myself and i know its full. the most annoying is the bright abs light and the red brake light next too it flickers alot, and will sometimes come on solid for a few seconds then go back off. when i start the car, i can hear a bump sound coming from the front of the car and it dims all the lights on the car for a second when it does that and of course then the abs light comes on. the brakes feel fine, very little pedal travel until they catch good and stops fairly straight. also, the brake fluid is near the top. im not really worried about this abs, i can panic brake just fine im sure, i was wondering if it was possible to trick the system and turn the light off for good. also, the flickering brake light, is this an actual problem or is it just related to the abs problem. thanks for any help, would love to get rid of that stupid light. its a 93 grand am se, with the sohc 2.3 liter. 167,000 miles.

[richtazz]

the two problems are inter-related. You have a bad abs motor, which will cause an intermittent pressure signal to the proportioning valve, which causes the red brake light to come on. As long as the pedal stays up you should be ok, but the red light coming on signals a loss in line pressure, and could be a sign of a more serious problem. Make sure you're not losing fluid anywhere or you could lose all braking, and that is not good. IF you hold the brake pedal firmly, it should stay up. IF it starts sinking to the floor, you have a leak or a bad master cylinder, which should be repaired/replaced ASAP.

[jeremy2201]

thank you richtazz. i tried holding the brake in and did not notice any loss in pressure. i did however get the pleasure of putting on a new belt today when mine broke in the middle of a busy 4 lane road. good thing advanced auto parts was close by. wanna say thanks to pontiac for craming the tension pulling 1/4 inch from the fender and putting the alternator on top. love busting my knuckles.