ABS Doesn't Work!!!!!

[speed36]

Tonight i was leaving my fiance's house and i always have trouble getting up the hill with snow on the ground. anyway while trying to get up the hill the ABS light came on and I have no ABS now.

Could this be a sensor that may covered in snow or did something come loose. I don't have a clue. the car seems to ride fine but i dont why the ABS would quit working.

Also now the parking break light will not go off. any ideas?

[AutoBox]

the past couple snows we have had my brakes are worthless..if u press to hard they freeze up and the pedal starts pumpin like soemthing is cauht in it...i dunno if snow is gettin between the pads or what but its freakin me out...only happens when its snowing out ?!?!?!

[03MSP]

Originally posted by AutoBox
the past couple snows we have had my brakes are worthless..if u press to hard they freeze up and the pedal starts pumpin like soemthing is cauht in it...i dunno if snow is gettin between the pads or what but its freakin me out...only happens when its snowing out ?!?!?!

Um, actually, when the ABS engages the pedal will "crunch" or start pumping because that is the car putting the brakes on and off so you can turn while your braking hard.

And yes, it will pretty much only happen when it is snowing/wet out, unless you slam the breaks really hard when it is dry.

[eting_pro5]

^ He's right. This is why people get in accidents all the time when they have ABS and pump their brakes. There should be some kind of law that requires a 5 minute lesson from car sellers on ABS.


As for your ABS/Parking brake issue....The parking brake and ABS are typically connected throught sensors and lights and what not, it's normal to have corresponding problems. Check your fuse, after that, call the shop....

[Newf]

check your fuse, reset ecu maybe. This happened on my Honda's a lot

As for ABS, learn to drive with it. Not being mean or anything, but the reason why people don't like it, is because they don't know how to use it. When the brakes starts freaking out...lift off just a bit. Sometimes you really have to floor it though.

[alexlitov]

maybe check brake fluid level?

[Newf]

abs light on?

[AutoBox]

i know how abs works man the abs light doesnt come on when this happens...and i dont slam on the brakes for it to even happen past a certain point when pushin the pedal the brakes just stop workin and i be a chrunchin and pulsein feeling from the pedal and the car doesnt do shit like they are locked.....no way its abs cus my moms accord doesnt do this at all.....if it is our abs its crap cus the car feels like it locks and the car just slides.....

[MikeBlueP5]

check the fluid

[MoJoeTCM]

ok i would like to smack the people who called me a dumbass saying our speeds had no ABS....you fags! I knew i was right!

[AutoBox]

yeh il take a look once this snow is done tomorrow...insane the car only has 3600 on the odo and the brake fluid is low already ?!?!?!

[03MSP]

Originally posted by AutoBox
i know how abs works man the abs light doesnt come on when this happens...and i dont slam on the brakes for it to even happen past a certain point when pushin the pedal the brakes just stop workin and i be a chrunchin and pulsein feeling from the pedal and the car doesnt do shit like they are locked.....no way its abs cus my moms accord doesnt do this at all.....if it is our abs its crap cus the car feels like it locks and the car just slides.....

Well, the "crunchin and pulsein feeling" is the ABS at work. I don't know why you say your ABS is crap, must be something wrong, but I do know on my car they are setup/tuned perfectly. If it is really slick, you don't need to slam on your brakes for it to engage.

Funny, it just snowed here today:D

[AutoBox]

i have felt many abs systems and NEVER heard of it crunchin at all....my dad has a buick regal with abs and my moms accord has abs and i have used them both....u get the nice abs light and all and u feel the pulsin but never a cruchin feeling.....if i actually modulate my pedal liek i did on my old 240 i can get the car to stop good but anything reotely pusin the pedal all the way down and i get seious lock up and i just slide......honestly i cant see how this would be abs helpin cus u have to see it to belive it...my gf's bro has a gti and his doesnt do that at all...his light comes on and it stops...i just get this pulsin crunchin feelin and no lite...and lock up.....no one has encounteredd this???

