Clearing ABS codes

Hello  all,

to clear ABS error codes, the car must be driven above 18 mph.

That is what the manual says.

My question: For how much time?

My Reatta has ABS codes that tell me that the left rear wheel speed sensor is faulty.

(one says left rear, the othe says both rear sernsor signals are faulty)

I have checked both rear sensor signals today with my scope directy at the EBCM.

Both signals look nice and are are 0.2 VAC when I spin the weels by hand.

One of the pins for the rear sensor was damaged, so I removed that pin and bend it back in shape.

I then took the car for a test ride above 18mph for appr. 2 miles.

The codes did not clear

Do I have to extend my test drive to clear the codes?

What I do to clear the codes is disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes. However driving above 18 miles per hour should clear the codes, should happen almost immediatly.

I have the "official" tester that plugs into the EBCM but never use it. What I do is test the leads at the sensor lead connection to the car connection. This allows me to look at the lead for damage while I test it for ohms.

Sounds like a "dead" lead to me. I would check all four leads.

DaveS89,

I had the EBCM plug disconnected which is the same as disconnecting the battery.

When I turn the ignition back on with the EBCM reconnected, the abs light stays on and the error codes are always the same.

I have been reading on the Internet the abs error codes from the EBCM can be misleading sometimes.

I will check the front sensors next weekend.

The rear leads are OK since I have good signals from both rear sensors at the EBCM plug

Make sure the EBCM harness is connected correctly. I didn't plug mine right and had the same issue until I went back and checked.

That is why I don't use my tester and just check the leads at the connector.

The codes can be misleading. Using the tester the right side is the passenger side. When using the ALDL the right side is the drivers side. Sometimes when you have a bad lead it will tell you that there is an issue with the Teves unit. Disregard that until you get the sensor lead issue squared away. The other codes have always gone away when I replaced the bad lead.

Daves89,

I do not have to drive the car above 18mph to clear the codes?

I can just remove the plug at the EBCM and reconnect it to clear them as well?

Maybe after ignition off and back on?

For what it's worth, the following is what I got out of the service manual concerning clearing ABS codes. I've had it posted in a tutorial here on ROJ for some time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT CLEARING ABS CODES: ABS codes are stored in non-volatile memory. You cannot clear the codes by unplugging the ECBM, disconnecting the battery cables or turning off the ignition switch.  To clear the ABS codes you must drive the car over 18 miles per hour and they will automatically be cleared if you have repaired all problems that caused the ABS trouble codes to set. If you drive the car greater than 18 miles per hour and the yellow ABS light comes on the ECBM is still detecting a problem and codes will be present when you check the codes again. 

The ECBM will not allow the codes to be cleared unless ALL codes have been read.

-------------------------------------------------------

Ronnie,

such are my informations as well. ( I have the factory service manual for a 1990 Reatta)

I was just wondering.

Thanks,

Henning

The last sentence is easy to overlook although I have highlighted it it bold text. What I take it to mean is that you cannot make a repair on the car and expect the codes to reset when you drive the car. You must read the codes before the codes will reset.

Fortunately my thoughts about this are not from my personal experiences but from the way I interpret the service manual. I've had no problems with the ABS on my car.

That is interesting as I have had issues and I could swear that I never read the codes just checked the ohms on the lead and did the correct repair, drove the car and it cleared out on it's own.

Maybe I'm getting old and don't remember anymore...

You are probably correct Dave. Experience beats reading the manual. I can delete that part from the tutorial if needed. I was going on what the manual says in Section 5E1-9 at the bottom of the page. We have found in the past that the manual isn't always right. That might be the case in this situation or I might just be misunderstanding what the manual is saying...

5E1-9

Hello,

I have checked the front wheel speed sensors today.

No signal from both sides.

Both leads are shot. Broken insulator, shield and signal wires.

Not so much the wheelarch section, more in the engine bay

Small wonder the ABS had error codes.

The codes are for laughs, they are totally misleading:

The codes indicated the rear sensors have a problem, but in fact the front ones are gone.

This is rather un-german I dare say.  :)  The complete ABS system, including the sensors, is made by ATE (Teves), Germany.

Anyone have a pair of front wheel speed sensors for me?

Thanks

Henning

I have some. You can reach me at;

lemke1044@aol.com

Hello all,

I have been quite busy to get the front ABS sensor leads for my `90 Reatta.

Jim Finn had used ones, DaveS89 had refurbished ones available.

I got in touch with the ATE company in Germany, but they were not of any help.

Then Dave pointed me to to the fact that the sensor leads for a SAAB 9000 will fit with some small modifications.

They are available on Ebay for around 55 Euros (or the equivalent in $$) the pair, the SAAB part number is 24071111511

This is what they look like installed:

The error to trip the light has been satisfied and won't come back. Regarding moving the boots, I use a small screwdriver from both ends of the boot and "open up" the boot and squirt in a little soap. Works as good as WD40 but dries better leaving no residue.