ABS Doesn't Work!!!!!

speed36

Member
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03.5 Mazdaspeed Protege
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?
 
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 ?!?!?!
 
AutoBox said:
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.
 
^ 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....
 
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.
 
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 s*** 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.....
 
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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!
 
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 ?!?!?!
 
AutoBox said:
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 s*** 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
 
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???
 
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.
 
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 s*** 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?
 
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
 
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 ......
 
speed36 said:
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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