[girth]

Are you sure the light is supposed to come on when the ABS engages? I assumed it was only if there was a problem with the ABS. My ABS has kicked in a good number of times and I never noticed the light being on.....wasn't really looking for it though either.

It sounds like it's working normally to me - what I'd do is make a stop where it does that and have somebody watch you do it from outside the car. Then ask them if your tires locked up and stayed locked up or not.

[AutoBox]

ill give it a try....but its def locked or soemthing cus i would lock my old 240sx btrakes on purpose...thing thats wierd is the crunchin feelin i get....it made me think snow was gettinn between the pad and rotor or soemthing and the brakes were not gettin good grip...cus its not doin anything to help me stop ...i had to downshift and slide into a curb once cus it would stop.....im tellin u this shit isnt abs...somehting iw wack....ive been think if this happened back in december to me cus i recently got my rotors painted at my dealer....but i dont get this problem when its dry or raining and if i SLAM on the brakes...but if its a good snow any sort of brake pressure and the brakes pulse and i get crunchin feeling...

and about the abs lite...i dogded a accident once in my dads buick when i slammed on the brakes and got the front to grip and dogde a car that spun out...the abs came on and i felt the puslin and the car never locked up..this was in thick snow and it worked liek a charm...nuttin like what im feelin in the msp...


again no one has had this happen to them?

[DSM2MSP]

Are you sure the crunching feeling isnt the wheels stopping agaisnt the snow? Not to be a smartass but sometimes people think their brakes are f0cked when they hear/feel the snow crunching against the tires.

Mike

[AutoBox]

nah dude..i drove in the snow all the time last year in my old 240sx.....i used to drift in it with chains actually...anyway this is felt thre the pedal the cruchin feeling...not sound....i feel like the snow or salt maybe is inbetween the pads and rotor and they cant get a good grip and the car just locks up...im mean serious it doesnt wanna do any sort of breakin at all ......

[Stormtrooper77]

Originally posted by speed36
Tonight i was leaving my fiance's house and i always have trouble getting up the hill with snow on the ground. anyway while trying to get up the hill the ABS light came on and I have no ABS now.

Could this be a sensor that may covered in snow or did something come loose. I don't have a clue. the car seems to ride fine but i dont why the ABS would quit working.

Also now the parking break light will not go off. any ideas?

So after the ABS light came on, did you actually hammer on your brakes to see if the pedal pulsated? As for the parking brake light, make sure your handle is all the way down. If it is then check your fluid level, it's most likely low.

[Logan]

ABS light and parking brake light both on at the same time is probably the fuse. Open the hood, open the fuse box, use the legend on the inside of the fuse box lid to find the fuse, and check it.
You can drive without it, but you should replace it ASAP.

[speed36]

So after the ABS light came on, did you actually hammer on your brakes to see if the pedal pulsated? As for the parking brake light, make sure your handle is all the way down. If it is then check your fluid level, it's most likely low.

Yes, I pushed the brake down and the ABS did not work.
Anyway this morning i got in the car and everything was. must have been some sort of sensor that had to reset itself.
No harm done.

thanks for the ideas though.

[AutoBox]

i know my car threw a abs code when i had my car dynoed...it erased once i started moving :)

[KyRaceFan]

My ABS pushes the brake pedal against my foot, and it feels kinda crunchy, but it definately doesnt suck.
And i doubt its the brake fluid, you can check it, but its full im sure.
I felt ABS in my moms chevy, and it feels the same way.
its Weird, but it saves lives.

[AutoBox]

nah i dont hink u guys understand what im feeling....there is no way this is abs cus it just locks the brakes up..and i slide....i cant even push with any sort of morderate pressure before i feel the pusling and crunchin and the car fully locks...ill repeat this over and over guys but something isnt right....

[eting_pro5]

ok...i believe you....but ABS still freaks me out, it takes a lot of getting used to. When you feel your brakes pulsing, it's hard to tell if you're really stopping.

