My 60,000 mile 97 S-10 has ABS issues. The light was going off and on intermittenly for about a year and now it stays on. In the mean time, while applying the brakes to stop, the brake pedal vibrates and the ABS mechanism is making all kinds of noises, kind of like grunting with a pulse. Sometimes I don't get anything and the truck stops normal. This morning on the way home from work I applied the brakes to stop and my truck almoust made a right hand turn when I didn't want it to. If it wasn't for my quick reflexes, I would have ended up in the field next to me. It really scares the crap out of my wife when she has to drive it.


Can the ABS be unhooked?

Most common problems are with the abs magnetic pick-ups and electrical connections. If you can live without the abs, removing the fuse usually disables the abs system and will keep the system from putting you in the cornfield or oncoming traffic. :eek:

Most common problems are with the abs magnetic pick-ups and electrical connections. If you can live without the abs, removing the fuse usually disables the abs system and will keep the system from putting you in the cornfield or oncoming traffic. :eek:



Thanks Jon. The fuse is coming out now.

Could mean a couple things.
A high water content in the brake fluid is one of them.
Whenever I have my wheels off, I spray the sensors (magnetic pick-ups) down with Brake-Cleen and make sure the wiring is OK.

I hear you on the abs problems. My 97 z24 has the worse abs on the planet. You could be going 5-10mph and hit the brakes hard and the abs comes on the rear brakes. I replaced the wheel cylinders and recently bleed the brakes, but its still there. There is nothing worse than traveling 75 mph on the highway and say you go around a turn and there's bumper to bumper traffic and its raining. You hit the brakes kinda hard, not enough that the abs should go on, and the rear end gets very loose. Its even worse in the snow. If your not light footed on the brake pedal, abs goes off every time. I had plenty of cars with no abs and they were never this bad. Thank god my 96 camaro and 02 Grand prix don't have this problem. I'm gonna disconnect that fuse and see what happens.

Could mean a couple things.
A high water content in the brake fluid is one of them.
Whenever I have my wheels off, I spray the sensors (magnetic pick-ups) down with Brake-Cleen and make sure the wiring is OK.

I agree with this. ABS is just like an engine ECM, you need to read the computer to diagnose. IMO, disconnecting 4 wheel ABS is a temp step while it is being repaired.

Oh, being an old-Fart that I am, I just figure it is another one of the better ideas that are out there that WE have to pay for to protect ourselves from US!!!

Sell me a stripper that I have to drive, not something that drives me, imho.......

That way, there is a whole lot less that CAN AND generally does go wrong AND then costs the "pound of flesh" to fix b/c I can't fix it!!

Bad, Bad, Bad!!!

pdq67

PS., and funny, did you know that it might be illegal to coast a stick tranny out of gear down the road BUT that all automatics have sprag clutches in them that free-wheel UNLESS the converter is locked up!!

It's as though when you take your foot off the gas AND then speed up as the auto tranny free-wheels just before you hit the brakes!!!

My 95 Camaro has ABS issues also. At slow speeds when you just touch the brake pedal, the brakes lock up like a drum. I've literally almost hit my head on the steering wheel it locks up so suddenly. Picked up a new ABS pump.. waiting for it to be installed by a local guy. No ABS light on, pads and rotors fine... it just has an intense grab at slow speeds.
Being a late model 95, it has the v6 3800 and is OBD II compliant, but pin #6 has no power. Not sure if it is supposed to have power, but I'm wondering if the computer is even communicating with the scanner. We'll see if the new pump fixes the prob.