abs and brake light constant on

[jsl6v8]

So its been cold and tons of snow, had like 6 inches of snow, the other day I took my truck out, was tired of being stuck being inside, the roads were good but the hotel I'm stuck at was awful. So no problems, drive to the grocery store when I start up the truck again I get the ABS and Brake light, won't turn off. I've since started the car a handful of times, checked the ABS fuse in the driver kick panel and pulled the battery to see if it would clear, no go. I've depressed the park brake the cable works, the brake release works, it drives fine, I just want those lights to go away. I've read somewhere that it could be a speed sensor, not sure which or where but it also said that you normally don't see any readings on your odometer below 20mph, my odometer has full functionality, at least up to 55 and seems to be accurate. Any ideas?

 

[jf5.9]

Most likely your VSS. It sits on the top of the rear differential - it doubles as the speedometer and anti lock brake sensor. It plugs into the wiring harness and is theaded into the rear differential. My bet is that is where your anti lock problem lies - its about a $35 part from the chain stores

 

[NStruck]

not trying to hijack the thread but i have the same or similar problem and was going to ask so i figured here was as good a place as any .
My abs comes on after i start the truck . it is off for a bit once i start the truck but comes on after a very short time , the Ebreak red lights also show up at the same time . the Ebreak is off .
the truck is new to me i just bought it this weekend 96 4x4 123,000 kms, breaks seem to work fine , and the rear breaks are all new , we put them on this weekend ( . the PO said the ABS would come on previously , so i figure this is something that has been going on for some time .
would the VSS sensor cause this ? I had a speed sensor go in my ranger once , all hell broke loose , with dash lights started flashing , the trans would not shift properly, thought I blew the trans . it was an easy fix in the ford and problem solved , but the dodge has none of those symptoms . just the abs and the ebreak lights on .

 

[jsl6v8]

Nstruck, yeah the ABS speed sensor on the rear diff causes this a lot, generally if its bad though you'll see inconsistant jumping in your odometer or it won't do anything below 20 mph from what i've read. With you having a 4x4 though, you have some abs speed sensors on each of the front wheels as well I believe.

I bought the speed sensor for mine yesterday, $25 at autozone for just the sensor, we'll see if it fixes my issue, I really hope it does, but am skeptical since my odometer is working fine, I am just not aiming for bigger problems.

 

[jsl6v8]

Ok so crawled under my truck in the rain, right into a huge puddle actually, and it looks like its going to be easiest to take this thing off if I take off the spare tire, and then I might be able to sit up a little and actually see what I'm working with. Really hope it doesn't hurt anything to drive it around like this currently because its still my daily driver, I'm only going a couple miles but I really don't want to hurt my truck.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

I don't know a lot about the 2g trucks, but welcome home and the VSS can cause the problem, but so can a front sensor. There might have been a ice buildup that either messed with the connection or the sensor in the hub. It shouldn't hurt anything to drive it. But be aware that your ABS might not be functioning normal. Good luck..

 

[jf5.9]

My VSS has been inoperable since May of 2013. No harm comes from not replacing it immediately unless you have lead foot syndrome and need to know your speed, or do not know how to pump brakes when your ABS is disabled. You should be fine.

Taking off the spare will help. Keep us in the loop.

 

[jsl6v8]

My VSS has been inoperable since May of 2013. No harm comes from not replacing it immediately unless you have lead foot syndrome and need to know your speed, or do not know how to pump brakes when your ABS is disabled. You should be fine.

Taking off the spare will help. Keep us in the loop.

Cool thanks, my only issue right now that makes me worry that it may be something else is my speedometer works fine. I'll try to take it off sometime this week, just need some half decent weather. I drive like a grandma, thats what my wife says, I tell her my motorcycle is for speed, the truck is for cruising.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

With the speedo working I doubt it is the VSS as it is the sensor that supplies the speed input. I always check the brake fluid level and then go from there.

 

[FancyStancy]

Sorry to hijack but I think I am having this issue. My abs light and brake light are always on... bought the truck like that. When my spedo is at low speeds like 15 mph or lower, the needle in the Speedo almost bounces around. Especially in stop and go traffic. I figured it had something to do with my recalibrated speedometer for my tires, but it could be this VSS sensor. Do these seem to be bad VSS sensor symptoms?

 

[jsl6v8]

Sorry to hijack but I think I am having this issue. My abs light and brake light are always on... bought the truck like that. When my spedo is at low speeds like 15 mph or lower, the needle in the Speedo almost bounces around. Especially in stop and go traffic. I figured it had something to do with my recalibrated speedometer for my tires, but it could be this VSS sensor. Do these seem to be bad VSS sensor symptoms?

That is absolutely, exactly the symptoms of a bad ABS speed sensor.

 

[jsl6v8]

With the speedo working I doubt it is the VSS as it is the sensor that supplies the speed input. I always check the brake fluid level and then go from there.

So you know when you ask someone, "Hey did you check the...." And they answer "yeah of course, it looks fine to me" and you believe them because they're married to you and get really ****** when you question what they just told you. Yeah its like that. Brake fluid=empty, really glad they haven't completely given out, refilled it pumped the breaks some turned the truck on, light went away, said sweet. Took the truck out drove it around hit the breaks, lights come back. Oh joy, I have air in the line (at least thats my thought at this point). So, whats the best way for me to get air out the line? Just keep pumping the breaks? Car on or off, brake fluid reservoir cap on or off?

So mad I just trusted her, I know she doesn't know jack about cars, let alone the truck. Just started researching what else could be wrong and up popped the sensor, sounded about right and went with it. Thank you very much Redtruck for making me question what I assumed.

 

[hemihustlin]

More importantly is where did the brake fluid go? It does not simply boil off it can only leak! That or your pads are finished and the pistons are all the way out and once you retract them it will go back up ( fluid level )

 

[jsl6v8]

yeah was dark as hell out but I didn't see any leaking, didn't buy the truck too long ago, I really hope this isn't the start of big problems.

 

[FancyStancy]

That is absolutely, exactly the symptoms of a bad ABS speed sensor.

Thank you for the conformation. Can anyone point me in the right direction for where to find this sensor on my truck, possibly pictures or thread links. Thanks


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[jsl6v8]

Thank you for the conformation. Can anyone point me in the right direction for where to find this sensor on my truck, possibly pictures or thread links. Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sure easy peasy, Crawl under the truck from the back, straight down the middle, get to the far end of the rear axle, the giant case that is part of the rear axel on the top, its right there, its easier to see from the front or if you take off the spare tire.

and here is a video, not mine, I speak better english, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ICl_HuwGk

 

[FancyStancy]

Thank you very much. This should be pretty easy on my truck with my 8 inch lift and no spare tire lol. I haven't noticed any wiring harnesses on my rear diff but I'll get a look at it tomorrow. Thanks again


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[jsl6v8]

yeah should be super easy for you, can sit up under there and everything.

 

[jsl6v8]

So any idea on where I should begin to look when trying to find this leak that I've got?

 

[RonJon '06]

So any idea on where I should begin to look when trying to find this leak that I've got?

I'd try parking it in a clean spot and with the engine running pump the brakes several times. If there is a leak somewhere it should be apparent. Follow the lines to each wheel.

If you don't see any signs of brake fluid leaking and the pedal feels spongy try bleeding the brake lines, there is a bleeder screw on each of the brake calipers.