[KyRaceFan]

My car does the EXACT same thing on snow and ice.
Its abs, and on snow and ice, no matter how smart the ABS is, the car is giong to slide a little...

[AutoBox]

lol this isnt a lil guys..and abs doesnt freak me out cus i drive them all the time.....ahh i know is that i cant put any kind of pressure on the pedal with out it fully lockin and sendin me slidin into curbs and all...i just did it again with the snow we got here....i was driving about 15-20mph and i pressed the brake BARELY and it just locked and i i just started to slide....i had to pull the ebrake and gun it to get the shit to turn and getout of sliding right into a ditch......like i sated repeatively....i do know how abs works and how it feels....i do know that if this is the abs then soemthing is up....i took my moms accord out cus of this damn problem and i could get up to 40 mph and SLAm on the brake sand it would pulse with no CRUNCHIN and stop.....totoally different guys....im tellin u

[KyRaceFan]

Like i said.. my car does the same thing... and from what others described, its same all over.
This ABS just seems to be pretty sensitive on snow and ice.
The only thing you can do is ask mazda, and im sure they'll check everything out, say its ok, and note you had the complaint on your record.
I dont particularly like it either, but theres not alot we can do, aside from disabling the ABS sensor or something radical like that.

[AutoBox]

yeh i dont plan on goin to the dealer again after wasting my time last time....as of now i just learn to go really slow...or forget driving in the snow all together......

[Micah]

I gotta say, the ABS has saved my hide a few times.

It's ABS - yes the pedal will pulsate under your foot. If that bugs you so much - try pulling the e-brake. The goddamn ABS kept killing my e-brake slides until I remembered that our cars have 3 channel ABS. E-brake slides are not as fun when you can't check your slide by adjusting front brake pressure.

Then again, my stock tires still have plenty of tread left with 28k on them. If I had been sliding around like I used to in my 94 escort lx - I would probably be saving for new tires.

Sliding in the fresh snow rules.

[AutoBox]

unless ut flyin in ur drift front brake presure is not needed...only use it if im goin in too hot and need to compansate for too much over steer.......and again guys i figure its abs related but this isnt normal whats so ever so PLEASE stop tellin me it is....cus the shit doesnt stop like a normal abs equiped car at all.....

[t3ase]

Originally posted by AutoBox
unless ut flyin in ur drift front brake presure is not needed...only use it if im goin in too hot and need to compansate for too much over steer.......and again guys i figure its abs related but this isnt normal whats so ever so PLEASE stop tellin me it is....cus the shit doesnt stop like a normal abs equiped car at all.....
If you know this, then go back to the dealer. Something is OBVIOUSLY wrong since your know ABS systems so well.

(It's sounds to me like normal ABS. Go try to break while driving over a driveway with a peak in it before it goes down. My driveway is like that where it goes up to a point and then down at a greater angle and the car "slides" without feeling as though it's stopping. Trust me, it's normal. I do this almost *every day* and I still get scared shitless when I'm coming up on my garage door and feel as though the car isn't stopping.)

[ForceFed]

First off,the ABS on the MSP is HORRIBBLE!
I too have had many complaints with it being waaaayyyy toooo sensitive.Hell ,I can trigger it on dry pavement just pulling into a gas station with a raised style entry apron while turning.I am not talking about doing this at F1 sppeds either,we are talking about normal entry speeds.
Second,I bet you are in the snow on the original Bridgestones aren't you?THEY SUCK for anything other than rain and dry!PERIOD!I pretty much park the MSP if it even thinks about snowing as I KNOW I WILL GET STUCK SOMEWHERE!
I got stuck like a hundred times last year alone.I have never driven a worse handling car that was factory in the snow.There should be a damn disclaimer when you buy an MSP telling you tah this is not intended as a year round car WITHOUT modifications.The car for as much as we paid should have came with steelies and some winter rubber.I REFUSE to spend money on winter rubber to put on a BRAND NEW car.This is :bs: .
So instead of bitching,I deal with it.It snows,I stay home or take another vehicle.PERIOD!
My damn Del Sol with 18's and nitto 450's and a 3'' drop went through the snow like it was its job!
Point being ,I have NEVER driven a car that was worse in winter weather.
You are not experiencing anything abnormal but it DOES suck!You barely hit the brakes and BAM!ABS that isnt worth a shit!The car pretty much releases the brakes and there you go rolling no matter how hard you push the pedal.I have learned to control it by pulsing the pedal just as if I am driving a non-ABS equipped car.
Matt

