bostondaniel

This is my first post. Hopefully this is the right place.

On my dashboard, I'm getting a Brake and ABS light. To pass inspection, ABS light can be on (I don't really care-- did some research, looks like a common issue??), however the Brake light cannot be. Is the Brake light due to ABS light?

Scion xD 2008
No brake issues, drives and brakes smoothly.

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bostondaniel

So I wanted to give you guys an update--

I reset computer, and that did not clear the ABS nor BRAKE. I was ready to take it to a local mechanic or dealer before it would not pass the inspection. Amazingly, both lights dissapeared on my dashboard after about 20 miles highway / city driving. Took it to state inspection today, and passed with flying colors.

Still makes me worry if there is anything I can do meanwhile to prevent it from coming up again? Take wheels off and put grease on those sensors?

08silverxD

I get this same problem intermittently throughout the winter months. It usually happens after driving through slush/snow. Disappears after driving in drier weather. I do not know the rhyme or reason behind why. I have owned the car since new and has done it since I can remember.

08XDRIDER

Hello,

For the last few winters my ABS light would come on, stay on for the winter and go out once it warmed up. This past winter 2015, it did not go out and my brake light came on as well.
They are not kidding when they say the car's stability is affected when both lights are on. The brakes lock very easily and the car swerves.

The Problem with the ABS is that Rear Sensors are exposed to salt and general corrosion. There is a double plastic clip at the connection point but it doesn't protect them very well.
When I unplugged my sensors at the rear wheels there was no metal contact material in the plugs, it had completely corroded away.

Anyway I went about the repair myself:

You will need (2) new rear wheel bearings, I got mine at Rockauto, they are Beck /Arnley units and go for $100 each,the ABS modules are built into them. You will also need (2) new rear ABS sensor cables.
I got these from a Scion dealer online for $38 each. The cables are specific to the drivers side and passenger side. The most difficult part was removing the old wheel bearings.
Jack the car up, remove a real wheel, release the hand brake so you can remove the drum. There are 2 bolt holes in the drum, Install M8 1.25 bolts and they will push the drum off for you.
Within the circle of wheel lug nut studs you will see the 4 bolts that hold the bearing to the car. Loosen and remove them. Now the hard part. Every You tube video of this I could find has the bearing just coming right out.

Well, that wasn't the case for me. I borrowed a MATCO hub shocker tool from a friend who is a mechanic, and also used 2 small sections of 4x4 with the drum to get them off.
1st the drum method. Flip the drum backwards on the wheel lug nut studs and wedge 2 sections of 4x4 at 3 and 9 o'clock. Then use the wheel lug nuts to pull the bearing off. This didn't work by itself, but it did help.
2nd method. Install the hub shocker tool to the wheel lug nuts and begin hammering. The whole plate came off after the first strike, I used gloves and a towel and held the plate in position and continued hammering the tool.
It took about 20 to 30 blows before the bearing came out. Also the 29th blow gave me no clue it was coming out with the next strike.
Anyway once the old bearing is out its a piece of cake.

Bolt the new bearing in position. It does go right in. The ABS sensor was sticking out at the back of the frame mounting point at the top, slide the drum in position. Don't put the wheel back on yet.
Open the hatch, remove all the carpet and spare tire trim, unbolt the one bolt holding the side trim piece in place, pull out the side trim from the rear passenger door to the rear hatch and you will see where the ABS sensor cable plugs in.
Remember they are side specific, It is almost directly above the wheel well inside the vehicle. There is also a bolt that holds the cable to the frame behind the wheel.
Fish the cable through the body / wheel well and plug the sensor cable in on both ends. I slathered silicone RTV all over the plug at the wheel bearing to protect it.
Put the wheel back on and you are done, one side.

I did both sides and drove about 20 ft and the Brake and ABS
lights went out!

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Matt_xD

Common problem.

Maybe less so because you Americans deal with a bit less ice and snow than we do. I don't have your car in front of me (Toyota Tech.) BUT we deal with this on a regular basis. Normally crap builds up in the Rear Speed Sensors.

Ice... Dirt... Salt... Whatever the case may be. When we encounter this problem, it's not the Sensor itself but rather the Connector from inside the vehicle. Try that? But don't trust my word on it. Different driving conditions.

