ABS after lift

[Skibum12189]

I put a 3.5 RE Super-Ride on over the summer. After I had everything back together, the ABS light was on and ABS wasn't working. I assumed it was because my rear brake lines were in pretty bad shape. Well, I had those replaced yesterday and the extensions were put on. I really don't care whether or not the ABS works, but because my little sister is learning to drive and the snow is getting nasty, I want to get that fixed. Buddy of mine thinks it's either a stretched wire or a broken wire, but that would require getting really up in there.

Anyone have this problem in the past/have any suggestions??

It is certainly not a hydraulic issue, I believe it is all electrical

 

[tomcat]

I put a 3.5 RE Super-Ride on over the summer. After I had everything back together, the ABS light was on and ABS wasn't working. I assumed it was because my rear brake lines were in pretty bad shape. Well, I had those replaced yesterday and the extensions were put on. I really don't care whether or not the ABS works, but because my little sister is learning to drive and the snow is getting nasty, I want to get that fixed. Buddy of mine thinks it's either a stretched wire or a broken wire, but that would require getting really up in there.

Anyone have this problem in the past/have any suggestions??

It is certainly not a hydraulic issue, I believe it is all electrical

all I know is about the more recent years, you didn't mention what year your truck was.

ABS does a self check somewhere around 10-15MPH to look for a signal from all 4 wheel sensors and the motor and all other electrical members of the system. if something is not right, it will disable itself, and turn that light on.

the sensors in the rear on mine always seem to get knocked out of the way when dealing with axle shafts, you should be able to see them when you take the drum off, they should be pretty damn close to the tone rings. the connection for them is under the rear drivers side seat, and you should get a pretty good resistance (ohm) reading from each of the sensor pairs if the sensor is good. this is actually the first thing i would check, and check all 4. i had a brand new unitbearing for my Dodge RAM ship with a bad one in it. the electrical connectors for the front sensors is pretty close to the ABS motor if memory serves. never had a problem with the fronts, only the rears on mine.

check all your abs fuses too

ZJ sensors will plug and play with a disk brake swap too if you are interested.

 

[spinnerdog]

Chuck the abs system and pull the bulb out, You will be much happier. Your brakes will work like they were built to do.

 

[JAS]

Sometimes while wheeling I will get my tone rings goo-ed up with some mud and it will take s few days and some power washing to clean them up for the light to go out.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

First thing to check is that all 4 of your tires are the same and that they are inflated to approximately the same pressure. If one tire is a different brand/model, is worn excessively, or is low on pressure, it changes the overall diameter of that tire which causes it to turn at a different speed which the ABS system sees as one of the tires spinning (i.e. slipping).

Next item to check is the gap between each wheel speed sensor and tone ring. The FSM calls for (0.036-0.05 in.) gap. I usually use my 0.035 feeler gauge and it works just fine. Also, make sure the tone rings and sensors are relatively clean. They tend to pick up little metallic particles due to the sensors being magnetic. Here's some pics showing what I'm referring to.

Don't worry about the "Incorrect" half of this pic, it doesn't apply to a stock ABS system.

You can see the feeler gauge inserted between the sensor and tone ring in this pic:

If the above items are all squared away, then it's time to check the wiring...

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Guess I didn't really answer your original question... As for your new lift causing problems with your ABS system, I would think the most likely suspect would be the rear sensor wires. If you allowed your rear axle to droop too far while replacing the rear leaf springs (and you didn't disconnect the sensor wires ahead of time) you very well may have stretched them to the point that a wire broke. They are very thin gauge wires and would not stand up to supporting the weight of your unsprung rear axle. I'd check them for continuity.

Also, I've found that after performing repairs, the ABS light sometimes takes a cycle or two before it shuts off.

 

[Skibum12189]

sorry, should've specified. it is a 2000 with the d35 rear and all 4 brand new bfg a/t's properly inflated.

i'll have to inspect it when i get a chance. getting hammered with snow right now and it's dark!

 

[tomcat]

Chuck the abs system and pull the bulb out, You will be much happier. Your brakes will work like they were built to do.

awesome tech help. thanks for contributing :looser:

 

[spinnerdog]

After I put a 4.5 lift on my XJ, I had nothing but problems with the ABS system.From lights staying on to a whole new ABSpump from the dealership. Still problems more problems. Most of the time the pump went into default mode and I had no ABS anyways. SO after 2 new pumps 1 new master cylinder,I started reading here that It' not a bad idea to just get rid of the whole problem. SO I did it, and man what a difference. Then I read here about how to convert to rear disk brakes and I did it.What a difference. So for any tech on the ABS system I recomend chucking it. Even Jeep mechanics think it is a P.O.S. I have spent many long hours on this exact problem,and the light goes out for a day or two and then right back on again. After countles hours of trying to figure out what the heck. I made the right choice to remove it all. No more spongy brakes NO more trying to stop on slippery surfaces . I now know the brakes really work!

 

[Skibum12189]

the more i think i about it, i guess i have realized that the lack of ABS is not an issue. Short of my dad thinking I should have it, I have no reason to put it back on. I have been driving around in snowy conditions for two weeks and really haven't experience the brakes locking up excessively.