Author Topic: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide  (Read 1073 times)

Ian432

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ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« on: February 28, 2021, 11:27:00 PM »
Hello... For 18 months I've been raving at the reliability of a tatty jazz that I was given. I've grown to like its simple charms and even prepared to spend good money on it. Recent mot fail items all connected to seized rear caliper. Changed for new (£39.50)and working properly without any drama.
Unfortunately, the abs light is still on. I was thinking /praying that renewing the caliper would magically sort out the light.
Had a little look round and noted it's a common issue but couldn't find a step by step diagnosis guide. Rather take that approach than random guess work, trial and error.

56 plate 1.4 sport 186,000 miles

Thanks in advance for the advice 😎

bill888

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2021, 07:18:03 AM »
Have you got a cheap OBD code reader to see if it can report an ABS error code?   

Otherwise, you may have to take it to a garage to read the code.


2007(57) Jazz 1.4SE CVT-7 (GE3 - made in China)

springswood

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2021, 07:41:29 AM »
It's worth doing a search of the Mk1 forum for ABS problems. I recall some cheap fixes of ABS pump problems. Unfortunately my understanding is a basic OBD reader doesn't pick up ABS codes. Otherwise it might be a job for a good independent garage. I know of a couple I rate in Bradford and Stockport, depends where you are.
"Indecision is a terrible thing"
Or is it? What do you think?

madasafish

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2021, 08:14:57 AM »
You need a simple multimeter to check the resistance of the ABS sensors at each wheel. The easiest,cheapest to fix and most likely failure is either teh senor at teh wheel or the wiring near it - due to exposure to road crud and salt.
The most likely failures are the two front ones and of those, the passenger side first as most exposed to grit and water.

You are looking for a reistance of a few ohms. Zero resisitance means a short inside the sensor, infinite resistance means a wire broken. Ideally you are looking for 5 to 15ohms for a working sensor.
So trace the wiring from each sensor to the first plug, disconnect and test from there.

Once you have identified a faulty sensor it is a remove and replace job.. see Haynes.

sparky Paul

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2021, 10:41:13 AM »
Ideally, and this will save a lot of wasted time, you need the fault codes from the ABS system - it will tell you where the problem lies. A generic OBD reader is no good for this, you need either Honda HDS, or one of the multi-manufacturer systems that can access ABS.

Most likely is one of the front ABS sensors - give the wiring to the sensors a good looking at first, examine the wires carefully between the hub and the connector. Look for any signs of cracking, particularly at the ends, and feel for any bumps or kinks when you flex the cables. Next stage is the measure the resistance of all the sensor circuits with a meter, as described in the previous post.

If you are fairly confident that all is well, the other fairly common issue at age and/or high miles is ABS modulator failure. There are a couple of fairly common issues which can be fixed, either by sending the modulator for repair, or you can DIY if you feel confident enough. A new modulator is usually out of the question due to cost.

The two common problems which afflict the ABS modulator are dry joints on the circuit board inside, and worn out motor brushes. At that mileage, if it did point to the modulator, I would suspect the latter. There are a few threads one here about how to deal with these faults, we can find them out if you get to that stage. Unfortunately, unless you are prepared to have a go at DIY, modulator failure can get expensive.

Ian432

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2021, 03:02:45 PM »
Thanks for all the top tips!
I'm now ready to make a start again, as it's been 2years since I've been anywhere near OBD readers, multimeters and socket sets. Previously I had citroen/Peugeot and Rovers so it was non stop and got tedious  :'(

jaytee

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Re: ABS light on, mot fail. Need a Dummies Guide
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2021, 03:44:57 PM »
first thing to try,disconect the battery for 15 mins,then see if it puts the light out,when i had my old mk1this used to work to pass MOT would last for a few days before it came on again but ABS was OK

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