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Matt_xD

P.S. I didn't read your wall of text yet. Been drinking a bit.. Might read it tomorrow

smoothscion

Where is the connector at the other end of the wire harness? I looked at my connector at the wheel and cleaned it up, seems to be fine, but my light is still on. I looked by the spare wheel area, but could not find it. I don't know how to remove the rear seat, so I haven't looked under the seat yet.

62Fender

Your rear seat has 4 legs. The base of each leg is bolted to the floorboard. Remove each bolt and you should be able to move the seat enough to pull up the carpet away and expose the connector.

smoothscion

Thanks for the tip, will do that next, as the brake light did not go off after replacing both rear wheel bearing/sensor assemblies, which had to be replaced anyway, as the bearings were noisy. However, replacing the bearings and cleaning the connectors before connecting them to new sensors did not turn the ABS, VSC and brake lights off. I'm all ears for solutions

62Fender

Have you inspected your front wheel sensors?

The brake light could be due to worn brake pads and or low brake fluid. Before you go adding fluid, inspect the brake pad linings. If any or all are worn to 1mm, it's time to change the pads. Front and rear pads typically wear out at different intervals so you may need only front -OR- rear pads as opposed to all four. When you install the new pads, you'll have to compress the brake cylinders (slowly) back into their calipers. This will push brake fluid back into the reservoir. After you've completed changing the pads, you can top off the fluid if needed. Do not overfill.

If you have a DTS scanner, try a scan and see if you pick up any codes.

smoothscion

Thanks 62, I visually inspected the front sensors when doing the brakes, but I will take a closer look, come time to remove the front wheels off to winterize the front end. I installed new rotors and pads in all 4 corners. the fluid went about 1/2" over the max line, should I drain it down?. My scanner does not read abs or srs codes, I wander which scanner is available and cost effective. Today I will remove the rear seat to inspect those connectors, it is a loose end that must be covered. I'll post the findings.

drizzoh

How old is the fluid? If more than 3 years you should change it anyway

smoothscion

the fluid is new, seems as though the prior owner was also chasing this issue and conveniently forgot to tell. I took out the rear seat in order to inspect the connector for the left rear abs sensor. The connector is not under the seat, it is behind the plastic quarter panel cover, I took the two anchor rings (10 mm bolts), then unsnapped the cover and separated it just enough to access the connector, which was just fine, so my issue may not come from there. However, I did not check the wire for continuity, which is now on my list. I also checked the parking brake switch, which was also just fine. I still have to check the front wheel speed sensors and their connectors. Oddly, when I bought the car, I had 2 trouble codes, one for the downstream oxygen sensor and the other one was a P0607, which refers to malfunction of the engine computer. I erased both of them and they quickly returned. I replaced the oxygen sensor and cleared the codes again and they have not returned. One thread mentions the P0607 as also caused by a low battery state of charge, so I have kept my battery charged and the P0607 code has not returned in the last 2 weeks. It is the darn brake dash light that is keeping me from plating this car, as it has to pass inspection.

62Fender

Any chance your hand brake is lightly engaged? Have you inspected the handle and cable to make sure they're disengaging properly?

My 1996 Camry BRAKE light won't turn off. I bought a new master cylinder w/ fluid reservoir and sensor but the BRAKE light still burned. I ended up disconnecting the fluid sensor. Now I have to manually check the fluid level. I'm not necessarily recommending you do the same, only if you've determined all brake functions are working. I googled the problem. There were several problems like mine but no one knew the fix. Sorry, don't remember the website.

smoothscion

Thanks for your support. I'm glad to report that all of my dash lights went off this morning. Just to humor myself before buying a set of rear wire harnesses (in addition to new hubs and speed sensors, brakes and rotors and a bunch of odds and ends) I took the rear wire harness out. A crushed section was noted in the swing arm section of the wire. I had a good wire from another car and spliced the ends of the Scion wire into the newer cable I had. I also reattached the "new" wire to the routing brackets and connected both ends to their respective plugs. I took the car out to test and within half block all of the lights went off!!!. I hope this was the original wire from factory, as it was of questionable quality. I've heard that they revised the wire harness and the newer version is better. Any wire is better than what I took out of my Scion today.

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62Fender

Cool. Glad you got it fixed.