94 Buick ABS/Brake Light

[kelshawmic]

Last week the ABS light kept coming and would stay on. So the manual said to turn it off and let it reset it self. Fine...did that...not today i am driving, I notice that the ABS light came on and the brake light too. So I pulled over...turned it off and then turned it back on. And they were both gone. Any clues??

[maxwedge]

Get it scanned with an abs function scanner when both lites or abs are on, brakes operate ok I assume?

[kelshawmic]

Yes brakes are working fine. But it seems that every time I start the car- the light goes off...but once I reverse and turn the wheel and put it into drive...that is when the ABS ligth comes on.

According to the mechanic...it would cost $1000 for a new ABS system...and honestly its not worth it for me....Cmon...its a 1994

[maxwedge]

Originally Posted by kelshawmic

Yes brakes are working fine. But it seems that every time I start the car- the light goes off...but once I reverse and turn the wheel and put it into drive...that is when the ABS ligth comes on.

According to the mechanic...it would cost $1000 for a new ABS system...and honestly its not worth it for me....Cmon...its a 1994

More than likely a wheel speed sensor is bad, have it scanned on abs function scanner and by looking at comparative wheel speeds ,the suspect sensor will show up.

[kelshawmic]

New problem: I had gotten a recommendation that I should try to get my fuel filter replaced. Well it was so rusted that Jiffy Lube didn't want to break it off....is it bad for it rust?

As for the brakes..its an on/off kinda thing. My brakes don't feel anything different..

[raybuick]

I had a similiar problem with the abs light coming on occasionally. Facing a high repair bill when the brakes worked fine was why I held off at Speedy. Fortunately for me, another mechanic discovered that that the abs relay, located in the driverside fuse box under hood. One of the four electrical connections had corroded off ,sending the abs light on occasionally. A used one from the wreckers solved the problem. Try pulling the relay out and clean and check for corrosion, rayday

[fantastic]

I've got the same brake problem with my '93 right now. I have been driving with the light on for about 5 months. It is the speed sensor which causes this problem, in most cases. It costs roughly $245.00 to fix. The wheel bearing is also included with the repair as they are linked together. I did the drivers side and found out its the passenger sidethat needed it. Basically, the light is saying that you don't have abs. You just have regular brakes.

[rrichard7]

I read (maybe on this board) that an alternator failng can cause such problems. Abs is a big drain on the electrical system and if the charging system can't keep up.... My '94 did exactly this and when I replaced the alternator, the ABS light went out and stayed out (since 9/2005). Autozone will test your alternator for free.

Good Luck,
Ray