ABS Light Stays On

I have the Service Manual and have looked at the possibilities listed in the ABS Troubleshooting section (p. 139). Anybody else had this issue? Nothing was done recently to wheels/sensors/etc., sensors are not loose, wires appear connected to sensors as usual. Thought I'd ask here before I start taking things apart or a trip to the dealer.

I don't have your answer. But I do know that when my cars abs light went on, that meant ABS does not work. Test the rear maybe, see if it locks up. I'd say time to visit the dealer.

Have you checked the brake fluid levels? The back one can easily go unnoticed since it's hidden behind the side panel.

Did you try to lock it up?? If the "malfunction" you're seeing is while on the centerstand, then there is none.

To answer all three replies above, the brakes work fine except the rear ABS does not kick in (I didn't try to lock up the front). Front reservoir level is fine, I didn't check the rear reservoir, I will do that, but the rear stops well enough to lock up the wheel, no reason to suspect low fluid, just no ABS activation.

Clean your rear brake lever pivot point. Had the same problem with my 05. Rear brake was always a bit engaged and tripped off a fault in the abs brain network.

odot said:

Clean your rear brake lever pivot point. Had the same problem with my 05. Rear brake was always a bit engaged and tripped off a fault in the abs brain network.

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Thanks, I'll try that. Did you have to reset anything or did just cleaning the pivot point do the trick?

Just clean it, lube it and the abs will figure the rest out. Oh, it's fun taking the pedal off, too....even funner putting back on.

odot said:

Clean your rear brake lever pivot point. Had the same problem with my 05. Rear brake was always a bit engaged and tripped off a fault in the abs brain network.

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GOOD CALL, Odot!!! No more ABS light, everything working fine now! Thanks, man.

I'm usually the opposite of "helpful" on the forum.....that counts as my good deed for the day. Expect only dark sarcasm from me here on out.

Actually, this happens a lot. Many cruise problems can be attributed to this, and for the same reason ABS problems-the brake light stays on all the time. The front and rear brake light switches are part of the ABS system, though their relationship to the system is shadowy if you ever look through the manual.

radman said:

Actually, this happens a lot. Many cruise problems can be attributed to this, and for the same reason ABS problems-the brake light stays on all the time. The front and rear brake light switches are part of the ABS system, though their relationship to the system is shadowy if you ever look through the manual.

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The brake light was not staying on, just the ABS warning light. The brake light worked normally on/off. I thought I had it fixed when the ABS light went off after I cleaned everything up per ODOT's suggestion (ABS light went off, ABS kicked in), but now, a couple of days later, the problem has returned! I had not ridden it in the meantime. I took it all apart again and cleaned and lubed it all, but the light did not go off this time and the ABS does not activate. If it is not related to cleaning the pivot, why did it seem to be fixed when I cleaned it up the first time? I suppose it could be something else wrong and just a coincidence that it went off after cleaning the first time. Puzzle.

daviddowns2000 said:

The brake light was not staying on, just the ABS warning light. The brake light worked normally on/off. I thought I had it fixed when the ABS light went off after I cleaned everything up per ODOT's suggestion (ABS light went off, ABS kicked in), but now, a couple of days later, the problem has returned! I had not ridden it in the meantime. I took it all apart again and cleaned and lubed it all, but the light did not go off this time and the ABS does not activate. If it is not related to cleaning the pivot, why did it seem to be fixed when I cleaned it up the first time? I suppose it could be something else wrong and just a coincidence that it went off after cleaning the first time. Puzzle.

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This is a tough one without the Manual-if you had one, it would describe the procedure for grounding the test plug and pulling the codes via the ABS ECM, too much to describe here. The manual not only has the procedure (can be done without the Yam test plug), but also code description. The codes, not the symptoms, are outlined. Some ideas-

1) Remove rear wheel sensor, clean it and confirm the reluctor ring isn't loaded with mud or brake pad residue.

2) Confirm rear caliper moves freely-system will detect brake drag, however slight it may be

3) Confirm the wheel bearings are good, the wheel is solidly mounted, the sensor mount is correctly located on the axle

4) Check that the connectors at the ABS ECM are clean and tight. The manual also references the coupler at the meter assembly (dash) concerning looseness, as well as the ABS sub-harness connection to the main harness. In other words, check all the fuckin wires.

5) Voltage is also important-make sure you have better than 10 volts in the system. If the battery is getting weak, this may be the first indicator you have a problem in that area.

Anyway, there's a few ideas. Above all, and others take note-[SIZE=14pt]THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A SERVICE MANUAL WHEN FACED WITH COMPLEX OPERATING ISSUES!!![/SIZE] It is suggested as the first line of defense that one invest in the most important tool one can have in the garage.

What rad said....also check the spring tension on the rear brake lever. If it's not pulling it up all the way then same deal.

radman said:

daviddowns2000 said:

The brake light was not staying on, just the ABS warning light. The brake light worked normally on/off. I thought I had it fixed when the ABS light went off after I cleaned everything up per ODOT's suggestion (ABS light went off, ABS kicked in), but now, a couple of days later, the problem has returned! I had not ridden it in the meantime. I took it all apart again and cleaned and lubed it all, but the light did not go off this time and the ABS does not activate. If it is not related to cleaning the pivot, why did it seem to be fixed when I cleaned it up the first time? I suppose it could be something else wrong and just a coincidence that it went off after cleaning the first time. Puzzle.

Click to expand...

This is a tough one without the Manual-if you had one, it would describe the procedure for grounding the test plug and pulling the codes via the ABS ECM, too much to describe here. The manual not only has the procedure (can be done without the Yam test plug), but also code description. The codes, not the symptoms, are outlined. Some ideas-

1) Remove rear wheel sensor, clean it and confirm the reluctor ring isn't loaded with mud or brake pad residue.

2) Confirm rear caliper moves freely-system will detect brake drag, however slight it may be

3) Confirm the wheel bearings are good, the wheel is solidly mounted, the sensor mount is correctly located on the axle

4) Check that the connectors at the ABS ECM are clean and tight. The manual also references the coupler at the meter assembly (dash) concerning looseness, as well as the ABS sub-harness connection to the main harness. In other words, check all the fuckin wires.

5) Voltage is also important-make sure you have better than 10 volts in the system. If the battery is getting weak, this may be the first indicator you have a problem in that area.

Anyway, there's a few ideas. Above all, and others take note-[SIZE=14pt]THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A SERVICE MANUAL WHEN FACED WITH COMPLEX OPERATING ISSUES!!![/SIZE] It is suggested as the first line of defense that one invest in the most important tool one can have in the garage.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. As I noted in my original post, I do have the service manual. I also have the test plug. However, it looked like tracking the problem down was going to take a lot of time (which I don't have much of right now) so I wanted to see if there might be something simple that someone else had experience with before I started digging into it. It seemed fixed with ODOT's suggestion but now I will have to go to plans b,c, etc. Anyway, thanks for the additional ideas.

Once you do a quick read through, the diagnostic code pull is quick and pretty straightforward. It should help quickly nail down whats failed.