Finally got the Bee stuck

[twistedsymphony]

I personally don't understand why people just blow off ABS like they do. When it works properly, and you drive properly, it should never kick on, but should YOU not hold up your end of the bargain and lock up your wheels, then the ABS saves your ***. Not to mention I live in an area that gets a ridiculous amount of snow so ABS has saved me more than once, and I've seen a lack of ABS demolish quite a few cars as well....

ideally I think it would be cool to install a toggle switch so if you wanted to off road without ABS you just flip the switch and go, then flip it back on when you hit the tarmac...

ANYWAY

If your light came on the first thing I would ask you is "when was the last time you repacked your bearings?

Mechanical elements are more likely to fail before electrical elements, and the more complex they are the more prone they are to failure... the most complex mechanical element, and the one subjected to the harshest conditions is the wheel sensors... dirt and crap can get caught in there, the sensors can get damaged and the indexing wheel can get chipped.

if you do a lot of beach driving then I would suspect that sand would be particularly nasty to these things... so I would take the opportunity to repack your bearings and check over the wheels sensors while you're in there.

[nfpgasmask]

I personally don't understand why people just blow off ABS like they do.

I think its because A) you don't need it and B) it costs an arm & a leg for a new ABS module

ideally I think it would be cool to install a toggle switch so if you wanted to off road without ABS you just flip the switch and go, then flip it back on when you hit the tarmac...

Yes, that would be really cool.

Bart

[twistedsymphony]

...
B) it costs an arm & a leg for a new ABS module...

do the modules really die that often? or is that just what is assumed when the light comes on?

[etlsport]

my diagnosis from the dealership was the module was bad.. they told me 3k i said leave it.. didnt look into it much past that

[So-CalVX]

Oh, I thought I said that ? my bad... If I were to go back to WV, where the seasons actually change :P, I would have to have it fixed... I have experienced the difference.
So mine car is backasswards? LOL the ABS knew I was headed to the beach to play in the sand and committed suicide

I personally don't understand why people just blow off ABS like they do. When it works properly, and you drive properly, it should never kick on, but should YOU not hold up your end of the bargain and lock up your wheels, then the ABS saves your ***. Not to mention I live in an area that gets a ridiculous amount of snow so ABS has saved me more than once, and I've seen a lack of ABS demolish quite a few cars as well....

ideally I think it would be cool to install a toggle switch so if you wanted to off road without ABS you just flip the switch and go, then flip it back on when you hit the tarmac...

ANYWAY

If your light came on the first thing I would ask you is "when was the last time you repacked your bearings?

Mechanical elements are more likely to fail before electrical elements, and the more complex they are the more prone they are to failure... the most complex mechanical element, and the one subjected to the harshest conditions is the wheel sensors... dirt and crap can get caught in there, the sensors can get damaged and the indexing wheel can get chipped.

if you do a lot of beach driving then I would suspect that sand would be particularly nasty to these things... so I would take the opportunity to repack your bearings and check over the wheels sensors while you're in there.

[twistedsymphony]

Oh, I thought I said that ? my bad... If I were to go back to WV, where the seasons actually change :P, I would have to have it fixed... I have experienced the difference.
So mine car is backasswards? LOL the ABS knew I was headed to the beach to play in the sand and committed suicide

no... what I was saying is if you do a lot of that kind of driving that might have something to do with it.

Even if it is the module I can't imagine it would be all that expensive to pick one up from a junk yard or some such. $3K is ridiculous, even from the dealer....

[deermagnet]

ideally I think it would be cool to install a toggle switch so if you wanted to off road without ABS you just flip the switch and go, then flip it back on when you hit the tarmac...

It's been done. I did that about six years ago-
http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/switch.html
If you flip that switch back on or pull and replace the fuse, the ABS will not reset until the ignition is turned off and on again.
Let us know what you think about the Isuzu ABS when you drive a VX in the snow. Many of us have found it to be very sensitive and dangerous in the snow. It can kick on even when pulling in to a snow covered parking spot at the mall. It can get you killed. In Europe cars come standard with an ABS kill switch for winter driving to save lives. It's not just a VX with messed up ABS. Lots of Isuzu owners over at the Planet have the same complaints.

Richard, it takes just a few minutes to pull the ABS code yourself and see if it's related to the module or some other component-




If you decide you're done with ABS forever, it takes just two minutes to kill the ABS and put out the light.
Raise hood, remove fuse box cover, remove ABS fuse, replace fuse box cover, remove ABS module connector, bend over #16 pin, replace connector, close hood.


Mark Griffin (a VX lifer)

[So-CalVX]

thanks for the words but what if i jus want the light out till i move back to WV? would pulling the fuse do it? or would something eff up?

[deermagnet]

Pulling the fuse or the module connector will not put out the ABS light. You'd have to remove the bulb, or bend over that pin, or cut the wire that goes with that pin.

Mark

[twistedsymphony]

It's been done. I did that about six years ago-
http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/switch.html
If you flip that switch back on or pull and replace the fuse, the ABS will not reset until the ignition is turned off and on again.
Let us know what you think about the Isuzu ABS when you drive a VX in the snow. Many of us have found it to be very sensitive and dangerous in the snow. It can kick on even when pulling in to a snow covered parking spot at the mall. It can get you killed. In Europe cars come standard with an ABS kill switch for winter driving to save lives. It's not just a VX with messed up ABS. Lots of Isuzu owners over at the Planet have the same complaints.

Cool thanks for the info

I had no idea the ABS was screwed up in these vehicles, I've never had a problem in any of the other ABS equipped vehicles I've used.... that's a real shame.

[alanbradley]

IIn Europe cars come standard with an ABS kill switch for winter driving to save lives.

They do? I think you'll find that some Audis in the early 90s did, but that's it.

Of course, I'm happy to be corrected...



A

[So-CalVX]

^--------------^
Haha... That's great... Good thing we have people over the pond

[deermagnet]

In Europe cars come standard with an ABS kill switch for winter driving to save lives.

They do?

I didn't mean all cars. I should have wrote "In Europe there are cars that come standard....". I have no first hand knowledge of this. I read that online when searching for ABS related deaths and such. Perhaps more cars are sold with that feature in snowy regions? Maybe only certain car makers do this in Europe? Maybe none.

Mark Griffin

[alanbradley]

As far as I know, no car makes in Europe offer this any more.

What happened way back in the midsts of time, when ABS was still pretty new, was that the systems were pretty crude by today's standards and it was still, in some extreme circumstances, better to let the wheels lock slightly when stopping at low speeds as this would allow a small wedge of snow to build up in front of the tyre and act as a chock when slowing. In doing so he car would come to a halt more quickly than if the ABS didn't let this happen.

Nowadays the systems are so much more sophisticated I guess this is deemed unnecessary. Indeed, I know some 4x4s (specifically the LR3/Disco' as I've driven one with this function) disengage the ABS if stopping below a certain speed to allow exactly this to happen.

Cheers,

Alan

[tom4bren]

I had heard that the Mercedes SUV utilized the ABS to emulate a locking differential from an open. It sounded pretty trick but I never looked into it. So I guess what Alan was saying is entirely true. ABS has gotten so sophisticated that there probably isn't a need to turn it off in newer models.