Description
The Antilock Braking System (ABS)
When driving on a slippery or wet road, slamming on brakes is possibly one of the most dangerous moments a driver can experience. The car’s wheels often lock, which causes the vehicle to skid uncontrollably. The Antilock Braking System or ABS is a safety feature installed in most new vehicles, which prevents the wheels from locking up.
How does the Antilock Braking System (ABS) work?
ABS is an automated safety system, which recognises when your car’s wheels lock (while in motion) and releases and increases brake fluid pressure, causing the wheels to move again. When the ABS is doing its job, you’ll feel a shuddering that prevents the wheels from locking up and the car from skidding. So don’t be alarmed — and don’t let go of the brakes — they’re working.
If there is a problem with your car’s Antilock Brake System (ABS) or the ABS fails, the ABS light on your dashboard will activate. If the ABS warning light switches on, get one of our Fixxrs to take a look right away.
What causes the ABS warning light to activate?
The Wheel Speed Sensors could be faulty.
The Antilock Braking System relies on information from the Wheel Speed Sensors situated inside the wheels’ hub. The sensors determine the wheels’ rate of rotation and feed that data to the Antilock Braking System.
When the ABS receives information that one or more wheels are moving slower than the others, the Antilock Braking System releases brake fluid pressure, unlocking the wheels. If the Wheel Speed Sensor is faulty or the wiring gets damaged, the ABS will not receive the wheel speed information it needs to function correctly.
The Wheel Speed Sensor is seated by the braking system, which gets rather hot at times. This extreme heat can damage the Wheel Speed Sensors, making this the most common reason for the ABS warning light to activate.
The hydraulic pump or valve is unresponsive.
When the Wheel Speed Sensor warns the ABS that the wheels rotate at different speeds, a hydraulic valve responsible for releasing or increasing the brake fluid pressure is activated, preventing the wheels from losing traction with the ground. However, the hydraulic valves can get damaged and become unresponsive due to wear and tear or from dirty brake fluid.
ABS module is faulty
If the ABS module gets corroded, it won’t relay the information from the Wheel Speed Sensors to the ABS. Corrosion is common and does cause problems in the wiring of the Wheel Speed Sensor. Even a tiny amount of corrosion can create enough resistance on the wires to keep the system from working correctly. Sometimes, the computer in the module can fail and needs replacing.
Fluid levels are low
The ABS uses fluid to regulate pressure. If the ABS fluid is low or too much air in the system, the ABS will not function correctly.
What your Fixxr Mobile Mechanic will do:
A top-rated Fixxr Mobile Mechanic will come to your home or office, where they’ll inspect your braking system to determine the cause of the ABS issue. They will provide a detailed inspection report, including the scope and cost of the necessary repairs.
Your Fixxr Mobile Mechanic will use a scan tool that communicates with the ABS module to investigate what activated the ABS warning light. They will then check the ABS fuse before reviewing the entire Antilock Braking System.
