ABS problem?

Aaron Gott

Registered User
After a call from my roommate to come jump his car, because his stupid girlfriend left the lights on, (leave it to a woman) I jumped him... after that I shut my car off and went to walmart with him... after returning from walmart, I got in my car to go home (he was staying at his girlfriends) I started it up, left, and half a block and one major ****** later (its snowing tonite) I noticed my ABS and BRAKE dummy lights are on... didn't think much of it, but I remembered that every time I brake hard the abs and brake dummies come on... but I wasn't even braking. At walmart I had boughten some windshield wash/de-icer and decided to go ahead and put some in. I noticed a humming noise coming from somewhere by the master brake cylinder... is this natural, and I am paranoid, or what?
 
1. I dont want to hear about you jumping any guys! :D
2. How hard is your brake pedal?
3. I really dont want to hear about you jumping cars :D
4. Was it humming or more like the pump running?
5. What year is your car? so I know if you have the accumulator or not.


Al
 
Sounds like it might be the pump motor relay. If it was gone, it would cause your motor to constantly run or behave pretty wierd.

There's a chance it is your accumulator, but try the relay first. It's a brown relay on the passenger side firewall.
 
1. Thanks Guys
2. My car wouldn't start this morning, so my neighbor jumped me (I woke her up to ask her... she's a trooper)
3. I didn't have the problem when I parked at school
4. My engine does run funny... if you jump on it, sometimes it jerks a little bit... almost as if I were new to driving a stick...
5. You should really be more tolerant of alternative lifestyles... Auto-mosexuals are coming out all over the place!
 
Dead Battery.....that would make sense....

If you noticed the "humming noise" without the key in the ON position, then that tells me the ABS Pump relay is hanging up. The relay will sometimes stick in the closed position allowing the pump to run until the battery is drained. This is bad for the battery, but it will kill the pump. Get a new relay (GP Sorensen MR120) from a parts house, around $14.00, and install it. The relay is located next to the firewall on the passenger side. There are a couple of relays over there, so look for the one that is dark brown (its called the brown pump relay) or it may even say ABS Pump on it. That should fix the problem......
 
One other thing.. You stated that the lights came on/off whenever you braked hard. I'm assuming that you still have power assist. If that is the case and this consistently happens, that means that even though your ABS power relay needs to be replaced, your ABS accumulator is worn out also.

Follow me here.. If the lights come on, it means that the hydraulic pressure in the accumulator has fallen below specifications (1400 PSI I believe it is). If the lights go out afterwards, that means that the pump has engaged and recharged the accumulator. That tells you that 2 things must be working at least partially: a) the pump itself, b) the pump relay. If either of these parts were broken, you'd have the lights on constantly, or in the case of a stuck closed relay, you'd hear the pump run all the time and the lights would go out. The fact that they come on, and then go out during braking means that the accumulator is worn out.
You have 2 things which you should replace, but start with the relay.
 
Thanks a lot for the help... I will get the relay, but not the accumulator. It did drain my battery, but I haven't had a problem with it staying on after I took the key out since. I am parting this car out eventually anyways, so what the hell...
 
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