Relay location

Widgit · Post by **Widgit** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:41 am

I know this has come up before,but I have a '92 1.7 Turbo D estate.
Is the ABS relay part of the main fuse box or is it located elsewhere ?.
I have an intermittent warning light fault. I goes through the self test routine and then goes out.....and can come on again at any time with no particular common factor. It has even reset itself while still driving without me having to restart the motor. I have checked for broken wires and cleaned the connections to the ABS unit to no avail.....I am now becoming p.....d off and soon I shall be completely p....d of if I cant sort out the problem !

Tim.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:03 pm

It is more likely to be a problem with the sensors. Front more often than not.

You need a test meter t ocheck the resistance of these, either from the plug on the end of each sensor or from the ECU under the passenger seat.
The resitance should read between 800 & 1400 ohms

Widgit · Post by **Widgit** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:29 pm

Thanks Ken........I shall just wait for the great water god of the sky to stop giving me free samples,sharpen my probes and try your suggestion !

Post by **docchevron** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:31 am

Just in case.... As I asked about the location of the relay a while back, it's under the dash, if you remove the glovebox and look up towards the heater box, you'll see it.

Although as Ken said, that is classic knackered sensor syndrome. Almost without doubt the front sensors, and more often than not, it's the right one....

Cheers
chris G

Widgit · Post by **Widgit** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:58 pm

Thanks for that Chris........I am intrigued.....any reason why the right one ?

I have been doing some checking and so far have replaced the relay....just in case...... measured the resistance of the rear sensors , 1060 ohms, but have run out of dry weather again so haven't checked the resistance at the front yet.

The fault still persists and I have bounced, shaken, tugged, pulled and cursed profusely, all to no avail as yet !

Tim.

Post by **docchevron** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:28 am

hhmm, dont really know why it's usually the right one, it just is! Everytime a BX comes into the garage with a faulty ABS sensor, 99 times out of 100 its the front offside sensor at fault.

On paper, it should be the nearside sensor, since kerbs / cobbles etc should take their toll, but it always seems to be the offside..infact I've got a part time sensor on mine, and yup, its the offside front! I've got two in the boot, so I should really fit one!

Tugging and pulling the leads can yield no results, I chased for ages with mine, although somehow I just knew it was the OSF, it measured perfect on the meter, even with extreme tugging and bending, I only caught it when the car was on full left lock and the suspension dropped a touch when I leant on the car whilst I had the meter in hand!

Cheers
Chris G

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:31 am

I posted something about this somewhere the other day.
I have a similar intermittent fault in my 16V.
On it, there was a switch/sender under the car about under the passengers feet with one wire leading to it and a rubber boot covering it. I was doing a job on the air con when I stumbled across it. I rolled the boot back and discovered one terminal covered in white powdery corrosion, so cleaned it all off and refitted.
Mine used to turn the light on occasionally on start up, go out, then relight until I tapped the brakes at my front gate. It would then go out. Other times, it didn't go out, but if I went somewhere with the warning lght on, stopped and later on restarted the car, it again would act normal, then come back on until I hit the brake and then go off and stay that way. Weird I know, but it seems this was the culprit.
Don't know what it does, but I suspect it has something to do with the front brake circuit.

Alan S

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:08 am

The item you describe there sounds like the security switch Alan, I would imagine a dirty contact there might cause all kinds of bother with the STOP light and related stuff.
Stewart

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:18 pm

Had an interesting time with the security switch the other evening when driving through the aftermath of a day of plentiful rain in Hampshire. Every time I was forced to drive through a reasonable-sized flood on the nearside, the security light switch was temporarily triggered for a few seconds. I suspect the boot has perished away.

Widgit · Post by **Widgit** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:18 pm

Not making much progress at present with the ABS light problem.

I'm running out of time to find a solution.

How realistic is it to convert the brake system to non-ABS ?.

I find a non ABS car's brakes quite adequate( wife had one ) and never really went out to find an ABS car....it just came that way !

Any thoughts chaps ?

Tim.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:44 pm

If the car is fitted with ABS it has to work as far as the MOT is concerned.

Widgit · Post by **Widgit** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:01 pm

Hi Ken,

That is exactly why I wondered how practical it is to convert it to non ABS.......after all I know there are BX's that do not run ABS.

As you correctly say if it is fitted it must work........but if it is a non ABS system then there will be no ABS function to be assesed by the test station.

My wifes BX was not ABS equipped so I wondered what changes and how difficult it will be to revert to the same system on my Estate.

Knowing how some of you are involved with the "trade " or have much deeper knowlege of the cars than me, I just hoping that someone may have some ideas .

Tim.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:23 pm

It would mean a quite extensive repiping of the braking system. I wouldn't go there.

Have you checked the resistances of the sensors yet?

Most ABS checks can be carried out from inside the car without even getting your hands dirty. The ECU is under the passenger seat. Tests can be carried out with a multimeter by putting the meter across the right pins.

Vanny has the full info sheet on this. I thinks he listed it somewhere on here. Try the search function