abs brake light came on today-safe to drive or not?

[lsu-kev]

hey guys, coming home to new orleans from baton rouge today and had the abs light come on. didn't notice any problems braking, my question is-am i ok driving the rv until i can get the recall fixed? seems as though the recall is the issue after checking out workhorse's website. figure it would take a few weeks to get the recall fixed and would hate to miss out on taking my rv to lsu games for the next couple of weeks if it is ok to drive. thanks in advance for the advice.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsu-kev figure it would take a few weeks to get the recall fixed and would hate to miss out on taking my rv to lsu games for the next couple of weeks if it is ok to drive. thanks in advance for the advice.

lsu-kev, With the ABS light set on, all that means is that the ABS is not working. You will still have brakes.

Your ABS sensors could be dirty or out of adjustment. Worst case it they could be collaterally damaged by a bad caliper which may have over heated. If found to be the case the ABS sensor should be replaced at no cost to you.

While you are waiting to have your brakes serviced, please me mindful of any of the situations that may present from the Glove Box Card. Periodically check for heat from your wheels and be mindful for any change in the brake pedal effort.

I can not advise you to use or not use your RV without seeing your situation in person however if you have not lost the pedal or expereinced heat at the wheel end or smelled any brake smoke, you should be good to go for the short term.

Hopefully you can get that brake recall accomplished soon.

[ChrisNiemann]

good luck with the recall... until then, I can re-direct you to this thread where people think its a "transparent system" and "has no safety affect".... i say otherwise, but read for yourself and make the judgement call.... I say go for the recall, if no go, do a battery reset, if still no go, definately check your sensors, a brake system lets off a lot of heat and dust and can mess things up anywhere there is a sensor... good luck, below is the thread

Help stuck in Vegas

[lsu-kev]

definitely will do the recall-just worried about the safety in the short term seeing i have very short trips planned the next 2 weekends. the drive will only be 1 hour each way on dead flat roads. i figure it will take a few weeks to get an appointment to have the recall done.

[edgray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsu-kev definitely will do the recall-just worried about the safety in the short term seeing i have very short trips planned the next 2 weekends. the drive will only be 1 hour each way on dead flat roads. i figure it will take a few weeks to get an appointment to have the recall done.

Just a suggestion here, but please consider having the recall accomplished asap at G.M. Varnado & Sons in BR. They are an ASC, and they may be able to do the recall "between" games, thus saving you one round trip.
GEAUX Tigers!
Ed

[RottenRalph]

The ABS on my RV has, in the past, effected my transmission. While the ABS light was on, my torque converter would kick in and out without justification. Once the ABS sensors were correct and the light was out, the tranny ran just fine. I have since had the ABS light come on without the tranny acting strange.

[rickandcheryl]

Just for info, I had the ABS light come on and off intermittently prior to a rear wheel bearing failure.

[Full-Timers]

When the ABS light is on, your Antilock Brake System is shut down. It will run and stop as the vehicles did years ago before ABS. Mine has been disabled for 14 months (8500 miles) now. I have been waiting for the recall to get them fixed.

[wa8yxm]

I drove for many years w/o ABS (From 1967 till 1996 as I recall) so yes you can drive with the ABS light on.. Done it many times.

On a workhorse it is often dirty sensors and cleaning them sounds like a hard job

might take you 2-3 minutes per sensor when you get up the motive to do it.. Turns out to be child's play.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm might take you 2-3 minutes per sensor when you get up the motive to do it.. Turns out to be child's play.

wa8yxm, "I can do this" ... that's a good attitude to have! All have to do is try. If you can't do it, no big deal you might just need a little bit of help.

[RustyJC]

One factor to consider is that before ABS, vehicles used either front/rear brake biasing valves, load sensing valves on the rear suspension or differences in front/rear master cylinder and/or wheel cylinder bores to provide more braking on the front wheels than the rears in order to prevent rear wheel lockup. With ABS-equipped vehicles, many manufacturers rely on the ABS system to control front-to-rear brake biasing - with the ABS system inoperative, the vehicle may be more subject to rear wheel lockup, especially in wet or otherwise slippery conditions.

Rusty