abs light on

[pathproud]

Probably a total coincidence but my 99 Pathy came back from the shop with the ABS light on. The light had not been on before. It had had the cv axel shafts replaced after the discovery that the cv joint boots had cracked.

 

 

There is enough oil in the abs system, but was told dirt could have gotten in there? And that I should bring it back to them so they could hopefully just clean it?

 

Anyone had experience of this?

[01LE]

More than likely they bumped something. I would make them fix it.

[XPLORx4]

More than likely they bumped something. I would make them fix it.

 

I agree. It's possible that one of the sensor wires on the front wheels may have gotten stretched or damaged when they removed the CV axle. It's not dirt.

Edited August 20, 2008 by XPLORx4

[5523Pathfinder]

Maybe they damaged a sensor when removing the old axles. Need those to know how fast you are going. Take it back!

Edited August 20, 2008 by 5523Pathfinder

[XPLORx4]

Maybe they damaged a sensor when removing the old axles. Need those to know how fast you are going. Take it back!

 

Note: the ABS sensors aren't used for the speedometer, they're just used to detect speed differences between each wheel during braking. The VSS (vehicle speed sensor) in the transfer case measures your speed.

[5523Pathfinder]

Note: the ABS sensors aren't used for the speedometer, they're just used to detect speed differences between each wheel during braking. The VSS (vehicle speed sensor) in the transfer case measures your speed.

Correct! The speedo does get its input from the speedo sensor. The ABS uses sensors and tone rings to know how fast each wheel is moving and that output is sent to the control unit to activate the ABS, hence the light. I should of stated it better

[pathproud]

Thanks guys.

I am really going to take that all round car mechanics class... When I informed the mechanic that the light came on after it had been in his shop he says " they were nowhere near the sensor doing this job...He must think me a really stupid and uninformed female.

Just hope it does not require a replacement of the sensor...

[XPLORx4]

Thanks guys.

I am really going to take that all round car mechanics class... When I informed the mechanic that the light came on after it had been in his shop he says " they were nowhere near the sensor doing this job...He must think me a really stupid and uninformed female.

Just hope it does not require a replacement of the sensor...

 

Depending on how the mechanic removed the CV joint, it's possible that that the ABS sensor wire was stretched, damaged, or otherwise disconnected.

 

If you turn your steering wheel fully left, then look at the front of the left strut. Look at the smallish wire that's clipped to the front of the strut between the two big bolts near the bottom of the strut. That wire should be terminated at the ABS sensor pressed into the knuckle, and the other end should be connected to a wire harness attached to the body. The wire insulation is much larger between the strut and the body.

 

This is a pic of the left strut (without the tire on, of course!) You can see the ABS wire extending from the lower left of the photo to the upper right. The other hose going from the upper left to the lower right is the brake line.

 

Turn the steering wheel fully right and look at the other strut to check the condition of the ABS wire.

 

Do you know if both front CV axles had cracked boots? Or was it only one side? If it was only one side, I'm curious why they replaced both axles...

Edited August 20, 2008 by XPLORx4

[5523Pathfinder]

Here is what it looks like in the manual......

 

 

Yeah, they were there.

[pathproud]

Depending on how the mechanic removed the CV joint, it's possible that that the ABS sensor wire was stretched, damaged, or otherwise disconnected.

 

If you turn your steering wheel fully left, then look at the front of the left strut. Look at the smallish wire that's clipped to the front of the strut between the two big bolts near the bottom of the strut. That wire should be terminated at the ABS sensor pressed into the knuckle, and the other end should be connected to a wire harness attached to the body. The wire insulation is much larger between the strut and the body.

 

This is a pic of the left strut (without the tire on, of course!) You can see the ABS wire extending from the lower left of the photo to the upper right. The other hose going from the upper left to the lower right is the brake line.

 

Turn the steering wheel fully right and look at the other strut to check the condition of the ABS wire.

 

Do you know if both front CV axles had cracked boots? Or was it only one side? If it was only one side, I'm curious why they replaced both axles...

[pathproud]

It was only one boot that was cracked. The argument was that if they were going to spend 2-3 hrs replacing the boots, they may as well replace the axel shafts... The car has 90 k on it. Was also told by someone else I could have siliconed it to last for a while....

 

Thanks guys for the specific instruction and pics. I will be better armed going back to them. Will change garage and take that class....

This site is also quite an education.

[XPLORx4]

It was only one boot that was cracked. The argument was that if they were going to spend 2-3 hrs replacing the boots, they may as well replace the axel shafts... The car has 90 k on it. Was also told by someone else I could have siliconed it to last for a while....

 

Thanks guys for the specific instruction and pics. I will be better armed going back to them. Will change garage and take that class....

This site is also quite an education.

 

When replacing the axle when a boot is cracked, generally it's much easier to swap out the entire axle shaft with a new one (which includes new boots, too) than it is to try to replace or repair a cracked boot on an old axle, so they did you right by that. Siliconing the boot may or may not have helped, and technically you could have just kept an eye on it if the boot wasn't split and leaking grease yet, but at least you shouldn't have to worry about it for many more thousand miles. But, unfortunately you got swindled if they replaced BOTH the left and the right axles if only one boot on ONE axle was cracked.

 

As for the ABS light issue, definitely have them fix it AT NO COST TO YOU.

[pathproud]

Have also been told that because it was a shaft replacement job that I should have the Pathy realigned. Probably not a bad idea also since I just bought this car.

Thanks all again, am on my way to the shop.

