1999 Venture ABS, Traction Control & Brake Light Problem

[andycliff]

Chevy Venture 1999 - Please can somebody point me in the right direction. The ABS/TCS light is on & my stop lights are not working. I checked fuses & bulbs - all are fine. A few days ago the brake warning light remained on after the parking brake had been released....putting the parking brake on & then off made the light go out. The vehicle is braking fine & the pads have plenty of life in them.

I do notice that if I pump my brake with the engine running there is a thumping sound.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Andy

[cjstew4]

Originally Posted by andycliff

Chevy Venture 1999 - Please can somebody point me in the right direction. The ABS/TCS light is on & my stop lights are not working. I checked fuses & bulbs - all are fine. A few days ago the brake warning light remained on after the parking brake had been released....putting the parking brake on & then off made the light go out. The vehicle is braking fine & the pads have plenty of life in them.

I do notice that if I pump my brake with the engine running there is a thumping sound.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Andy

Andy, your ABS/TCS lights are probably due to the typical short with these in the plug in your rear harness to taillight assemblies which I will address in a minute. For the the thumping sound, is your van parked or while driving? If parked, it could just be a noisy brake pedal that a spray of silicone will cure. If while driving, it could be either low brake fluid, not bleeding the brakes when they were last done, or a stuck in place auto-rear adjustment mechanism that takes up the space as the rear shoes wear. I would take it in to a non-dealer reputable reair place to check out.

For the ABS/TCS light, I would check out the following where I copied a previous post of mine for someone with the same symptoms:
My '97 was doing similar things turns out that it was related to a short in the rear taillight assembly plug. You probably have the typical short in both or one of the supposed weatherproof plugs from the harness plug to the board at your rear tailight assemblies. Check out the black wire from the harness to the plug. On my '97 since this appeared burned/shorted on both plugs on both sides and the fuses were fine, I bypassed getting a new harness or board and labeled each wire from the harness, cut the plug off the harness, stripped and added a connector to each wire, cut around the mating board to its base exposing the 5 prongs. I cleaned themwith emory or sand paper (be careful with the very small prong/lead) and went ahead and slipped the connectors over each one and voila, taillights/break lights worked again. Gooped on clear silicone caulk, let dry overnight and you are done. My cost about $5. Or you can by replacement harnesses or boards, and weather proof with silicone once they work. Let us know which route you took.