[t3ase]

Originally posted by ForceFed
I have learned to control it by pulsing the pedal just as if I am driving a non-ABS equipped car.
(no) (freak) (glare)

[Stormtrooper77]

Exactly what t3ase said. Don't ever pump your brakes when they are already equiped with abs. The system is already doing that for you.

AutoBox: Are you still driving on your stock tires?

[AutoBox]

oh yeh im on stock tires....thats why its pissin me off so much...cus if i put any sort of normal pressur eon the pedal the wheels just lock and i slide....but if i REALLY slowly push the pedal and downshift i can get the car too stop without lockin and sliding......if its abs im serious its wack.....like i said.....abs on the other cars i drive are nuttin like this.....and also like i stated...if this is our abs...IT IS CRAP cus it locks too fast and is dangerous.....i can control my braking so much easier on my old 240 its annoyin...in the rain and dry the brakin is awesome but damn if its on a trigger finger in the snow...im grabing some all season tires and hope for the best.....i drove to work today and relly tried to pay attention to the threshold of the abs...any stab and it totoal locks or stops the tires and i slide...fr now i downshift and apply minimal brakes and its doin aight....but damn if this abs aint a bitch to work with


ALSO i can make this happen at idle speed....like a damn roll...as soon as i press the pedal i slide and i feel the cruchin of snow and shit...if ur implayin im just feeling this "slide" then tell that to the curb i kissed this moring after makin a 3 point turn in my street

[Stormtrooper77]

Not trying to beat a dead horse or be a dick or anything, but how do you know that the wheels are locking up? Is it because you are losing control? Ice or any type of snow will do that to your car when you are on your stockers. ABS won't slow you down. It is only really designed to give you control in situations like this. But if you don't have control, then I would just assume that the snow/ice is too much for the stocks. That crunching you feel, is it pushing back at your foot? If it is, then it's your abs working. If your abs light isn't on or if it stays on for a longer than normal period of time during start up, then you have a problem.

Bottom line, my best guess is it's because you are still on stocks and are driving in ice and snow. But if you still feel that it's not, then by all means take the car in. Not a good idea to drive around with brakes, or lack of.

Good luck.

[AutoBox]

yeh i feel the crunchin thru the pedal....that why it confused me even more...i never felt crunchin thru the pedal on any other abs system.....i def think the stock tires have alot to do with them but what im sayin is they do lock...my gf's bro watched me cus he could feel the car slide when i would push the brake and could feel the same crunchin i was...honeslty i think the abs is over sensitive and because of the already shitty grip it prematurely locks the wheels

[AutoBox]

also doesnt abs apply a preset amount of pressure no matter how much ur pushin on the pedal...maybe the abs is puttin too much presure which is causing the wheels to lock and slide

[Stormtrooper77]

If you can, find some dry or somewhat dry pavement and hammer your brakes as hard as you can. You will notice that the pedal will again pulsate and you will come to a stop quickly. If you don't here any screeching, then there is no lock up. If so, go get your abs fixed. I don't know about the pressure thing for the abs, but I do know that whenever the wheels lock when they are not supposed to, the system will kick in. When you notice that the abs is working, you should be on that pedal as hard as you can anyway.

