Is your ABS light on?

[UPSGUY72]

20 years is not new technology bro. ABS has proven to to stop a vehicle better and more controlled, regardless who the driver is.

20 years is relatively new. The car has been around for over 100 year. Also just because the ABS system is working doesn't mean it's going actually do anything it doesn't drive the car for you. Again it comes down to being able to drive the car and know what to do... If your driving like a idiot ABS brakes aren't going to do a thing for you. Learn to drive instead of relying on technology to save you....

 

[MaceFremonti]

A 3/4" piece of black electrical tape on your dash will cover that annoying yellow light up nicely.

My assigned tractor, a 2014 Mack, had this fix for about 8 months. The driver I share with and I alternated on who wrote it up every Friday.....

"parts ordered - OK to run"

....eventually, after it's last PMI, the electrical tape was gone and the idiot light was off....

...but now we have tape on the check engine light, it now too has parts on order and is OK to run!

 

[Ghost in the Darkness]

We were told by an Iowa DOT officer that it an illuminated ABS light is a DOT violation.

You are right. A driver in my center was just cited for it in a DOT stop this last week.

 

[joeboodog]

I had a center manager chastise me for not pumping my brakes on a slippery surface. I told him the truck has ABS and pumping the brakes is the wrong thing to do. He said he'd have to check with the shop. Unbelievable.

 

[oldngray]

I had a center manager chastise me for not pumping my brakes on a slippery surface. I told him the truck has ABS and pumping the brakes is the wrong thing to do. He said he'd have to check with the shop. Unbelievable.

The problem is you develop different instincts with ABS and without. If you learned without you still want to pump your brakes. But if you are used to ABS and they aren't working you may not pump your brakes as you should.

 

[joeboodog]

The problem is you develop different instincts with ABS and without. If you learned without you still want to pump your brakes. But if you are used to ABS and they aren't working you may not pump your brakes as you should.

I learned without ABS and when we started to switch to ABS systems the shop made it a point to instruct us not to pump the brakes. This center manager was trying to justify an avoidable ruling in a crah that the police and other witnesses said there was nothing I could have done to avoid it.

 

[oldngray]

I learned without ABS and when we started to switch to ABS systems the shop made it a point to instruct us not to pump the brakes. This center manager was trying to justify an avoidable ruling in a crah that the police and other witnesses said there was nothing I could have done to avoid it.

center manager was a .

 

[joeboodog]

center manager was a .

No comment.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Depends on what sort of PC you have. The Workhorse PC's with the W43 chassis are plagued with a bogus fault light. It's what I call the "retarder fault". The light is on, but the ABS still works. The system is adaptive when it detects a load on a certain pin, it "learns". So when I the system detects a load on an engine retarder pin (which it does not have) it thinks has one and throws a light when it doesn't see it there. Haven't found a cure for this one yet.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

LOL I'd stay as far away from any package car that mechanic works on as he doesn't know what he's talking about or you misunderstood him. The light is on because of a sensor is bad the ABS system which is a mini computer that prevent you from locking the brakes up when skidding. That's the feed back you get when you slam the breaks on and start skidding the computer releases the brakes and letting the well rolls a little than applies them again instead of staying locked up.

ABS lights don't always mean it isn't working.

 

[3 done 3 to go]

A 3/4" piece of black electrical tape on your dash will cover that annoying yellow light up nicely.

Old school. Right there.

 

[clean hairy]

ABS fluid?

They may as well top up the blinker fluid as well!

 

[Dracula]

No it isn't if you know how to drive. ABS brake are relatively new they only been around for about 20 years. Before that people didn't have a problem as they actually new how to drive instead of relying on technology to do it for them....

There's a reason why there are ABS brake systems now. There isn't a driver alive that can pump or tap the brakes as fast as the computer. It doesn't mean you'll wreck, but it doesn't make sense not to get it fixed. Everyone THINKS they know what they'll do when something or someone pulls out in front of you, leaving you no time to think, but with a working ABS system, you don't have to worry about it.

 

[Dracula]

The abs light comes on when there is a code set by the abs computer. ABS prevents the brakes from locking up during harsh/extreme stops or when there is a loss of traction while braking (activates pump that pumps brake fluid many times per second which is why you sometimes feel a buzzing or strong pulsation when you lose traction while coming to a stop ie: stopping on ice covered roads). While having a properly working abs system is ideal I personally don't consider it something that requires immediate attention and will generally just add it to my work schedule then fix it when I have some free time outside of more urgent repairs.

Yeah, that would make UPS lawyers cringe in a lawsuit.

 

[Mechanic86]

Yeah I'm sure it wouldn't be any type of error on part of the driver.

 

[Dracula]

I heard that OHP came into Columbus OH and said the same thing.

He told the drivers that he could cite them for it. It is a DOT violation.

It is everywhere, I believe. In feeders, it's a pain in the ass. That yellow light on the trailer will come on sporadically, usually after you've left the building. And when you do drag it back to the shop, many mechanics sound like the one above. Usually mechanics reset something in the trailer or dolly that turns the light out. Whether or not it is a fix or not, I don't know, but it turns the light off.

 

[Dracula]

Yeah I'm sure it wouldn't be any type of error on part of the driver.

By that point, we're all going down.

 

[Notretiredyet]

Mines been on since April, wrote it up then and received the waiting for parts reply. They pulled it for PMI 4 wks ago it now parked in back still waiting for parts. Hope it's back by peak.

 

[UPSGUY72]

There's a reason why there are ABS brake systems now. There isn't a driver alive that can pump or tap the brakes as fast as the computer. It doesn't mean you'll wreck, but it doesn't make sense not to get it fixed. Everyone THINKS they know what they'll do when something or someone pulls out in front of you, leaving you no time to think, but with a working ABS system, you don't have to worry about it.

Having ABS breaks isn't going to prevent you from getting into an accident if they are triggered either. Following Space and Visibility rules works better then relying on some mechanical mechanism to possibly keep you safe or get you out of a jam. ABS break are a good thing. However they can't always fix the situation that triggered them so people need to not count on them working to start and start driving smarter.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Having ABS breaks isn't going to prevent you from getting into an accident if they are triggered either. Following Space and Visibility rules works better then relying on some mechanical mechanism to possibly keep you safe or get you out of a jam. ABS break are a good thing. However they can't always fix the situation that triggered them so people need to not count on them working to start and start driving smarter.

Breaks----time spent not doing your job.

Brakes-----equipment to stop your vehicle.