Weird ABS issue. Please help.
12-25-2009, 02:15 PM
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Weird ABS issue. Please help.
2003 350z. Brake fluid full, tires and brake pads/rotors both very good (Less than 25% wear).
When I first start my car and it's cold, the ABS kicks in when it shouldn't. It will engage when I'm stepping on the brakes lightly. Then while driving (not braking), the ABS, VCD Off, and SLIP lights all turn on. But if I drive the car for a while (maybe 20 minutes), I can turn the car off then on, and it works fine. The ABS doesn't kick in, and the lights don't come on.
These problems only started when the weather got cold. They go away when the car warms up and I restart.
Has anyone heard of or experienced these problems? Solutions?
When I first start my car and it's cold, the ABS kicks in when it shouldn't. It will engage when I'm stepping on the brakes lightly. Then while driving (not braking), the ABS, VCD Off, and SLIP lights all turn on. But if I drive the car for a while (maybe 20 minutes), I can turn the car off then on, and it works fine. The ABS doesn't kick in, and the lights don't come on.
These problems only started when the weather got cold. They go away when the car warms up and I restart.
Has anyone heard of or experienced these problems? Solutions?
12-26-2009, 08:36 PM
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The issue happened on both sets of wheels I own: currently 245/45/18 rear 225/45/18 front and my other set 275/35/19 rear and 245/35/19 front.
I bought the car in April of this year. This issue never happened until late October or November when the weather got cold. Even today, it was pretty warm, and the car was fine. I think the ABS kicked in once for only a second. No lights.
Could it possibly be that the cold is contracting the metal enough to make too much of a gap between the sensor and the hub, causing the ABS to spaz out? I read somewhere on this forum that even .01" out of spec is enough to cause problems (although I doubt this...).
I bought the car in April of this year. This issue never happened until late October or November when the weather got cold. Even today, it was pretty warm, and the car was fine. I think the ABS kicked in once for only a second. No lights.
Could it possibly be that the cold is contracting the metal enough to make too much of a gap between the sensor and the hub, causing the ABS to spaz out? I read somewhere on this forum that even .01" out of spec is enough to cause problems (although I doubt this...).
Last edited by mx597turbo; 12-26-2009 at 08:39 PM.
12-27-2009, 04:16 PM
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From the FSM
Sounds like you have a flaky ABS control module. It could be caused by a flaky wheel speed sensor or some other part of the system, but the onyl way to know for sure is to have a dealer run diagnostics on it.
In case of electrical problems with the ABS, the ABS warning lamp, VDC OFF indicator lamp and SLIP indicator lamp will turn on.
12-28-2009, 04:35 AM
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but the onyl way to know for sure is to have a dealer run diagnostics on it
On the plus side, I drove the car yesterday. Temp was in the low 50s. It drove perfect, ABS didn't kick in at all. I guess the card really doesn't like the cold...
Last edited by mx597turbo; 12-28-2009 at 04:37 AM.
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12-29-2009, 04:18 AM
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Ah a good old (and super annoying) spazzing ABS issue, a buddy of mine experienced this and tried for months to fix it.
Anyways after consulting the world and trying everything he had one last option. Some one told him that the inside of the wheel bearing/hub assembly the houses the magnetic strip for the ABS starts to corrode over time and obviously begins to cause problems as the sensor no long reads clear gaps in the magnet. This was mid summer, so I don't know if the cold had any effect on it. The syptoms he was having was under normal braking his ABS would just decide to turn on and go hay-wire... I can't remember what dash lights would come on, SLIP was on forsure... ABS/VDC I can't recall but I think they came on to, I'll try to have him chime in on this thread.
The solution was to replace the corroded wheel hub. Unfortunately since it is a sealed unit, you can't tell which is good/bad because the corrosion is on the inside. We replaced both front wheel bearings/hub assemblies on his car and the problem was gone... fixed 100%.
For reference here is the details on his car at the time:
2004 G35 6MT (Brembo, VDC equipped etc) driven all-year around
Odometer: 107,000 km (63,000miles roughly)
Season: Summer time (warm)
Also, he tried about 4 different wheel & tire combinations including his aftermarket & OEM wheels and they didn't seem to have any effect.
I hope this helps in diagnosing your problem!
Anyways after consulting the world and trying everything he had one last option. Some one told him that the inside of the wheel bearing/hub assembly the houses the magnetic strip for the ABS starts to corrode over time and obviously begins to cause problems as the sensor no long reads clear gaps in the magnet. This was mid summer, so I don't know if the cold had any effect on it. The syptoms he was having was under normal braking his ABS would just decide to turn on and go hay-wire... I can't remember what dash lights would come on, SLIP was on forsure... ABS/VDC I can't recall but I think they came on to, I'll try to have him chime in on this thread.
The solution was to replace the corroded wheel hub. Unfortunately since it is a sealed unit, you can't tell which is good/bad because the corrosion is on the inside. We replaced both front wheel bearings/hub assemblies on his car and the problem was gone... fixed 100%.
For reference here is the details on his car at the time:
2004 G35 6MT (Brembo, VDC equipped etc) driven all-year around
Odometer: 107,000 km (63,000miles roughly)
Season: Summer time (warm)
Also, he tried about 4 different wheel & tire combinations including his aftermarket & OEM wheels and they didn't seem to have any effect.
I hope this helps in diagnosing your problem!
02-04-2010, 11:46 AM
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wow, i have the same issue and before the ABS kick in the speed went different than the actual speed then went back normal then ABS light came on, wow, if i have to change the wheel hub that will be some cost. lol any other option to solve this issue?
06-09-2012, 09:25 AM
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Yes it's safe, as long as you know how to brake without ABS
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