Ok guys im having a small issue with my ABS light.


I start the car in the morning and the ABS light comes on and dings.

- The car is parked and is not moving when the light comes on.

- Only happens after it sits over night.

- I turn the car off, and turn it right back on and the light goes away.

- No CEL and no codes via the interceptor.



The light has not come on while driving, knock on wood.


I was told to check all 4 wheels sensors, will do so this weekend.

Does anyone know how/ know where to go to read the ABS light ?

Can i get a list of places to check for a loose ground wire ?


any help is greatly appreciated.

 

From what I know the interceptor does not read ABS codes. You would need an OBD reader with that functionality or a GM Tech 2.

 

yea i knw, HPT wont read it either .... GM wants $$ to read it and im not going to spend $400 on a scanner to use for 3 min. lol

 

U can get an app and a little Bluetooth dongle for 50 bucks that reads abs codes

 

App is called easy diag. Dongle can be bought at piston ring in Canada. Don't know where in states. Look at auto parts store

 

hmmm interesting .... have you used this on your cobalt ?

Ive read that people have issues reading certain cars with certain readers ... like there is a certain reader needed for GM.


it also looks like you have to pay $50 for the GM software + $50 for the dongle.

 

I don't have it but my friend does, I can try it out and see how it works. It does abs, srs, radio, instrument cluster and a/t pretty sweet

Ya seems that way. Still 100 bucks beats 400

 

yea i was just reading about it ... it makes u buy the Chevy software before you can do anything ... ill see what my other options are and then maybe ill buy this thing.

 

If you wanna make the journey up to Albany I have tech2 software on my OTC evo

 

Thanks for the offer lol but thats a hike

 

Brakes are the one thing on your car you don't want to mess with or second guess a problem

 

ebay... sadly...

ELM327 from ebay $20ish

FREE version of Torque from the app store on your phone (ive got the $2 version, my opinion its alot better than the free one).

Ive never had any issues reading anything with Torque... Hell, i used it when I worked at Nissan on customer cars when our pos Nissan reader was down (which happened alot).

It may not give you a description of the trouble code sometimes, but it still posts the codes so you can google them (some codes are brand specific and you have to pay extra for each brand specific set of definitions, nuts to that).

 

You really need the right equipment and know how to properly fix ABS problems

 

?

Not having ABS will not cause bodily harm to the OP or anyone in the path of their car...
(unless the light is on because you have no brake fluid)

Therefore...


Its EASIER if you have the right equipment and know how to diagnose ABS problems...

But you can diagnose almost any ABS problem with a voltmeter. (Im assuming that the OP has an 06 SS which doesn't use CAN on the ABS.)


So if you take your time and ask questions you will come up with an answer.

 

I'm thinking you shop at Canadian Tire

 

Figured I'd offer, how olds your battery?

It's possible after sitting overnight you lose just enough power for it to throw a low voltage code without having any issues on the engine side.

If it turns off after shutting down and restarting the car that's the only thing that really makes sense to me.

If it were a speed sensor issue, then the light would come on with wheel rotation. there's not a whole lot more on the abs system, esc and trac are where things can get stupid with yaw rate sensors, integral speed sensors etc...

 

It could possibly be the battery. It only happens in the morning after sitting overnight. (The battery is the original one from 06 lol)

But after 8 hrs of sitting at work it doesnt come on.

Do you know what the voltage should be at each sensor?

And yea it will not come on while driving. So its not speed related.

Fluid is full no leaks there.

 

Abs sensors read ACV, not DC voltage, the best you could do would be ohm them out and see if one is open...but even still the light would stay lit as soon as the wheels started rotating if there was a bad sensor.

I'm sticking with my low voltage theory. I'm assuming the cars sits longer than the 8 hours overnight. maybe those extra couple hours are enough to do it.

And your pretty lucky to get 8years out of the battery. If its starting to lose juice the modules will be the first ones to see it.

Pop it out and take it to your local parts store and have them test it.

 

Im thinking moisture is playing a factor for some reason.

It started up this morning and no light after sitting all night.

My volts drop pretty quick wen the car is off and i have the key to the on pos. Without the car running.
Drops to lik 12.5 and falls .1 pretty quick.


New battery time

 

And if the new battery doesn't work, check out the alternator.

My ABS light was coming on while driving, turned out it was the alt dying on me. I went from nothing, to the light coming on, to being dead in the water 3 hours from home in the span of about 5 hours. While at a track day. It was... just lovely.

 

Report back and let us know if it fixes it

 

Well it has been 2 mornings now and no abs light ... I have not done anything to fix the problem.....

Idk wtf is going on lol

 

just to tag myself in on this thread haha

i washed my car last night and when i left this morning i backed out and when i stopped to put it into first my ABS light came on with the chime. i stopped checked the manual. shut the car off while i read

started back up no light

I do have an inconsistent brake problem, rolls into the brakes when driving. I was going 80 and was going to slow down for the off ramp and i had to push more to get them to react, it has done it other times. And if i dont drive the car for a day they feel extra soft even if i pump them. but it doesnt always do these things

running dot4 too

not sure if the ABS light and the brake symptoms are connected

im pretty easy on the brakes unless im spirited driving on occasion

 

yea i havent done anything to fix my problem ... it fixed itself.

has not come on in over 2 weeks lol (knock on wood) ... sooo i have no idea wat was going on lol

 

I'm gonna bet its moisture getting into the connections. I had that problem