Help please!

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Nemoaug1

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Utah
Ram Year
2008
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Hemi 5.7
Hey all! I really hope you can all help me out here. I am not much of a mechanic but I love my truck (2008 5.7L 1500 short Bed sport) I take good care of her to the best of my knowledge with oil changes and such, but I just had my ABS and brake light pop on simultaneously. The truck is acting fine so far but my mechanic can’t look at it till Monday and I don't know if it is safe to drive to work or to put my 2.5 year old son in. Thanks all for your time!
 

kad

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Well, this is by no means a guarantee, but it sounds like a bad wheel speed sensor. That will trigger both lights and is fairly common. Do you have a code reader? If not, do you have a chain auto parts store (AutoZone, O'reillys, etc.) anywhere nearby? Most of them will hook up a code reader and tell you the codes for free. It could also be a problem with the ABS module itself, but the sensor is more likely in my experience.

Besides the codes I would start by looking underneath at each wheel and just see if the sensor is still there/still connected, wires not broken, etc. As far as driving it, I personally would as long as the lights are not flashing. But that's me, you need to make your own decision on that. Be aware that with the trouble lights on, while the brakes should still work normally, the ABS system will not work.

-K

Oh, one more item to check: Check the ABS fuse. Not sure if it's in the under hood fuse box or the in-dash one on those years. Your owners manual should have a chart. If you don't have the OM, check the diagrams on the fuse box covers for the position.

Edit: Ok, one more thing, I assume you checked the fluid reservoir?
 

Elevated 2013

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I agree with everything kad said! I would start with the brake fluid level though, since it's a 5 second inspection. If it is low, start looking for leaks. If you don't find any leaks, your brake pads are just low either front or back or possibly both. DON'T JUST ADD FLUID!! If the fluid is not on the ground or on your wheels it is low because of brake pad wear and they will need to be replaced. After that, look for wheel speed sensors that are damaged or disconnected. If nothing visual pops up, then go to the parts store and have them pull the code and tell you what it is. Wheel speed sensors are super easy to do and it's plug and play. It might take a couple of miles after replacement for the lights to go out. Just a heads up on that.

The truck is definitely driveable, you just won't have ABS. Like kad said!

Good luck and let us know what you find.
 

Marley

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VA
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2004
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5.7
I like older vehicles cause easy to work on.
Unfortunately rust on these older vehicles attack the speed sensors which throw them out of calibration.
That's my bet.

Safe to run.
 

HemiLonestar

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The truck is definitely driveable, you just won't have ABS. Like kad said!

Good luck and let us know what you find.

Most likely, also because of the above you won't have cruise control either
 
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