ABS dash light comes on then off

[bopritchard]

my ABS and Brake light would occasionally light up after driving for a little while. If I turned the motor off and then restarted, the light would go off and stay off. Now the ABS/brake indicator stays light but only after driving for a couple of minutes. It will still go off after restarting, but it will consistently come right back on after a driving for just a few seconds.

Any easy things this points to?

its a 2001 3.0
112k miles

[LeSabre97mint]

Originally Posted by bopritchard

my ABS and Brake light would occasionally light up after driving for a little while. If I turned the motor off and then restarted, the light would go off and stay off. Now the ABS/brake indicator stays light but only after driving for a couple of minutes. It will still go off after restarting, but it will consistently come right back on after a driving for just a few seconds.

Any easy things this points to?

its a 2001 3.0
112k miles

Hello

I'm not sure if I have the answer for this...but I'll try to get the ball rolling and others will join in.

When the lights are not on...does your TC and ABS work? Step on the brake and try to slide the tires when the road is wet, does the anti-lock pump kick in? Same with trying to spin the wheels on a wet road.

Regards
Dan

[bopritchard]

Originally Posted by LeSabre97mint

Hello

I'm not sure if I have the answer for this...but I'll try to get the ball rolling and others will join in.

When the lights are not on...does your TC and ABS work? Step on the brake and try to slide the tires when the road is wet, does the anti-lock pump kick in? Same with trying to spin the wheels on a wet road.

Regards
Dan

yes, when the lights are off everything appears to work fine...no sliding....the abs kicks in...thanks for your help

[cao226]

Originally Posted by bopritchard

yes, when the lights are off everything appears to work fine...no sliding....the abs kicks in...thanks for your help

I am seeing this same thing in my 2000 Windstar (~105K). When I start the car all is ok and the ABS light is off. Then while driving, the light comes on and stays on until I turn the ignition key back one notch. The ABS system works when the light is off (I tested by trying to lock-up the brakes) and stops working once the light comes on (this of course is as-designed).

What's weird is that the light seems to come on when I'm not braking (i.e. accelerating). It is for this reason I have been thinking one of the sensors is bad. I pulled all the sensors off and cleaned them, but that didn't help.

The big problem is that I don't know how to read the ABS codes from the computer. I have access to an Actron CP9135 ODB II scanner and it doesn't pickup and fault codes. Does anyone know how I can get these codes?

Any ideas?

Chris

[lewisnc100]

Makes sense, I think the wheel sensors trigger the light when above 30mph when they sense invalid sensor data. When you turn it off it resets and then fails again when you reach the right speed.

[DRW1000]

Have you checked the fluid level? The ABS seems to be more sensitive to brake fluid levels than the regular brake system. Low fluid will light the ABS light.

[LeSabre97mint]

Originally Posted by cao226

I am seeing this same thing in my 2000 Windstar (~105K). When I start the car all is ok and the ABS light is off. Then while driving, the light comes on and stays on until I turn the ignition key back one notch. The ABS system works when the light is off (I tested by trying to lock-up the brakes) and stops working once the light comes on (this of course is as-designed).

What's weird is that the light seems to come on when I'm not braking (i.e. accelerating). It is for this reason I have been thinking one of the sensors is bad. I pulled all the sensors off and cleaned them, but that didn't help.

The big problem is that I don't know how to read the ABS codes from the computer. I have access to an Actron CP9135 ODB II scanner and it doesn't pickup and fault codes. Does anyone know how I can get these codes?

Any ideas?

Chris

Chris

I found a garage near me that would read the codes for the ABS a lot less than the dealer or some brake shop. Call around. If you live in MPLS area, PM me and I'll give you the name of the shop.

Regards

Dan

[wiswind]

I second the vote to check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder.
The level sensor is very sensitive, and often trips the light when the level is even slightly off the full mark.