03rubicon

Hi, real rookie here, I have a 98 Z71 pickup with 74,000 miles on it, lately the brakes are pulsing quite often, does this mean the sensors are bad? is there a way to just disconnect and no longer have anti lock brakes? is this something I would want to do? had a guy tell me there was a way to do this as he paid 600$ for new brake sensors and had he known he would have just disconnected the sensors. Thanks in advance.

Frank

golfer

If the ABS light isn't on then likely it's a problem with the brakes themselves... example warped rotors will cause the pedal to pulse.

Yes , but why would you want to disable the ABS brakes ?

NO

He could have notpayed $600 in the first place and just left them alone... bad advice.

03rubicon

Golfer, I appreciate your reply, the brakes arepulsing and collapsing like they would if on a slippery surface about 50% of the time, no abs light lit, if warped rotors would I not feel it all the time? I was told if the abs were disconnected it would then just act like a normal brake, is this not the case?

golfer

Are you hearing the ABS actuator coming on when the brakes are pulsing ? If the ABS light is not on likely it's not a fault of that system.


The warped rotors was just an example that was not to say that's your problem.Examples ofother things likebad shocks or worn wheel bearings will affect braking performance.



Yes , in the event of a problem with the ABS system the brakes will always revert to standard braking systems ( lock up ),but again why would you want to disable the ABS braking system?

03rubicon

I do hear the abs actuator coming on, as for why to disable the abs, no other good reason other than to save a buck, not poor by any means so I will bring it in to have it looked at and fixed.

SLJ2137694

It is possible to have a false ABS brake activation in situations that do not warrent ABS activation. If the sensors pick up a bad signal they think they need to work but the driving situation doesn't warrent it. The sensors usually get a bad signal from water intrusion into the sensor or wiring, a cracked, heavily rustedor damaged reluctor ring and will often not set a code because the system thinks it is working properly. You can determine if the pulse is from the ABS system by pulling the fuse(s) for the ABS and then driving the vehicle. If the pulse is gone it would seem to be the ABS system. With the fuses pulled the brakes revert to the base brake system which we all are familiar with. If you ABS system is at fault, a technician needs to monitor the sensor signals to determine which one(s) are giving a suspicious signal.

03rubicon

Do you happen to know what fuse it is and does it apply only to the ABS?

SLJ2137694

I don't have any 1998 vehicle information here but I just checked my 2005 Silverado Owners Manual and it has a nice illustration and description of the fuses. Check your Owners Manual for that information. The ABS fuse probably feeds only that system.

SILVERAD01

I had the same problem on a 2000 GMC Sonoma. I had the abs sensors replaced along with the shields and rotors. Pretty much worked. If you take the fuse out your brakes will work for everyday use, but if you ever have to slam on it, they'll lock up on you and you'll slide into disaster....

SLJ2137694

With the ABS fuse removed your brakes will act just like brakes have always acted prior to ABS. If you slide into disaster it is because you don't know how to use your brakes. ABS allows you to still steer the vehicle while using the brakes near lock-up.