It will be useful for many drivers of modern cars to know what to do if the ABS light comes on. Some drivers are even afraid to continue driving when this signal is triggered. In this case, you don’t need to be afraid, the brakes will work, only the anti-lock system will not turn on.
This device has been specially designed to make it easier to drive a car in extreme situations that occur quite often. Those motorists who only drive cars with such a device are lost when driving cars without it.
What to do if the ABS light comes on It will be useful to know for those who are faced with the choice of a car before buying. Everyone who has been using cars with such a device for a long time emphasizes the effectiveness of its use in winter. This helps to make the vehicle's braking safe in slippery road conditions. To use this tool correctly, you need to study its features, device and application.
What is ABS?
This abbreviation stands for anti-lock braking system. Its main task is to prevent the wheels from blocking when the car brakes. It is based on sensors that are required to monitor the speed of the car, as well as the speed of rotation of the wheels. For most modern cars, an additional unit is installed, this is a brake force distribution system.
It can be seen from the figure that the ABS consists of the following units:
- A sensor that reads the speed of rotation of the wheel (installed on all wheels);
- Hydraulic block;
- Unit for monitoring the health of the hydraulic unit;
- ABS warning light.
Health indication. The operating principle of the health indicator is the same for all vehicles with ABS. The first signal from it appears immediately after the ignition is turned on. The signal lamp signals the operability of this device and should go out a few seconds after the engine is started.
In the event that the light bulb did not go out for some reason, it means that there were problems in this block. If the signal of this lamp flashes while driving, then you need to check the performance of the anti-lock braking system.
Reasons for turning on the warning light
The inclusion of a warning light on the instrument panel signals to the driver about problems in the anti-lock braking system. The brakes are in working condition, but in an extreme situation you will need to rely only on your driving experience. So why is the ABS light on?
- One of the most common reasons for such a situation is the failure of one or more sensors of this system. They are installed near each wheel on its caliper. The failure of any of them is enough to signal the driver about the malfunction. This can be caused by changes in the gap between the sensor housing and the crown of the toothed rotor;
- The same can happen if the control unit loses communication with the sensors, caused by a break in the connecting cable or after oxidation of the contacts. Sometimes, during maintenance or repair, they are turned off and then forgotten to be connected;
- A strong discharge of the battery can also initiate the inclusion of a light bulb;
- The occurrence of problems in the hydraulic pump. They can be caused by failure of the hydraulic valve of the system or due to malfunctions in the control unit itself. It can also lead to inept intervention in the operation of the ABS.
How to solve such a problem?
Someone can sigh and say that they have finally reached the goal of this article. If so, then I would like to offer a few tips for solving such problems:
- Check the connection of all contacts of the device. There are only five of them in the system, one near each wheel and the fifth one is located in the engine compartment of the car. Checking is easy, you need to disconnect all contacts, clean from dirt and oxidation. When all this is done, they are installed in their place;
- If the ABS control unit became the reason for the warning light to turn on, it is almost impossible to solve this problem on your own. In vehicles with an on-board computer, you can see the error code for this system. If you know how to decipher these errors, you will be able to find out more specifically about the problem, but this does not mean that you can solve it yourself.
