[geo9000cseturbo]

i have an intermittent abs light coming on . the abs brakes seem to work fine and i,ve been advised that this is just a sensor but which one ??? is there any more likely to fail than others ....... i have a 1995 cse fpt automatic

 

[yaofeng]

Don't think the ABS works when the ABS light comes on. I have one intermittent on my 95cse also. Tried cleaning all four ABS sensors with compressed air to no avail. Next I am going to try flushing the brake fluid.

I'd love to know the fix too.

 

[Michael9]

When you say "intermittent" do you mean the light is coming on and off regularly as you drive or is it like mine? Mine doesn't come on for a while,say one or two kilometres, and then stays on until I start the car again when we repeat the process. The other day when we had good rain after a long drought and very greasy roads my car definitely went to ABS at a roundabout and the surprising thing was that after that, the ABS light stayed off for a few days. Do you think the problem could be with the accumulator ... I say that as if I know what I'm talking about but I'm just making a logical (maybe?) guess.

 

[yaofeng]

The symptom on my 95cse is similar to yours.

 

[Michael9]

My 93 CSE fpt is booked in at a SAAB mechanic on July 14th and as it's the first time I've had a SAAB I've asked him torun every diagnostic he can so I guess there'll be a definitive answer to the problem available then.

 

[geo9000cseturbo]

my problem is like the above sometimes it comes on and sometimes not i had a garage check it out and the mech says the abs works fine. he says it can be a problem with a sensor apparently if there is a momentary drop in power at a sensor the light will come on and stay on until the ignition is turned off. the brakes really do seem fine but that light is bugging me.....

 

[midway]

My 89 has had a similar problem for years. Here is what I have learned by experience. SAABS ABS light tends to flash intermitantly if A) the brakes are worn and it is time to start thinking about new ones B) if your brake fluid is a little low or the wrong fluid type was added by a 'professional'. C) if one of the sensors is not adjusted right... see A. D) if the car thinks you are ignoring it.

You still have regular brakes with the ABS light on, so don't panic

 

[yaofeng]

Intermittent ABS light

Well, I tried blowing compressed air into the ABS sensor hole on each wheel. That didn't do it. Then yesterday I tried flushing the brake system. That didn't do it either.

I am kind of at my wits end.

 

[Chris M]

The light is due , weel was in my case, to a sensor packing up. I had it diagnosed by my SAAB garage -m they hook up and read the error codes from the ECU. This told them my rear offside sensor was at fault. It is easily fixed with a replacement sensor. I got one via E-bay, and waas easy to fix.

The trouble is getting to know which one is at fault without the diagnostic equipment.

ABS will not work when light is lit.

Regards
Chris.:roll:

 

[geo9000cseturbo]

chris,

how much did saab take to diagnose the sensor ?

 

[Autopilot]

The faulty sensor can be identified by measuring the resistance of the sensors. Typically the resistance is 1.000 ohms, a faulty sensor has a much higher resistance.

The resistance can be measured at the connectors. The connectors for the front sensors are located in the engine bay. The connectors for rear sensors are located under the back seat behind plastic covers.

Usually the front left sensor is faulty. On my previous 9000 the front left sensor was faulty: resistance was 1.700 ohms, the other 3 were 1.050 ohms. I replaced the front left sensor which solved the problem.

Regards,

JP

 

[Chris M]

Cost of diagnosis was £17.75 which probably works out as 15 minutes work including VAT . My local garage charges seem to be £60.00 an hour - £1.00 a minute !! but I get 5% discount via service club.

They have all the kit to plug in and check the ECU etc.

Worth looking on E_Bay for people selling CD of repair manuals I got one a Mitchell product a USA firm I believe which has a moutnian of info that the Haynes manual doesn't. Worth a fiver plus postage.