ABS light now permanently on.

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Neil Taylor
Posts: 21
Joined: 14 Jul 2006, 10:54
Location: Milton Keynes, England
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ABS light now permanently on.

Post by Neil Taylor »

After replacing the rear trailing arms with ones from a scrap yard, but with the ABS sensors undisturbed and wiring intact, to begin with all seemed well for about 30 or 40 miles - no ABS light.

Then the next day after about the first mile the abs light came on and stayed on. This pattern repeated itself for a few short journeys, until after a journey of 85 miles. Starting the return journey the light came on and stayed on from turning the key, and is now on all the time.

The brakes work fine, and I've since replaced all the spheres front and back as well.

Does this pattern to the ABS failure suggest a likely cause to anyone?

Any help with extinguishing this light would be much appreciated.
Neil Taylor - 94 Xantia 1.9TD
h2ocooler
Posts: 275
Joined: 01 Aug 2006, 00:35
Location: Chatham, Kent. UK
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Post by h2ocooler »

I used to have the abs light behaving as yours does, found it to be a bad connection to the ABS sensor, would be fine at first then go for a drive and it gets shaken, disconnect for a second and the lights on, check the plugs to the sensors on the rear trailing arms you replaced, might be loose or corroded.
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Neil Taylor
Posts: 21
Joined: 14 Jul 2006, 10:54
Location: Milton Keynes, England
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Post by Neil Taylor »

I solved it, it was self inflicted damage! The grommet where the sensor wire is held onto the arm had got moved resulting in too large a loop of wire near to the wheel where a balancing weight on the inside of the wheel made a mess of it. I had made a mental note to check the clearance with the wheel on, then forgot.

I used the opportunity though to see what the wire consisted of, and on this example at least it isn't coaxial as stated in another thread, but unscreened stranded 2 core. Given that the sensors I took off my damaged arms had received some degree of GBH although still giving an OK resistance reading, I decided to solder the 2 halves back together, sealing it all with self amalgamating insulating tape. I feel I did a good job, and the problem is cured, so it will be interesting to see if the mend lasts. If it doesn't I still have 2 replacements.
Neil Taylor - 94 Xantia 1.9TD
jeremy
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Joined: 20 Oct 2002, 16:00
Location: Hampshire, UK
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Post by jeremy »

The replacement of co-ax by twin core wire is interesting - and makes the things easier to repair! (The 3 on my BX I have cut were all co-ax - and the outer screen had corroded)
jeremy
KP
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Joined: 10 Jul 2006, 12:11
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Post by KP »

Test all the sensors using a multimeter. i did it when i repaired my cabling to the passenger side fonr one and all was fine and after a few metres of driving the fault cleared :)

The post regarding the stuff you need to know is here http://frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19883
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