[AutoBox]

YEH...like i stated the abs is fine in the dry...i have tested it out...im sayin its too touchin in the snow...im not sur eif it prematurly senses lock up or what but ill see what happens when i get some better tires.....thanks for the conversation on solving this

[N1XRR]

Originally posted by AutoBox
i have felt many abs systems and NEVER heard of it crunchin at all....my dad has a buick regal with abs and my moms accord has abs and i have used them both....u get the nice abs light and all and u feel the pulsin but never a cruchin feeling.....if i actually modulate my pedal liek i did on my old 240 i can get the car to stop good but anything reotely pusin the pedal all the way down and i get seious lock up and i just slide......honestly i cant see how this would be abs helpin cus u have to see it to belive it...my gf's bro has a gti and his doesnt do that at all...his light comes on and it stops...i just get this pulsin crunchin feelin and no lite...and lock up.....no one has encounteredd this???

Different companies ABS feel different. The VW's/Audi/Porsche ABS is JUST like Mazda's ABS. Its a "crunching" feeling and its pushing back on your foot. I have driven several other cars, Ford's, GM's, Toyota, Nissan, and a few others, they're all different.

[N1XRR]

Originally posted by AutoBox
yeh il take a look once this snow is done tomorrow...insane the car only has 3600 on the odo and the brake fluid is low already ?!?!?!

There are 2 things that cause brake fluid to go low- a leak, and using the brakes.

The leak is obvious why its going down. But many peope don't know that the brake fluid level is actually an indicator of how much pad material you have left. When it gets down to the "low" line, its time to replace your pads/rotors. Why? Because your pad is always the same small distance from the rotor. The fluid is displacing the lack of friction material.

[Savoire]

I had no choice one day but to go into the snow on the stock tires. The ABS freaked a lot, of course, and the wheels locked. It's the stock tires, nothing else, for sure. I can tell you. The ABS system does its best but can't stop your car. I tried one day on a parking, from 20 km/h I didn't stop for like 50-100 meters. Not an electric system in the world could understand or be efficient while braking with the RE040 on snow. They are like skis.

Now on winter tires it's still a bit strange, but it's normal. Here up north ABS goes on at every stop sign. All you can do is compress more and brake less. You only need to trust them, and not follow your temptation to pulse them.

I got the ABS system all confused on my Speed while doing rally and a lot of hand-braking on ice. The ABS light came on. Then, they were REALLY not working, no pulsing, no noise, nothing. Just restarted the car and they came back on.

[MrDiggler]

Hit a bit of snow at low speed on mine today. Slid and got the crunching noise/feeling too. Weirdness.

[AutoBox]

Originally posted by MrDiggler
Hit a bit of snow at low speed on mine today. Slid and got the crunching noise/feeling too. Weirdness.


yeh it really is...im gettin used to it though....just gotta ease off the brake until it stops

[chuyler1]

Back to the original post...(sorry if I'm pulling an old thread)

My car did the same thing today. No lights on my way to work but as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot I noticed both the ABS and Brake lights on. I checked the hand brake but it was down. I even pulled it up and put it back down. I stopped, turned the car off and checked all the brakes and they looked fine (but I don't know what I would be looking for anyway). The brakes work fine, no pulling or anything, no rubbing that I could tell. I didn't have time to check the fuse, I'll do that tomorrow morning.

Say it is the fuse, why would it just blow like that?

Anyone else had this problem? Anything else I should try that hasn't been mentioned?

PS to all the MSP owners: You seem to always find something to complain about...if the tires weren't performance rated you'd bitch about how they don't stick to the road...so instead you bitch about how the car isn't good in the snow because Mazda actually took initiative with aggressive tires. You can't have everything.

[Mattygoogs84]

hey all OK my abs light is on with brake light. but it is only on sometimes like sometimes on sometimes off...anyway. my mechanic can't run the code because my car is foreign and his computer only checks the check engine lights on foreign cars (both check engine and abs on domestic cars) I am curious as to how i figure out what the abs and brake lights are trying to tell me. The Mazda dealer wants 80 bucks just to tell me what the problem is and then whatever it costs to fix it and if its a sensor they aint cheap. How do I run the tests and get/check the codes.... any help appreciated
thanks