bertherr Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 I have a 1995 Legacy LS wagon with 85k miles. I notice that the antilock brakes seem to activate (buzzing sound, pedal pulses) when stopping on dry, smooth pavement. These are not panic stops. Maybe only when almost stopped. This seems to happen if I have my foot on the brakes when starting the engine, too. The fluid is clean and full. What can I check for? Thanks, Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSisters Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Is the ABS light comming on? I had a problem with dragging brakes, that heated up the tone ring and screwed up the magnetic field that provides the pulses to the ABS computer. The ABS would cycle like you describe and then the ABS problem light would illuminate. The ABS trouble code display under the passenger seat (it's a '91) said I had a faulty left rear sensor. Repairing the brakes (rotor and new pads) solved the problem without needing a new wheel speed sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elwood91 Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 check your tires tread, if you don't have good traction that will trigger abs even on dry pavement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted July 16, 2004 Author Share Posted July 16, 2004 All of the tires are new. I think I need to check for a sticking caliper. The car stops straight but pedal effort is high. My mechanic told me that one of the calipers was difficult to push in the last time he replaced the pads. I think we have a heat sensing gun at work I can use to check the temperature of the wheels/brakes. Oh, the ABS light came on once and stayed on until I shut off the car. It did not come on the next time I started the car. Thanks for the input. Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted July 16, 2004 Author Share Posted July 16, 2004 I just checked each disc's temperature after driving for about 20 minutes with a laser gun. Each one was between 275 -325 degrees F. There was unifirmity front to back and variance from side to side. I guess the sun had something to due with this. I will next check for dirty sensors and pinched wires. Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 One of our company cars, a VW Golf, had the same symptoms. The problem arose because of a faulty brake hose on the front right caliper. True to form for these cars, it was ballooning. The unsteady brake line pressure was enough to confuse the ABS system. Not sure if this applies to the system in your Sube, but it's an easy fault to spot. Have someone depress the brake pedal while you examine the hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSisters Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Setright's got a good point. If you have poor brake performance at two or three of your wheel positions, the good working brake has to do most of the work and can lock up getting you stopped. The fact you have a ABS warning light on says to me you may have a sensor anomaly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 if your abs light was on, then there is a chance that you have a stored code in the abs control unit. pull the stored codes to help in your diagnosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted July 19, 2004 Author Share Posted July 19, 2004 Any tips on how to get the codes out of the computer? I would like to do it myself if I could. If not, a trip to my mechanic is in order. I could not find anything wrong with an under the car visual check this weekend. Thanks for all the help, Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 i will check today(monday) when i get to work, i need to look in the manual, mine is at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 i will check today(monday) when i get to work, i need to look in the manual, mine is at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 there is a diagnostic procedure, basically you have connect the abs connector to the diagnostic connector, do you have access to a fax machine? i could probally fax the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted July 19, 2004 Author Share Posted July 19, 2004 there is a diagnostic procedure, basically you have connect the abs connector to the diagnostic connector, do you have access to a fax machine? i could probally fax the info Could you send it to bertherr98@yahoo.com ? Thanks, Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 do you have a fax # not an email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacy2.5 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 hey, i sent that info on pulling your abs codes to your email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooma37 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I have encountered this identical problem on my 03 Forester, and I posted a question about it earlier in the forum. The buzzing I heard, I guess, was the ABS system, but I am not sure why it activated when I braked on dry pavement. It was not a hard stop either. Any suggestions other than I need to have my brakes checked thoroughly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted July 26, 2004 Author Share Posted July 26, 2004 I have not tried to get the codes out of my car yet. It has not had the symptoms since I found out how to retrieve them. It is funny how some days it will do it everytime I hit the brakes and then go for many days with out doing it. I'll let you know what the codes say when I get them. Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertherr Posted August 11, 2004 Author Share Posted August 11, 2004 Three weeks have passed without any symptoms at all. I even went up and down a dirt mountain road that took about 45 minutes to go a few miles. Another Subaru was the only other vehicle I saw besides 4wd trucks. Anyway, there are two things I did that may have had an effect on the ABS: I did find metal shavings all over the right front sensor and removed them (a bolt had broken off that had to be drilled out nearby). I also rotated my tires. I measured their loaded diameter with a Pi Tape. The set that had been on the rear were .118" larger than the ones from the front. The next time I go to my mechanic for preventative maintenance I will have him read the codes and see what they tell us. I do not want to try to read them myself now that the problem has gone away. Thanks, Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 For sure, the metal shavings were interferring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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