ABS LIGHT ON!!!

MY QUESTION IS, WHAT ACTIVES THE ABS LIGHT.
WHAT DO I NEED TO CHECK BEFORE TAKING IT TO THE “”SHARKS”" AT THE DEALER.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!

lOVE THIS SITE, I GET MORE ANSWERS HERE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE

April 5, 2007 · Filed under Uncategorized

7 Comments »

  1. peterd1965 Said,

    April 5, 2007 @ 10:48 am

    - Oh I was about to type… but I see you said ABS light.
    Sorry.
    For Airbag, Temperature, or check engine light I had a response.
    This may help 1999 Passat ABS light flashing

  2. 297 Said,

    April 6, 2007 @ 2:00 am

    Try cleaning the MAF first. – The MAF sensor can trigger a solid ABS or ASR light. You can try cleaning it with 91% or higher grade isopropyl alcohol (dunk it in a half-filled ziploc and gently agitate).

    This sometimes is the culprit, a dirty MAF sensor. It may also be a dead MAF sensor, but thankfully replacing it is pretty cheap these days (the part used to be in the triple digits but I believe it’s gone way down to sub-$50, haven’t checked recently, though).

    That would be my first move. Beyond that quick and easy check, you’ll have to start investigating in earnest, at which point you may have to bring it in.

  3. 297 Said,

    April 6, 2007 @ 2:01 am

    One more thing… – As long as it’s a solid light, it’s just a warning that a sensor is not reporting correctly (or at all). If it starts blinking, stop and shut down the engine immediately, then get it towed to where it can be looked at.

  4. 297 Said,

    April 6, 2007 @ 3:04 am

    - The MAF sensor is inside the MAF housing, which is that hard plastic cylindrical tube directly past the airbox.

    Unplug the electronic wire, unclamp the rubber intake, and unscrew it from the airbox and you can lift the housing out. You don’t have to remove the sensor from the housng, just put the entire housing in a gallon-sized ziplog bag half-filled with 91% or greater isopropyl alcohol. Let it air dry, don’t wipe. It may take several hours to dry.

    Do this at your own discretion, I am not a professional.

    Frankly, to determine exactly why that ABS light is on you need a VAG-Tool connected to your car’s OBDII port. A generic OBDII tool won’t be informative, but using something lke VAG-COM would be exactly like taking it to the dealer and plugging it in to their computer. Then you wouldn’t be in the dark and know which sensor made the complaint.

    Edited by paultakeda on 04/06/07 at 3:05 PM

  5. ronaldo Said,

    April 6, 2007 @ 11:16 am

    where is the MAF sensor located? – thank you paultakeda:
    just wondreing where is MAF sensor located,
    and what about the abs speed sensors on each wheel, and do i need to check others sensors that can cause this.
    what would happen if i keep driving when the abs light is flashing?
    what is happening when the light is flashing.

    thank you for your help

  6. YupOldBull Said,

    April 17, 2007 @ 4:05 am

    Mass air flow sensor cleaning guide – http://www.roadsleeper.com/gti/maf.html

  7. ronaldo Said,

    April 21, 2007 @ 2:26 am

    mass air flow sensor is cleaned!! – It did worked, abs light went away, and i was getting poor gas mileage as well and now im getting better gas mileage.
    One question paultakeda did not ansewr is what is happening when the
    “”abs”" light is flashing, instead of just on
    thank you

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.