Abs

[DubSteve]

Hi guys,

Just a quick question. My ABS light keeps turning on sometimes when I start the car or even if sometimes I go over a big hump it turns on. Just wondering what could be the cause of the problem. My breaks do hiss when i do break, could that be the cause of the problem???

[Tim]

try cleaning the abs wheel sensors. get the car on a vag-com it will tell u where the error is coming from

[DubSteve]

try cleaning the abs wheel sensors. get the car on a vag-com it will tell u where the error is coming from

Hmm anyone got a VAG COM and sorry for sounding like a newbie but how and where abouts do I clean it?

[Tim]

what area are u. maybe someone local can help u out? I have one but im in melb.

if u take the wheels off u will see behind the hub there is a slotted ring. there is a sensor that detects the movements of that ring which gets full of brake dust. It should be pretty easy to spot once youre in there.

[DubSteve]

what area are u. maybe someone local can help u out? I have one but im in melb.

if u take the wheels off u will see behind the hub there is a slotted ring. there is a sensor that detects the movements of that ring which gets full of brake dust. It should be pretty easy to spot once youre in there.

Cool thanks I will try that out tonight if I get a chance. Can I just pressure clean it?

[Tim]

well not being an expert i wouldnt really know. perhaps someone else can advise u on that. But id say "expensive sensor" and "pressure cleaning" maybe mutually exclusive.

[KI11Z]

perhaps just geting a damp soft cloth in on the face of the sensor n rub it a lil bit . . . . . Or you could just pull the plug to the warning light!

[DubSteve]

Or you could just pull the plug to the warning light!

Believe me I have already thought about that one lol

[wakdog]

well my abs does not work at all, tested last night no ABS whatsoever... No light when i start the car and no light at all.....

[h100vw]

I have VAG-COM and happy to help anyone in Adelaide.

The light should come on with the ignition. After the ECU selftests the light should go out to signify it is OK.

Front wheel sensors are the most common failures. They can be check with an Ohmmeter. The connections are at the strut tops and under the back seat. If you check the resistance of each sensor the chances are one will be wildly different to the others.

The other thing to do if it's not obvious from the resistance check is jack up each wheel and switch the meter to AC volts. Spinning the wheel by hand should produce a small AC voltage that changes frequency as the wheel slows down.

The sensors aren't that pricey TBH. Getting to clean them can be difficult and I don't think a damp cloth is the thing to use. I'd be blasting them with brake cleaner. Generally they are covered in iron filings, which impedes their ability to work.

The brakes will function without the sensors. Not sure on Australia but in the UK no ABS light would be an MOT failure assuming the tester had any brains.
Gavin