Edited August 27, 2008 by pathproud

[XPLORx4]

Have also been told that because it was a shaft replacement job that I should have the Pathy realigned. Probably not a bad idea also since I just bought this car.

Thanks all again, am on my way to the shop.

 

You have been fed a line of BS. Replacement of the CV axle should NOT require an alignment unless the mechanic who worked on your vehicle was an imbecile and removed the tie rods when he shouldn't have. However, if you have doubts about the alignment because you have just purchased it, it's probably good to get it aligned for peace of mind (but not because of the CV shaft being replaced).

[silverlion]

This is exactly why I prefer to work on my own stuff. The class you mention will save you a lot of time, cash, and headaches. By all means take it. Or you can learn from the talent on this site. i have learned a lot of shortcuts and tips here.

 

On another note, even by removing the tie rods(as long as you do not adjust them) one can reinstall them without an alignment. They should fit back within a few thousandths of an inch.

[XPLORx4]

even by removing the tie rods(as long as you do not adjust them) one can reinstall them without an alignment. They should fit back within a few thousandths of an inch.

 

Yeah, it depends on whether the mechanic removed the tie-rod end from the knuckle (what you're describing) or removed the tie rod from the tie-rod end. Only a completely idiotic mechanic would loosen the tie-rod from the TRE.

[Zibi]

When replacing the axle when a boot is cracked, generally it's much easier to swap out the entire axle shaft with a new one (which includes new boots, too) than it is to try to replace or repair a cracked boot on an old axle, so they did you right by that.

 

I wouldn't say it's more work to replace just the boot, it's just you have to nearly remove the entire CV axle to get the boot off so you may as well replace the whole shebang since you've already done the majority of the work. Dealership charged me the same number of labour hours to replace only the boot as they would have to replace the entire axle, you just save the cost of actual axle. Of course no nissan dealer would just replace the boot for you since it's policy to replace the entire axle whenever the boot cracks...

Edited August 27, 2008 by Zibi

[pathproud]

My Pathy came back from the shop today. The mechanic told me the sensor end

rod was eroded and hanging on with just a few threads and that it had been disconnected when doing the shafts...

Well, the ABS light is off for now...

 

Thank you all!!!

[XPLORx4]

When I informed the mechanic that the light came on after it had been in his shop he says " they were nowhere near the sensor doing this job

 

 

The mechanic told me the sensor end...had been disconnected when doing the shafts...

 

Scumbag mechanic. Next time use a more honest shop. I hope you weren't charged for the ABS repair!

Edited August 29, 2008 by XPLORx4

[pathproud]

Scumbag mechanic. Next time use a more honest shop. I hope you weren't charged for the ABS repair!

 

 

Yeah, my confidence in this shop has eroded fast after a lot of BS, but they did not charge me for the ABS repair.

Thanks to you guys I could seem to know what I was talking about.

[pathproud]

Just to complete the whole ugly business...when these guys corrected their shabby job they hammered in the shaft so I had another crack in the boot!!!

Actually took it somewhere else where they got a new cv shaft which was under warranty and showed me the damage these guys had done!

[k9sar]

burn the f-ing place to the ground

[enochian]

Hey can someone explain how the ABS sensors become disconnected?

 

I'm having the exact same situation as the original poster.

 

Everything looks good when I look behind the wheels.

Edited September 21, 2020 by enochian

[XPLORx4]

The ABS wheel sensors are installed in the spindle/knuckle and the wire harness is clipped to the strut before it gets to the wiring connector mounted on the inner wheel well. If the hub assembly is allowed to drop too far when working on the front suspension, the connector could become unplugged from the wheel well, or the wire itself could become damaged or stretched. The sensor itself could also be damaged, or there is excessive metallic debris around the ABS tone ring mounted to the back of the hub, preventing it from obtaining accurate readings. The only way to thoroughly check is to remove the wheels and inspect the cable and the connector where it attaches to the wheel well.

[Mr_Reverse]

Something else to look at is the outer CV and ensure that it has a tone ring on it. There was a time when Pathfinders didn't have ABS, then it became an option, finally became standard equipment. The non ABS and the ones with ABS, used the same axles with one difference, the ABS ones had a tone ring added. Sometimes the ring is not there and not noticed until the light turns on. 

 

Unbolting the knuckle from the strut to change the CV axles can affect the alignment, if in the past camber adjustment bolts were installed in order to align an old car, it will throw the alignment off when replacing the halfshaft. Also, 9 out of 10 cars can benefit from an alignment when new, and after being driven for 50k miles, can definitely be off. 

 

Finally, the guy at the counter who you as the customer talks to rarely knows how the various systems in each car works or even knows what the parts are. They are trained to run the computer and write up the work order for the monkey that actually turns the wrenches. I am that wrench monkey that everyone expects to know everything about your car. I am human and sometimes things happen and other things get missed. I spend a lot of time looking up information on the particular car and it's system that I am currently working on because they are all different in the details, and constantly changing. At a minimum, there are 3 sides to every problem, and to be fair, need to get info from all. 

 

Sorry for the rant, it is just one of my hot buttons because I hear it all the time, "my car didn't have that problem before you worked on it", and usually I am not allowed to ask why did you have me look into that issue if there was nothing wrong. Almost as bad is the ones that go online and diagnose a problem and then have me do the fix that they found. They get really angry when the fix didn't fix their issue, so I must have done it wrong. It has been such a common problem that at my shop the customers are given 3 options. Pay for the work you say it needs and NO guarantee the the problem is fixed, pay for a diagnosis and if a repair is then done after our diagnosis for the problem, you get a guarantee, and the third, you are free to take it somewhere else.