brake job now ABS randomly kicks on

[Pokeman]

98 Stock explorer V8 loaded

Front Brakes

The front brakes were squeeling. I put new pads and rotors on the front. One side was down to the metal and grooved the rotor, the other side was 60% left on the pad.I know I need new calipers based on the one-sidedness, will put them on this weekend BUT.

For the 1st 2 days after the brake job there were no issues but today the ABS started kicking on randomly when braking on flat dry ground at slow speeds.
-Is there any reason after my brake job that the ABS would kick on now and then? I did not mess with the wires.

-will the new calipers fix it?

-Could it be unrelated?

 

[Beastb15]

my guess would be bad ABS sensors

 

[storlied]

Something must have disturbed the ABS sensors, they are in the hub assemblies on each side. Replacements run 100-150 for a new hub.. I say a new hub because it seems like 90% of the time when you have ABS issues, it's the hub going bad and setting off the ABS.

Just for kicks and slight money savings, you Could just replace the sensor if you want.. you unplug it at one side where it connects near your fog light .. and then unscrew the other side from the hub and pull it out.

 

[Pokeman]

are the sensors something I can change with minimal tools and basic auto knowledge? will it only take a few minuets?

 

[yellow_edge]

you just pull the tires, then rotors, and you will see, i think you need just like an allen/hex wrench

 

[sport97]

I'm not sure how our ABS sensors work, so i'm not sure if this will work or not.
Try to spray the sensors with brake cleaner. I have stopped ABS issues on my parents Bravada by doing so. Their ABS came on while turning the wheel at slow speeds. As soon as we cleaned the sensors the ABS light turned off and it started working properly again.

 

[Electrohacker]

am I the only one who thinks that one brake is still engaging to early and setting off the abs???

 

[sport97]

am I the only one who thinks that one brake is still engaging to early and setting off the abs???

I suppose you could be correct. One of the calibers might be sticking and therefore not braking as fast as the other one and the computer thinks your sliding so it kicks in the ABS.

You said you were going to change the calibers anyway, i would see if that happens to fix it. Also make sure all the caliber slides are greased nice and good so that the pads are not getting stuck.

 

[storlied]

To the person who said they don't know how the sensors work, spraying them with cleaner isn't really needed.. you can just wipe them off.. what it does is detect the teeth from a gear inside the bearing.

 

[chrisschweder]

My ABS started to do the same thing after I did the lower ball joints. I am pretty sure that I got some crud on the magnet or in the hole where the sensor screws into the hub on the driver side. I still have not fixed it. But when I did the passenger side I took the extra time to clean the senor and make sure nothing was in the hole.

Try cleaning it before replacing anything.

 

[Pokeman]

Anyone got a picture of what I need to clean off?

 

[chrisschweder]

The sensor is right behind the dust shield. You need to use an allen wrench to remove it. Just follow the wire down and you will see where it goes into the hub/knuckle. You will probably have to remove the caliper, rotor, and dust shield to get at it. That is why I have not cleaned my driver side yet. The dust shield covers the allen bolt.

Pictures of it are in the sticky thread at the top for "lower ball joint how to"

 

[Toast]

This just started happening to me this past week, I can brake and randomly(99% of the time) the ABS just kick in.

I replaced my Driver Side Hub Assembly 9 months ago, So im going to check to see if the wires loose or anything today.

About 2 months ago, I had to swerve to avoid being hit by a car that lost control and I hit a show bank doing 40kmhs on the drivers side, Im wondering if that is causing the issues?

I'll see if cleaning the sensors/making sure there plugged in fully fixes it for me

 

[Parsonmoon]

I just finished replacing the upper and lower ball joints, tie rods and installed new shocks. Now the bloody ABS is kicking in after I slowly come to a stop. I never even screwed with the hubs I replaced everything. Do you think its the sensor or should I just replace the ABS hub??

 

[inh]

Any of you guys with this issue get it resolved?

 

[hms79]

I just finished replacing the upper and lower ball joints, tie rods and installed new shocks. Now the bloody ABS is kicking in after I slowly come to a stop. I never even screwed with the hubs I replaced everything. Do you think its the sensor or should I just replace the ABS hub??

Is either hub making any noise?? You have a bad hub would be my guess.

 

[Toast]

I just disconnected my ABS haha, Im waiting till the summer when its nicer to plug them back in and trouble shoot it