ABS + Brake + Batt + A/T Temp = ?

[farmergoo]

So a few weeks ago, my car was having idle issues. It would sputter at low speeds and sometimes die at stop lights. I check the oil and it was a bit low so I completely replaced it. I also read the ECU (thanks to this site) and saw that I had a 32 error - EGR issues. I found that a hose near the firewall was cracked so I replaced it. The oil change and the vacuum leak pretty much fixed my car and it was running back as normal. Great! But that's not all....

 

I thought it was strange that my check engine light never came on during all of that so I checked if the bulb was bad. Turns out, some black paint was used to paint over the error lights!!! I found out that the ABS, Brake, Battery, and A/T temp light were all on. So I guess I have been driving around with a bunch of lights on for the last 3 years. Great...

 

So I have spent all weekend on trying to figure out whats going on. I got the check engine light to go off by resetting the ECU's EGR error. I think the problem is transmission related because the Brake, A/T temp, and Batt light turn off when the transmission is shifting up.

 

It goes like this: rev+speed ->lights off -> shift -> lights on again

 

As for the ABS light, the brake fluid is a bit low (just below the filter in the reservoir) so I will add some DOT3 and report back on that.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[skulptr]

check your belts! when my harmonic balancer came apart while driving, one of my belts slipped off. resulting in the water pump and alternator not spinning, and the ecu picked up on it immediately, flashing 4 lights simultaneously. check the tension in your belts, as well as your alternator. the alternator might be bad, which would explain why they stop flashing when it shifts down, higher rpm's giving more spin to the alternator. just some food for thought.

[adamzan]

Your alternator is probably bad and your brake fluid might be low if the abs is on too.

[MY1PATH]

I think I read here that x-mass tree lighting the cluster is a sign of bad alty OR bad VR in the cluster.

[farmergoo]

I initially thought it was the alternator so I went to Oreily auto and they said my alternator and battery were working normally. I was thinking of doing the 90amp alty swap anyway.

Ill check the belt slack tomorrow and add some brake fluid.

Edited August 23, 2010 by farmergoo

[skulptr]

orielly's may say its testing fine, but thats only testing output as it spins. check your connections at the alternator too. orielly's doesnt have the ability to check the connectors, not while on the rig. orielly's doesnt even have code readers anymore, not unless you want to pay full price for rental. too many people stealing them.

[Precise1]

I believe that is usually a charging warning signal. Do me a favor and seriously check all your battery terminal connections, the ground connections to the chassis and the motor. All the alternator in the world doesn't mean a thing if there is no connection.

 

B

[Kyle94]

orielly's may say its testing fine, but thats only testing output as it spins. check your connections at the alternator too. orielly's doesnt have the ability to check the connectors, not while on the rig. orielly's doesnt even have code readers anymore, not unless you want to pay full price for rental. too many people stealing them.

ours has the code readers...

[skulptr]

ours has the code readers...

 

not for much longer

[nunya]

I believe that is usually a charging warning signal. Do me a favor and seriously check all your battery terminal connections, the ground connections to the chassis and the motor. All the alternator in the world doesn't mean a thing if there is no connection.

 

B

x2 Double-triple check and clean the connections. Also make sure your belts are all snug. Still sounds like a alty starting to fail to me. At low rpm it seems from how I'm reading it is when your lights are comin on, when the motor is spinning it's slowest. Once revved up some it's spinning the alt faster making it charge a little more, proably just enough to kick the warnign lights off. (I had a similar issue before). That and I just don't trust off the shelf parts stores for my diagnostics... theres a difference between working on cars and stocking tire shine.

[Dowser]

If after you do all that. The ABS light stays lit, check the rear differential by the Pinion. There's and ABS sensor there that sometimes takes abuse from one way or another. Verify it's not not mangled and no wires are damaged for starters. I think they are pretty prone to get beat up if the vehicle either drives down gravel roads or goes offroad at times.

[Specv1973]

Definately sounds like grounding issues my man....you need a wiring schemetic......download the manual off this site......and check all the grounding locations in the wiring harness. There are several and on the engine as well.

[farmergoo]

Update:

Yesterday I went to Oriely's to check the prices on the alternators and get brake fluid. As it turns out, the clerk owned an 88 pathfinder! He pretty much confirmed what has been said here about the alternator causing the dash to light up. So I told him I wanted a maxima alternator and he gave me a puzzled look. I explained what this forum said about it being so similar and the told him that it has a 70 vs 90 amps difference. So we pulled both off the shelf and compared. Sure enough, they are nearly identical. And, as an added bonus, the maxima alty was something like $40 cheaper. Excellent. He said if I got my crusty alternator off, he would swap the pulley for me.

 

So I pulled the alternator out last night and cleaned it off a bit. It was pretty oil soaked on the engine side so I think that had a lot to do with it. Ill be heading to Oreily's this afternoon to pick up a maxima alternator.

 

As for the ABS light, I added some DOT3 to the reservoir fill line and the light is still on. Ill check the lines and sensors after I get the alternator installed.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

[farmergoo]

Conclusion:

So I picked up the alternator and had the pulley swapped for just shy of 90 bucks. It was a PITA getting it fitted back into place but I managed. Started the car up and NO error lights.

Problem Solved!!!

I think I'll have to start another thread for the ABS problem but Ill do a bit more research and tinker with it first.

[Dowser]

NPORA saves the day again.

[Precise1]

LOL

 

As for the ABS light, the only way several of us have gotten it to turn off is to bleed the ABS module that is on the mid/rear passenger frame rail. Some say bleed it before the rear brakes, some say after, I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but I had to gravity bleed it, which is attaching a line and letting it drip for a few minutes...

 

B