ABS light

[Dave Blystone]

as I was leaveing texas today my abs light came on 
do I have anything to worry about. I seem to have good brakes and  I had them checked in ohio before I started this trip in dec we are headed to beavers on burbon street 
thanks in advance  dave
2001 beaver 33 concord
2015 ford flex

[Gerald Farris]

Dave,
With the ABS lite on, the coach will drive and stop normally with the exception that you will not have the antilock function for you brake system. So since on your trip to Louisiana you will only see ice in your drink glass, there is nothing to worry about. However, the highest probability for a malfunction to turn on a ABS lite on your coach is a defective wheel speed sensor, and this is caused by an overheated brake at times, so be extra cautious about checking you wheel brake temperatures and have your brakes checked if you notice on wheel getting really hot when compared to the other wheels. If you do not have an IR Temperature gun, you will be able to tell by the smell of burning brakes.

Gerald

[Dave Blystone]

thank you I will get the breaks checked back in ohio as soon as we get home
so far I have not smelled anything from hot brakes but I will keep a nose and eye out
 thanks again   dave
2001 33 concord
2015 ford flex

[Bill Sprague]

On our '04 Monterey the sensor would come unplugged.  The sensor itself has a short cord coming out of the wheel area that went to another cord with a connector.  Mine was wrapped around the axle a couple times to use up some slack.  Gravity and road vibration had its effect and the connection separated causing the light to go on.  Reconnecting made the light go out.

[Joel Weiss]

I've been driving for the past two years with the ABS light on.  The ABS system on my coach is prone to failure due to overheating and probably other factors.  There is absolutely no difference in the driving with the ABS not working.  We all learned to drive on vehicles that didn't have ABS; it's absence is not such a big deal except on slippery roads.  I, for one, have no intention of ever driving mine on icy roads and we make sure of that by staying in TX all winter.

[Dave Atherton]

Gentleman, ABS light coming on for various reasons. Sensor broken wire, air gap between
sensor and tone ring incorrect, dirt, mud packing between sensor and tone ring on wheel
hub. Last,  work preformed having wheel off and hub, when reassembled incorrect tighten
of wheel bearing end play ( wheel bearing end play of more than .003 to .005 will turn on
ABS light ). This is one area that is over looked in troubleshooting ABS light on problems.
Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic

[Jim Edwards]

Two comments:

I'm the manual for my coach they provided much information to trouble shoot the abs system. Only one issue. Beaver had changed manufacturers of the ABS unit so the codes and reset procedures were different than what was stated in the manual. As it turns out I had a Bendix system and the folks at Bendix brakes were VERY helpful in diagnosing exactly what was wrong. At least with the Bendix unit you can get it to tell you why it has turned the light on. In my case fixing it was just pushing a sensor back into position on the rear axle. I suspect other ABS units use this diagnostic method as well (although the blinking lights mean different things).

Also, ABS is a safety system intended to BOTH maximize braking in an emergency stop and ALSO retain steering control in emergency braking situations. Yes it is more likely to happen on a slippery surface but if some idiot cuts you off or for some other reason you need to slam on the brakes going 30 or more, I know my coach will lock up the brakes on dry pavement without abs (personally validated).  No you don't have to have it to drive the coach but in my mind it is kind of like seat belts. Good to have them when you need them. 

Best

[Dave Atherton]

Jim, thanks for reply on the ABS. In most cases sensor out of adjustment, broken or
shorted sensor wire and packing condition cause from wet conditions and mud. Going
little deeper on the ABS subject as indicated in my above post that is over looked.
Work requiring wheel and hub to be removed from motorhome for various reasons,
the tech doing the repair will install hub and wheel and set the correct torque for spindle
nuts. There is one more step that most do not check or preform is correct wheel spindle
end play measurement. This is real important again with ABS system. Reason for this
hub bearings are a tapered roller bearing and bearing preload is set by correct torque of
axle nut and lock. Use of a dial indicator measures hub end play of .003 to .005 to make sure
bearing preload is correct. In many cases ABS sensor light will stay on, light will come and
go off intermittent, and lot of money outlay finding problem.
Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic

[Joel Weiss]

Also, ABS is a safety system intended to BOTH maximize braking in an emergency stop and ALSO retain steering control in emergency braking situations. Yes it is more likely to happen on a slippery surface but if some idiot cuts you off or for some other reason you need to slam on the brakes going 30 or more, I know my coach will lock up the brakes on dry pavement without abs (personally validated).  No you don't have to have it to drive the coach but in my mind it is kind of like seat belts. Good to have them when you need them. 

With all due respect, most of us here drove for decades without the benefit of ABS.  Yes, it is something that adds to the safety of a vehicle, but it isn't essential.  ABS failure on older vehicles of many kinds is not uncommon.  I have already spent >$1k trying to get mine operational again, but as Dave Atherton has mentioned it can become a money pit. 

[Dave Blystone]

thanks for all the replys
I feel better about driving now
but I will still have it looked at when I get back to ohio
2001 patriot 33
2015 flex