Abs?

[Saracen]

Hey people,

When I bought my 01 civic gli, the seller had ABS listed as one of the features. However, the ABS light does not come on when I first start the car, or any other time. i tested it by braking hard to see if the abs would kick in, but the tyres still screeched. i wasn't travelling very fast though, about 20 - 30 km/h can't remember exactly. i heard that honda's abs doesnt engage at these slow speeds, is there any truth to this?

lately, i've been beginning to wonder if the car really has ABS at all! was ABS a standard feature in 2001 or was it only an option? I can see the ABS light in the dash, but it never switches on. I wonder if it's just a standard dash for all the civics or if the light is only installed there for models carrying ABS.

it's due for a service soon, but i'm a bit embarrased to ask the mechanic to check the abs system if it doesn't even have one! is there anything i can check myself to see if the car has abs?

thanks to everyone that replies. any help appreciated.

[A.G.System]

Do you really need ABS?

Just have to learn how to brake properly. (Dont you watch initial D :P)

On your Vin Plate im sure that they have a basic spec for your car from memory. see if that has any mention of the ABS. If not that one the trim one in the door sill may have it.

[SiReal]

Well all u have to do is look into the engine bay and if u see this box thing with 4 metal precisely bent tubes all going in 4 different directions (to all four wheels) then u should have ABS. its prety easy to spot. :)

[iamhappy46]

It might just be that the ABS is not working and the previous owner removed the bulb from the dash to hide the fact it was busted... I have had this happen to me!!

Check that you have ABS, like SiReal stated, a box(about 10cmx10cmx10cm) with 6 metal tubes(2 lines from the brake booster and 4 going to the wheels)

The dealer should be able to use their diagnostics machine to determine the problem with the ABS if you have it.

[Saracen]

Had a bit of trouble finding that box. Can you tell me where approx. it would be in the engine bay?

I did, however, take a look at the fuse box and saw it did have ABS fuses in there, but they were installed upside down to the others. I wonder if the battery needs to be disconnected before I play around with that? Or is it better to just let the mechanic take a look at it?

[fadz]

the ABS unit in the engine bay is orange not that hard to miss...

[iamhappy46]

Find your brake booster/master cylinder(has fluid in a clearish container) up near the driver side strut tower, then follow the tubes coming out of it. They will either go to your ABS unit or to your wheels. Hopefully, to your ABS unit!

Might be worth getting a mechanic to check out your brakes anyway.

[Saracen]

the ABS unit in the engine bay is orange not that hard to miss...



Find your brake booster/master cylinder(has fluid in a clearish container) up near the driver side strut tower, then follow the tubes coming out of it. They will either go to your ABS unit or to your wheels. Hopefully, to your ABS unit!


Just wanna make sure, we're all talking about the 7th gen right?

[[[d a n n y]]]

7th gen or no gen all hondas are pretty much the same.

[Slow96GSR]

Make sure the master cyl has fluid as well as the abs system, which has to be done with a brake bleeding or by a pro. If the light isn't coming on it may be burned out or have a broken connection. You can still make the tire lock up with abs. It doesn't take a lot but if you hit the brakes hard and fast enough they will lock up. Average person only uses like 15% of their braking pressure when they want to stop.

[Saracen]

Ok guys, I can't find any orange boxes. But I did find a clear cylinder with an orange fluid inside it. (Just below the brake fluid cylinder.

Here's a picture of my engine bay.

http://www.users.on.net/~saracen/engine%20bay.JPG

[SiReal]

hmm....usualyl ABS is located near the firewall...but with all those sexy covers, i cant tell.

EDIT: pic inserted. This was taken from another 7th gen in the states. Credit to you sir! The arrow points to what an ABS device should look like. Correct me if I'm wrong fellow members.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2472/abs7thgen7fy.jpg

Hope that helps. Good luck with your quest to discover ABS!

[krogoth]

ey saracen, judging by the pic u took, i recognise the engine as the 1.7L 4cyl in the 05 model civic

i can definetley tell u that i have the 05 model civic, and im also pretty sure that ur engine is the same as mine

but im not sure about the differnces in engine designs between civics, maybe the 01 civic and the 05 civic have the exact same engine....

anyway, i know i have abs, and one way u can chek is by doing a 2-3k rpm launch in gear 1 wile its raining, the car will definetley loose traction, the abs should therefore kik in automatically, u shouldnt need to touch the brake pedal

[SiReal]

i would have to cautiously diasgree with you there. ABS is designed for stopping not accelerating? Cos that would be called traction control... I.e. the front wheels lock, yet the back still keep spinning, not the other way around.

[krogoth]

LOL, thanks mate

i have offiicially established ma noobness!!!

yeh, well i do have abs for another reason, the abs light turns on every time the car switches on

thanks for the correction

[roar]

i thought if the abs light comes on...it means your abs is ****ed...

well at least it is for every honda i've owned...(dc2 and ek series)

[iamhappy46]

ABS light will flash when the cars is initially turned on but extinguish once the motor has started.

[krogoth]

ABS light will flash when the cars is initially turned on but extinguish once the motor has started.

LOL, thats wat happens with ma civic, so ma abs is not ***ed

[MoonSha]

Is there seriously anybody else here that thinks ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) does anything other than stop the brakes from locking the wheels up under rapid deceleration? If so, I feel you've bought the wrong "H" badge, there is another one that's kind of slanted off the side. That H might suit you better.