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How do I disable ABS?

26K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  dspsolo2  
#1 ·
My ABS modulator is broken. It will cost $1000 to replace. How do I disable ABS before I replace my modulator?
 
#3 ·
take the fuse out or...

* pull the hand brake just until the "Brake" light comes on (or you can do it to the first click so you don't have to hold it).

* Then just drive with the brake on for about a quarter of a mile or so.

* When the ABS light comes on, the system is no longer activated and you can lock up the brakes all you want!

* To re-enable the ABS, turn off the key and restart the engine."
 
#12 ·
sicknastygsr on Jan/17/08 said:
my ABS light is on does that mean my ABS does not work.and is it good to have it off i know alot of people tell me to take it out.what would it do if i took my whole ABS thingy out.
Yes, if your ABS light is on, it means the ABS system is disbled because there is something wrong with it. And you cant just take out the whole ABS "thingy", all of your brake lines tie into it and it serves as sort of a junction point between your master cylinder and brakes. It would not be worth all the headaches to remove the whole ABS system and re-route your brake lines just to save a little weight (which I imagine is the reason why some people have told you to take it out).
 
#13 ·
removing the ABS is a HUGE pain in the ass and unless you are uber OCD about your engine bay or have a show car and want the cleanest looking bay dont bother with removing it. Mine hasnt worked in over 2 years....i just pulled the bulb out of the gauge cluster to get rid of that annoyingly bright orange light.
 
#15 ·
it helps to know the theory behind ABS. when you're standing on the brake pedal, the brakes try to turn as much rotational energy into heat energy as it can to stop you. when the friction force of the brake pads to rotors over come the friction force between the wheels and pavement, the wheel stops turning. but if you're still moving, this causes the squeeling of rubber on the road. this is very bad, as you have lost all traction available to the wheels and are no longer in control of your car. if your front wheels are locked, you can no longer steer and have lost 60-70% of your braking power.

ABS monitors the wheel speed of each wheel. not necessarly the absolute speed, but the speed in relation to each other. if the ABS computer senses no movement of the back wheels, it assumes a lock up has occured and thus modulates the brake pressure to let the rear wheels turn again. this should allow the brakes to work again, because if the wheel is turning, it has some power to slow down the car. and the same for the front wheels. and the same for right side versus left side.

anecdotal evidence goes either way on if it's safer. for slower speeds (such as gridlock traffic), some people mention that they're used to following uber-close and stopping quickly. they claim that a quick screetching halt at those slower speeds takes less distance than if the ABS computer relieves pressure to keep the wheels rolling. i haven't been in that situation so i can't vouch for it's validity.

but even if it lengthens your stopping distance, you still have control. so, a longer distance where you can still turn and avoid objects may be much safer than plowing into an object closer to you because you can't avoid it.

racers like the ultimate feel of the brakes just as they are about to lock up, thus most will remove it (for weight issues also) for total control of the car. purists, mostly. high end (F1) have ABS, and traction control, but those are uber-performance and thus have the computing power to be very adjustable and very, very responsive.

it is another thing on the car to go wrong, so people hate the ABS system then. but when it keeps them from losing control, they praise it. if you don't have the experience or connections to dink around with the braking system, you're better off leaving it alone. besides, like SRS, the insurance provider may have a thing or two to say if you're in an accident and have disabled one of the car's factory safety systems.

the acura service manual has a section on the ABS, so you may want to look in it for troubleshooting.
 
#18 ·
thanks. i get it right once in a while.

and now for a few opinions:

i don't think it's a good idea for a daily driver car to have its ABS taken out. insurance reasons and car engineering (how it interconnects with the brakes in an emergency stop) are my reasons. for an off-street car, do what you want to do.

i think it's worth it, chris (sicknastygsr), to at least see if you can troubleshoot the ABS system with the service manual. it doesn't mess with the engine performance, and you can take your time. taking your time may mean cheap-to-free troubleshooting.

what ever you do, remember you'll be driving that car around other people. lol.
 
#21 ·
You can either try cleaning the ABS sensor that is in question or you can unplug the ABS under the hood which is an orange connector by the unit itself.

To clean your sensor here is the how to on it under the articles section:

How To: Cleaning front ABS sensor by WildoutWhiteGSR
 
#23 ·
you have 2 options...

You can either be a ninja and splice the wire with some fresh stuff and heatshrink it or you can just unplug the unit under the hood. At this point I dont know which is more beneficial in your eyes but it seems as in the long run you can just unplug it and save the hassle of the rewire.

The ABS in my car is shot completely so I chose to unplug it rather than figure if it was one of the sensors as well as the unit under the hood. I personally have had no issues but it is ultimately up to you.