Troubleshooting dashboard lights, help!
 

Usually once per trip (5-10min) the ABS and TCS lights will come on. Thus usually occurs in slow turns with lots of steering.

During this time... There is no ABS or traction control

The brake fluid is full
The light goes away if car is shut off and restarted
Brake pads have good depth
All 4 tires are same diameter
Front wheel speed sensors look fine as well as wiring

Suggestions??

Does this really belong in the interior section? It's an ABS issue..

First thing I'd check is brake fluid reservoir level - fill to top of full line. If that doesn't work, I look at wheel speed sensor alignment - one of more sensors may be losing signal when suspension is stressed.

Should be fine here!

Good Luck!

yah not sure but if its ur yaw control giving u errors ur alignment shop can do a steering caliberation/reset.

u swap steering wheels lately?

A couple of things possible, one that kenchan mentioned (steering wheel) and the other is wheel hub assemblies. If the bearings are worn, they could move in and out, causing a fault in the TCS/ABS system. You might also have an abraded wire somewhere, that could give you an intermittent problem. Not a lot of help, but something else to look at. :ugh2:

One wheel bearing has been replaced already (left front).
I plan on replacing the Right-front as well.

The cabling and wheel speed sensor hardware looks okay upon visual inspection.

The alignment is spot on.
The steering wheel has never been removed.

Thoughts?

:tup:

Anything show up on the scanner? As disgusting as this suggestion is, it might be worthwhile to hit the stealership when the lights are on to see where the fault is at or see if a friend has access to a good scanner (the free auto parts store ones won't always read ABS). At least that would get you in the general area of which corner the problem is located. Since it only shows up while turning, it's doubtful that the problem is in the rear, but it's worth looking at. The axles have 'tone rings' that might have metallic debris that could cause problems.

Halp ?

:icon14:

Here's how I'd approach it:

1) Find a friend that has access to a scanner that will read all data, including ABS & traction control (usually Snap-on) ask them to ride along with the scanner plugged in and watching the ABS and wheel sensor lines

2) When the lights illuminate, pull over but don't shut off the car, leave it running and see what the scanner tells you.

3) Trouble shoot from there.

You need to find out what area the system says is causing the problem, so you have a starting point. My suspicion is that since 'lots of turning' is involved, your problem might lie in the front harness by the wheels, something rubbing or getting pinched in the suspension. I'm presuming you have inspected the connectors for corrosion/dirt and that those connections fit together snugly without any strain.

Did this problem first show up after replacing the left side wheel bearings? If so, it is possible that the problem is in that side harness, possibly the harness got accidentally wrapped around something, putting tension on the connector when you turn.

GL and let us know what you find.

Why do people insist on trying to troubleshoot with zero information (scanner). Do you know how many things can set codes off in today's cars? Might as well make a list of parts post it against a wall and start throwing darts at it, you'll have just as much luck.

That being said what you are describing is a classic symptom of a wheel speed sensor harness going open while turning, extremely common on certain GM vehicles and typically the left front wheel (9 out of 10 times). Sometimes it happens so fast that the scanner will never show it in the data list (wheel speeds) and you will have no code as the system thinks it is doing its job (sees unequal wheel speeds and activates traction control). Yours having a light that is staying on is a awesome, that means it is trying to actually tell you something so get a scanner and see what it says.

Okay i can work with that.

Now, who has a ABS scanner in the CHI area.

:tup:

You may be able to rent one from an auto parts stores or a tool rental place. Be sure they understand that you want one that will read ABS data (many of the cheaper scanners won't).