[pc_marine]

I drive a 2000 Taurus SE w/ 73.5K miles...

Occassionally, maybe once or twice a month or so, my ABS light comes on when I'm driving. It usually turns on when I'm accelerating "hard." However, the light will shut off the next time I start up the car.

Anyone know what could be causing the problem? And would this mean that my ABS no longer functions when the light is on? (my regular brakes work fine though).

 

[cwe2003]

When the ABS MIL is on, the system is disabled. The rest of the brake system will continue to run fine.

As for it going on during hard acceleration, it could be a loose wheel bearing, faulty wiring or loose connection that disconnects when the suspension ends up in a certain position ... Some cars (Not sure about the taurus .. I'll have to look!) have two brake fluid sensors, with the ABS system sensor being mounted higher than the brake light sensor.

I'm not sure about the 00 Taurus, but ABS codes are not part of the standard OBD-II DTC cache on my 96 --- You need an expensive scantool to pull them, the $100 special just won't do it -- most big garages should have a scanner that is capable. My local shop charged me $15 to get an ABS code pulled a few months ago.

-- Steve

 

[Dan_in_WA]

At each wheel, you will find a toothed sprocket and a tiny sensor that 'sees' the teeth on the wheel as they go past.

Look at each wheel; there may be dirt, or who knows what, that has collected around this point - and it only has to happen at one wheel/tire to set the ABS light off.

The ABS light on the wife's van has come on twice - a stop at the local car wash and I blast out around each wheel takes care of the problem.

 

[godspunk32]

I wouldn't worry about troubleshooting the problem yourself. ABS is nothing to screw around with. Take it to a shop and pay the 15 or 20 bucks to get the code read when the light comes on. It may save you LOTS of headaches, as well as make sure that there isn't a serious problem with the ABS.

JR

 

[diesel600]

Yeah definitely get the code read. Even if the light isn't on the code is likely stored. It will make diagnosis much easier, telling you which sensor is giving you problems.