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Old 07-27-2023, 05:31 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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ABS Light On - After Emissions Inspection

Hi all,

Last year I took my bus into get its annual emissions test that is required by Colorado. After leaving their garage I notice the ABS dash light had stayed on for several miles. I called the place and they said that sometimes happens but after driving at faster speeds it should turn off, according to them. It never did. I called them again and they said they didn't know what to do. Ugh. I have air brakes etc. on my 2003 Bluebird.

It has been almost a year. I bought a code reader and it stated that my left and right Wheel Sensor ABS axle is below operating range. I wasn't able to reset from the code reader. Ideas? The ABS system is not my expertise. New emissions is coming up - I bet they won't pass me with the light on (that they caused).

Thanks for any help or guidance.

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Old 07-27-2023, 05:55 PM   #2
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What do they do that interacts with the ABS system / causes it to throw an error? Is it because it's spinning on rollers?
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Old 07-27-2023, 06:08 PM   #3
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Yes, they put it on a roller and spin one set of tires.
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Old 07-27-2023, 09:17 PM   #4
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The ABS light wouldn't affect an emissions inspection since it has nothing to do with the exhaust. My own ABS light came on after a "welder" I'd hired either zapped the unit or cut one of the sensor wires. Somebody on this site said a bus wouldn't fail a general inspection because of the ABS light since ABS is a sort of add-on safety feature that isn't necessary for actual braking and older buses and trucks don't have it.

Your ABS light might be pretty expensive to fix (my last mechanic quoted me $6000 to replace the whole unit) so maybe wait and see if you fail an inspection because of it first.
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Old 07-28-2023, 09:31 AM   #5
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Thanks for the reply.
Correct, I contacted the emissions place and having the ABS light on does not negate the test. However, I don’t like to having warning lights and issues. It makes it difficult to know if things are working properly.
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Old 07-28-2023, 11:01 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by musigenesis View Post
The ABS light wouldn't affect an emissions inspection since it has nothing to do with the exhaust. My own ABS light came on after a "welder" I'd hired either zapped the unit or cut one of the sensor wires. Somebody on this site said a bus wouldn't fail a general inspection because of the ABS light since ABS is a sort of add-on safety feature that isn't necessary for actual braking and older buses and trucks don't have it.

Your ABS light might be pretty expensive to fix (my last mechanic quoted me $6000 to replace the whole unit) so maybe wait and see if you fail an inspection because of it first.
A well-designed and properly functioning ABS system can stop you shorter and safer, particularly in limited-traction scenarios, better than you could ever do so yourself. Of course it's not necessary - we didn't always have ABS - but it's a pretty big advantage. I can't speak to the efficacy of the ABS system on our bus, and I hope I never have the opportunity to do so! But I'm real happy it's there.

I admit to knowing next to nothing about the ABS system on his bus, our bus, or any other bus. But generally speaking, it's not uncommon for the ECM to assume a certain default (limp-home) value when certain sensors report out-of-range values. Most of the time this assumption leads to diminished performance. Whether that's the case here or not - or even possible in this context - I don't know. But I wouldn't feel comfortable just ignoring the ABS light until I knew for sure what impact the error was possibly having.
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Old 07-28-2023, 11:03 AM   #7
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You can check

there are a couple of things that you can do to check for problems. not difficult or complicated. please telephone me and i will try to lay out the details. i am not in the mood to type out all that is needed.

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Old 07-28-2023, 11:46 AM   #8
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I don’t like having warning lights and issues.
I don't either, but I also don't like writing $6000 checks.
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Old 07-29-2023, 10:37 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden_Otto_Bus View Post
Yes, they put it on a roller and spin one set of tires.
I'm certainly not an expert, but, my money is on this being the issue. 3 sensors showing that the tires weren't turning, 1 sensor showing that the tires were spinning. I'd try to find out how to reset the computer to clear the alarm. If something really is wrong with the ABS system, the alarm will come back on.

Would disconnecting the batteries for a couple minutes cause the computer to reboot? That's what I would try.
There are several youtube videos on resetting the ABS system, but they are on cars, not heavy trucks.
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