Kearn

does anyone know what the "abs inop" light means? is that always on, or just when something goes wrong? i never noticed it until it was brought to my attention yesterday. if this isn't supposed to happen can someone tell me what to do about it? and another question.

what exactly do the lights in the side of the rear bumpers do? i took them out recently to have my car painted, and when i put them back in, i realized i had no clue what they're for. thanks for your help. any input would be appreciated.

Z28Nut

The "abs-inop" should only come on for a few seconds at startup as a test of the warning lights. If its on all the time I would definitely suspect a problem. My boss recently thought the tranny in his wife's van puked when it would only stay in 2nd gear. Turned out to be a bad ABS sender on one of the wheels causing the pcm to lock the tranny in 2nd. I got one of those code checker gadgets from the local Auto Zone and it has the ability to read ABS codes. One of those might help you out.

The lights are marker lights to make the car more visible from the side. At least thats what I think the lights in the side of my rear bumber are for.

My .02

Kearn

anyone else have some input?

frmula1

I'd have to agree with Z on the light thing... as for the abs he sounds pretty right too... there is OBVIOUSLY something wrong... that light should not be on all the time

CamaroGuy22

Yes, somethin is wrong when that light comes on. It came on several times when i had my last camaro. It came on when my alternator went up and the abs stopped workin and so did all other power items except the engine, that was kinda bad, i was drivin home in the rain and all of a sudden i lost all power. Then it came on several times after i got it replaced and when it did my car woudl brake badly. I woudl suggest gettin it checked out just to be safe anyways either way.

hey01

i have the same problem with my z
the ABS light is on all the time. one day it just came on and it has never went off. car works fine. some people have said it is just dirty sensors.... one on each wheel bearing and one in the rear end.
ABS still works on mine...just that damn light won't go off and i have replaced my front wheel bearings so im guessing it is just the one in the rear end.. if everything works it is most likely the same problem

RyanS_Z28

I drive a 93 Z and my light has always been on too. Occasionally the low traction light will also randomly come on and the braking becomes really hard for like 10 seconds until the light turns off. It's the weirdest thing. I took it to Pep Boys for just a brake job (dont ask but im never taking my car there again, they broke it) and they said they thought it was a bad ABS pump? They told me to take it to a dealership to verify but i havent done that yet. I suspect that my alternator or battery is dieing and could be the problem because of some posts on here describing losing power to windows, and things when your alternator is bad. My power windows take time to almost "charge" when you roll them up which is really confusing also. I really dont think its the window motors. Anyways, out of all that mess, mine doesnt work either and i suggest taking it to a dealership with any symptoms but dont let them talk you into really expensive parts unless its a big problem. just go for some advice. Ill most likely be buying a 200amp alternator from Summit Racing, and if im not mistaken it was only $200 but check their website. Hope you fix this i know its frustrating.

Wild1

He didn't say it was always on but for the rest of the guys who do have the ABS light on, there are a few things you can do.

Grab a feeler guage and adjust each of the wheel speed sensors. There should be only one bolt... loosen and use a feeler guage. There should be a 1mm gap between the tone wheel and the wheel speed sensor. If just one is off by 1mm, that could set your ABS light.

Also, when the brake pads are changed, the bleeder valve on the Caliper MUST be opened BEFORE you compress the piston into the back of the caliper. If you compress the piston before opening the bleeder valve, fluid will be pushed backwards up the lines. That will cause rust, brake fluid is hydroscopic and absorbs water, to go into the ABS unit and Master Cylinder. Once there, the rust lodges itself between the soft rubber seals and the brake line which eventually tears the rubber seals.

This pressure will cause the ABS Unit to "pop". Most brake shops do not open the bleeder valve until after... Oops, too late. Need another ABS unit.. "must be bad". OR if the rust hits your Master Cylinder, then the seals will tear and your pedal will feel soft.

Or, if you are bleeding your brakes and air gets into the lines from the Master Cylinder, that air pocket could also affect the ABS unit.

Just open the bleeder valves every time you change your pads.

Z28Nut

Never thought of that -- thanks for the tip!

Kearn

thanks for all of your help. i appreciate it a lot. wild1, can you tell me where the wheel speed sensors are located? thanks again

Wild1

I don't have a chart or diagram... maybe Shoebox has one. But, typically, they are on the front spindles. You'll see a wheel with "teeth" that spins around. Then, you'll typically see a wire going down to the spindle (wire for the Wheel Speed Sensor). Follow that wire to the sensor and it should be facing the "toothed" wheel. The spacing is typically 1mm.

The rear is either in the same style with "toothed" wheels and wires or there is a wire to the rear differential.

I can go on and on but a picture is worth a thousand words! I'll do a search on Google and let you know...

limige

mine came on when i blew my rearend

Wild1

Makes sense, the rear ABS sensor can either be done with a sensor at each wheel or cheaply with one sensor in the differential housing to monitor both rear wheels... actually the axle lock up. That's another issue, but you can guess which type is installed on the Camaros.

So when the diff went, it probably knocked out the sensor on the diff. I don't have any pics but it should be the only wire that heads to the diff. Can't think of any other sensors on the axle off hand.