No Brakes, Help

[Scoobymlr]

Hi Everyone. I am having a problem with my brakes and yes my abs light is on and is showing code 43. I had my battery disconeted and then reconected it after that I started my vx went to put it in gear and it went but when I pushed the brake pedal it wont move. Its hard as a rock. the brakes wont engage at all and like I said the pedal wont depress?

Any ideas Thanks for the help

[tom4bren]

I've never heard of the brake pedal not moving at all. It's also strange that you could put it in gear without depressing the brake. There's an interlock in the console to prevent that. Maybe that's where you should start.

BTW, it's my understanding that although disconnecting the battery can clear CELs, it won't clear ABS light or TOD light.

[Scoobymlr]

Sorry I can push the brake pedal enough to be able to shift it into gear but thats it nothing more. Also the abs module was disconnected. The pedal is very hard and does not apply the brakes the vx keeps moving till you pull the emergancy brake.
Not sure what happened.

[deermagnet]

The brake pedal is directly attached to the brake booster. If the pedal won't move, I would think the booster is not allowing it to move. Could there be water in/around the booster that froze? Maybe a major malfunction in the booster or linkage with the pedal?

There is no pressure getting to the lines. It sounds like it's something between the pedal and the booster, not further on. The ABS could certainly cause problems, but the pedal should go to the floor.

I'm just guessing here. I'm hoping it's something frozen, cuz' it was wicked cold up your way.

Mark

[Y33TREKker]

...Also the abs module was disconnected...

What do you mean by this? Disconnected electrically? Or completely disconnected?

[Scoobymlr]

On the ABS unit (the silver part) where the brake lines go in. is not letting the brake fluid go to the brakes... Something inside must have locked up?
So I guess I need to get a new ABS unit. Unless I can get it to unstick?

[deermagnet]

Our ABS (and all vehicles) has a fail-safe to allow normal braking if the ABS unit fails. The last thing we want is for the ABS to prevent braking entirely. But anything is possible. If there's an electronic problem, removing the ABS fuse should cut power and restore normal braking.

Who knows though? Weird stuff happens. Many members here have had ABS trouble, but we've never heard of this problem with the ABS.

Mark

[tom4bren]

I think we need a better description of how the brake pedal stops. Is it a hard mechanical stop or is more of a softer hydraulic stop. That will indicate linkage versus fluid issue or pre versus post booster.

[PK]

I would like to know if this happened in one go, or gradually built up??
Were you loosing any brake fluid over the past month??

I have heard of the master cylinder leaking into the brake booster until the booster filled up and you couldn't push the pedal down, but that guy had been topping his fluid up for months without finding a leak.
It wasn't a VX either.

PK

[maxprime]

Pull the vac hose on the brake booster and see it there is vacuum . If the brake booster goes bad it will give the same symptoms as you describe. Without vacuum assisting the booster you could actually stand on the pedal and it wouldn't move. To bad I remember how manual brakes worked ,hehe

[Scoobymlr]

OK you can push the pedal as hard as you want and it does not move. Solid like a rock.
if someone push's the brake pedal and you loosen the brake line on the ABS fluid shoots out and the pedal goes down.
what seems to be is that the ABS unit (silver part) is not letting the fluid by pass.

[Y33TREKker]

You never did say what you'd meant when you said the ABS module had been disconnected. The electrical connector? The brake lines? Everything?

If the electrical connector has been disconnected, try taking it back off, cleaning out any debris if necessary that couild be preventing good electrical connections, re-seating it, and tightening it again. The #43 code you mentioned refers to a shorted or disconnected coil/wiring, which an improperly seated connector could be causing.

Once you get the electrical connector checked and reseated, you can also try removing the 40 Amp ABS fuse, then starting the engine to see if the brakes start working (brake pedal moves) even though ABS won't be functioning.

Since you haven't specified HOW the ABS had been disconnected, it's difficult to narrow the problem down to being possibly electrical or mechanical in nature, and seeing as how you say the battery had also been disconnected, it could still be either.

[Scoobymlr]

[QUOTE=Y33TREKker;248239]You never did say what you'd meant when you said the ABS module had been disconnected. The electrical connector? The brake lines? Everything?

Yes sorry everything was disconnected. the unit was sent out to be rebuilt got it back and installed abs light was still on showing code 43. So I drove the it for a few days then went to hit the brakes and the pedal would not move.
BTW only the electric part of abs was sent out to be rebuilt not the silver part.

I ordered a new whole abs unit and it will be here monday and I will update on how it works out.

Thank you for all the help

[Scoobymlr]

FIXEDIt was the Abs pump replaced the Abs unit and was fixed and NO more abs light...
Thank you all