R_Squared

I just bought a '94 Accord and the ABS light comes on within a few seconds of driving usually. How can I check this out to see exactly what the problem is? I know in my integra I can just jump one of the connectors to read the codes. Can I do anything similar in this situation?

SumAccordGuy94

same deal in the accord, there is a connector under the glove box... I cant exactly remember if there is a seperate one for the ABS or not (I know theres a couple down there). I'll search around and find the codes if you need them, I have them somewhere...

starky34

most likely the whole abs system isn't working it happens on alot of 5th gens...i should know it happened on mine

stereo

short the blue SCS (2 prong not 3 ) and turn on ignition and count the blinks on the ABS light

Johar

hes right, its a very common problem with the 5th gens. Mine is out too. Its so common it should be a recall. I would imagine that a sensor has gone bad, because my rear left one is bad. $650 bucks to replace

stereo

sensor failure are on the 5th gen are rear unless someone broke it installing a
axle ,brake job ,lowering the car .the #1 cause is loss of pressure in the modulator/accumulator unit a $1,200 + tag .

R_Squared

so you're saying that the problem may be pretty common and probably more expensive than it's worth to fix/replace?

stereo

it's never too expensive to not fix a brake component! but then again I installed the ABS in my car it was a learning experience! I would just say to check the fluid and the code at lst you will will know whats wrong.

94tincan

If the ABS light comes on after starting to drive (about 3-5 MPH), which is what you describe, the most likely problem is 1 of the wheel speed sensors is not reporting its speed to the computer. It will show up as a 4-1, 4-2, 4-4 or 4-8 code, depending on the wheel. You can't repair these things, you gotta get a replacement. Each wheel has a unique sensor as it comes with a length of cable and a connector made for that wheel. I think Honda wants about $170 for one. I got one at a junkyard for 25 bucks! Real easy to replace - 2 bolts, a clamp and the connector. But you may not want to replace it. The ABS system allows you to stop a few feet shorter than standard brakes in a hard braking situation, which sounds OK. The problem is, when the ABS is activated on this car, you are basically throwing all the weight of the car onto the front wheels (and components) which aren't particularily strong to begin with. I had a deer jump in front of me and had to jam the brakes on. The ABS activated. It did slow the car dramatically without locking the wheels, but I could feel that the front end had possibly been overloaded (it actually felt like something creaked and bent). When I went in for inspection the next time, I needed some front end parts replaced. Since this generation car had an independent ABS system (newer cars are integrated and must be repaired), you can do without the ABS and still have perfectly good standard brakes (without the ABS feature). The only thing you sacrifice is a couple of feet of stopping distance (maybe 120 feet instead of 116 feet) and the ability to not lock your wheels.

JerryS

I'm guessing that I may have damage my speed senor in one of the rear wheels? I just got done replacing the brake pads... no problems until I took the car out on the highway and the ABS light comes on. Now, after driving for a bit, it comes back on? Are my only options is to the pull the code and replace the speed sensor it states... if that's the case? A shop also told me to reset the system by unplugging the battery cable for a few seconds and reconnecting to see if that would reset the senors since it needed to adjust to the new brakes? Does this sound correct??? I just had one of the sensors replace last year... and surely hope this is not going to cost me another $200...

* This is a '94 accord ex