ABS Light??

[JasonGilholme]

Hey guys

Just competed in a small inter-club motorkhana which really tested my cars suspension, tyres and brakes. I was using the event to test out my car cause i've only had it a month or so now.

The first event required you to stop at the end to complete the circuit so I though I'd test out the ABS. I made my way around all the cones (VTEC yo! :P) and came flying into the finishing line and slammed on the brakes hoping that ABS would kick in and i'd feel the pedal vibrate and get a nice quick stop.

However, the brakes locked up and my ABS light turned on. I'm sure ABS didn't kick in because my mates told me that the front wheels locked up and I didn't feel any pressure pushing back on the brake pedal.

My initial concern was the ABS light because it stayed on even after i turned the car off and back on again. I first thought that it could be indacating that the ABS has engaged. Maybe they designed it that way so that if you crashed the car they would be able to see if you hit the brakes or not....but the ABS didn't actually do anything.... :(

Does any body have any ideas as to what could have happened??

My brakes worked perfectly fine the rest of the day and my ABS light is still on as I type this post.

My next step will be to check the ECU for error messages but I'm hoping that someone else can shed some light on this.

Cheers guys & gals

Jase

[barefootbonzai]

ABS light activates when ever it thinks something has happened. But if you 100% sure that your ABS system is still all good, all you need to do is reset your ABS light. I've had to do this once before aswell, search honda-tech there's heaps on how to reset your ABS light.

[JasonGilholme]

Yeah i was gonna check the ECU and then reset the ABS if there were no codes but I still wanna find out why the ABS didn't kick in.

[JasonGilholme]

BUMP

Anyone have any ideas as to why ABS wouldn't kick in??

Thanks guys

[Slow96GSR]

The ABS light will come on if you leave your foot on the brakes, even just a little like resting on the pedel, while moving because it thinks that the system has not deactivated or there is another issue with the brakes. This can even happen if you leave the E-brake on for a long time while moving, haven't see this in my teg but my Chevey does light up. If the light is on it will deactivate the system until the system has been fixed and reset. The brakes will still work as it will just bypass the ABS unit. TAKE IT TO A PRO, DO NOT TRY TO WORK ON THIS SYSTEM IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Last thing you need is a leak or air in the line and crash your car in to whatever/whoever. Just my thoughts.

[JasonGilholme]

Cheers GSR.

I checked the ABS unit for fluid and its completely full. Checked the master cylinder and its at the right level too. Checked all the ABS fuses and they're all good. Checked the ECU for codes and theres nothin there.

Do you think it may be because i used my hand brake to get around some tight corners on the skid pan??

I'll reset the ABS and take her out for another drive and test out the ABS. I did use the handbrake before i slammed on the brakes at the end of that run so the ABS may have been disabled prior to me coming into the finish line which is where my ABS didn't work.

I didn't notice when the light came on cause i was too busy lookin at where i was meant to be going. I only noticed it when i was pullin back into the pit area so it could have come on during the run.

What do you think?? Possibility??

Thanks

[panda[cRx]]

take the car to your local dealer and get them to check what codes log up with the hds, they will clear the codes for you. if the same codes reoccur then it would indicate what is wrong.

if you are a regular customer they shouldn't charge you anything, however allow for up to an approx charge of $50 as a 'diagnostic fee' (as the hds units cost dealerships $$$$ each year to use from honda)

[Slow96GSR]

Using the E-brake like that did it. Just drive it around for a while and it will clear itself. If it doesn't go away in a few hours of driving take her home and disconnect the battery for 2+ hours or over night if it's late.

[JasonGilholme]

As you know it happened on my first run. From then on during the day the car was turned on and off alot. At the end of the day it was a 2.5 hour drive home which didn't clear the code.

I reset the ABS and the light has gone away. Haven't had a chance to engage ABS yet tho.