ABS Brakes Troubleshooting

Well, the importance of an anti lock braking system arouses when a driver has to negotiate slippery road conditions or any sort of wet surfaces. These are the times where an emergency brake system like an anti lock comes quite handy and proves to be exceedingly important, because it helps maintain appropriate directional control of the vehicle in such situations. If these systems don't exist, there is a possibility for your vehicle wheels to lock-up abruptly, resulting in loss of control over the vehicle. These are mechanical systems so there are chances of them to face failures very often. Thus, if precise troubleshooting is carried out these brakes will ensure your safety in such situations. Take a further look into this article and find out what exactly I am talking about.

It's not always the car's engine, or other electronics that needs regular check up. Braking system or the ABS is often overlooked by many people. So, in case if your vehicle is facing a failure of ABS brakes, fixing that problem should be a good thought, ain't it? Diagnosing the problem sounds a primary option. So go ahead scrutinize the entire vehicle using some of these 'possible problems' tips and resolve the problem as to why the abs brakes not working at all.

Possible Problems and Symptoms

These are some of the common problems with ABS brakes, out of which the occurrence of one or more are the sure causes.

• Grinding of the brakes
• Heavy brake pedal
• Squeaky brakes
• Car stops after a while
• Crunching of the brakes
• Loose rake pedal going right to the floor

The basic function of an anti lock braking system is to supervise the speed of the wheels and release brake pressure to any of the wheel, if it feels that the wheel is about to lock-up. The common components that constitute this intricate system are, wheel speed sensors, solenoid valves and a totally, fully-functional on board computer system. Hence, to actually go forth and conduct a whole ABS brake repair test is really not a layman's job. If you are an untrained soul in car problems, it's best you work your problems out with a professional. On the contrary, it's harmless to leaf through some troubleshooting tips like the ones discussed here. It's not like you are going to start off with the repair job immediately, would you?!

Troubleshooting of ABS Brakes

Here is a quickie under this topic; you will need to retrieve the trouble codes of your vehicle's ABS system, using a scan tool. Every wheel sensor has a specific code. You will need to contact the code information section and then proceed with the diagnoses of your ABS brakes.

Test the Wheel Speed Sensors
ABS brake system chiefly operates on wheel sensor systems whose job is to indicate the unit that the wheel is slowing down and may possibly skid on wet and slippery roads. In this process, the car brakes will pose soft and squeaky. So checking the sensor for normal continuity and equal resistance values is the first priority. If you don't see any, the whole sensor is faulty.

Reboot the ABS system
Like you reboot a computer, your ABS system needs a reboot too! There are chances that the dashboard warning lights remain on for a long time. So if this happens, turn the car off, wait for a while, and turn on the ignition again. This indicates the ABS system to reboot. If the lights still remain on there's definitely some problem with the unit. And if the lights go off, you had a bad-reading. Another possibility can be dirt and grime stuck inside the computer system for long, resulting in overall malfunctioning. Make sure you clean all the dirt using a cleaner.

Check the ABS Rotors and Brake Pads
If your vehicle's brake pads haven't been replaced for more than a year now, it's but natural that the brake pads would be worn out resulting metal to metal scrapes creating bad noise every time you brake. This is actually the rotors skinning to the metal brake disc. This action terribly spoils the rotors to a great extent.

Electrical Problems
Electrical wires, certain battery connections, fuse box components, etc, of course exists in a vehicle. Check for all these electrical issues considerably before jumping to conclusions. If you can keep testers to check the working conditions of the wires, do it. Perhaps, there can be issues with low battery charge, or improper electrical grounding, wire corrosion, etc. Any of these problems indeed causes an error in the ABS system.

Check the Solenoid Valve Assembly
A two-way control system of the solenoid valves in an ABS system helps in testing the valve assembly accurately. That equipment is a bit overboard on terms of price, but in case if you can get one, run a test by choosing Special Functions Tests and then Rehome. This will activate all the solenoid valves and will run a self-test with the support of the on-board computer.

If anytime further you face any sort of ABS system malfunctions, of course, first you can always refer to these handy tips discussed in this article. But if you still hold doubts for going about ABS car brake problems, it'll be wise that you make a stop over at a service station for further assistance.