warning...why you should not ignore a warning light..

[t5steve]

hi all
this is a warning to all of you out there that have got the dreaded ABS light fault......ie it works one day but not the next.......the one that you are going to get fixed later.............maybe when it comes on for good

well i had such a fault and was going to get it sorted when i got the chance...........friend is an electronics engineer and was going to resolder joints when i took module off.........................well i was on the way home last minding my own business at traffic lights when chav filled scooby pulls up alongside and starts the usual "old man in volvo" bit..........well i knew i wouldn't beat him off the lights so let him go...........about a mile up the road at next roundabout i came up alongside said scooby but this time we were both moving...................well off we went up the dual carriageway (it was late and deserted) big grin on my face as old man volvo watches scooby drop behind................anyone that knows my car will know how well it stops(330mm discs and ap calipers).....at next roundabout me thinks i can easily outbrake said scooby so leaves braking to last minute as usual..............i pushed the brakes hard.....and as i am slowing rapidly geuss what....................ABS light comes on mid braking and all of a sudden no ABS...........brakes lock on rear, volvo slides sideways straight into kerb......................the following pics show the aftermath...................the moral of this story
DON'T IGNORE WARNING LIGHTS THEY ARE THERE FOR A REASON

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0038.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0040.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0037.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0039.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0042.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0043.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0045.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0046.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0047.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0048.jpg
http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q634/angliamania/broken%20vinny/PICT0031.jpg

[claymore]

Or keep it for the track, this is a good example of the front brakes not being matched to the rears. (how did we all manage without abs for all those years)

[p fandango]

i thought the ABS only worked on the front wheels anyway?

[M-R-P]

Bloody hell Steve, Hope everybody involved is ok mate.
Cars can be fixed and your pride will recover.

Lesson learned the hard way, although, how many would drive with that light on until it failed the mot?

Food for thought.

[Harvey]

Sorry to see the damage to your motor,hope you're ok.
It's all to easy to ignore a small light on the dash.

[theflyingbrick]

holy crap!! hope your ok?? if you need anything whether its running about or helping with repairs give me a shout mate i can pop round after work while weve still got a bit of daylight left lol,give me a shout mate ;)

[t5steve]

lesson learned indeed..........................car has ap racing proportioning valve fitted to allow fitment of bigger front brakes (but yes i should have taken it to a track........................ABS on front only i don't know............possibly too many cars driving with light on, reason for this warning..................all too easy to ignore a small light......................brick i'll call you tomorrow

car all fixed now

[p fandango]

car has ap racing proportioning valve fitted to allow fitment of bigger front brakes
the fronts use an independant line from the ABS pump, rear uses a single line ran down the car & split to the 2 calipers on the rear axle. Is the proporting valve just adjusting the rears then? thats how i've done mine but i've removed the ABS

[t5steve]

yes valve is on rear beam just before line splits..................thats where ap advised putting it so thats where it went

[stribo]

Ouch, that looks nasty mate, glad no one was hurt.

[JUDGENINJA]

Steve you big kid!!!

Glad your OK though..

Suppose it give you the option to get your spray gun back out.. Did mr Scooby stop and laugh, or could you sheepishly make it home..?

[V70 Graham]

Bloomin 'eck Steve, and you've only had those wheels a while.....guess thats a lesson to EVERYONE, glad your ok mate, hopefully get the car back on the road soon.

[t5steve]

Steve you big kid!!!

Glad your OK though..

Suppose it give you the option to get your spray gun back out.. Did mr Scooby stop and laugh, or could you sheepishly make it home..?

mr scooby didn't make roundabout and ended up parked in middle of roundabout....................made it home as you say sheepishly

[T5frankie]

a big crap yer pants moment i bet, glad your'e ok seave

[JamesT5]

Although I agree ignoring a warning light is not a good idea and I'm glad your ok, I must say I consider 'racing' on the highway an equally poor decision. If you had not been 'racing' and trying to out run another driver then you may have not hit the kerb despite having a problem with the car. Unfortunatley your decision to 'show off' meant that you actually ended up having a minor accident, damaged your car, and only made yourself look foolish in front of the driver you were trying to impress. I've never understood this need to race other drivers and see who's car is faster - utterly pointless.

Anyway 'rant' over, best of luck with the repairs.

Regards

James

[d2k]

oooh, thats a real bad whack!!:eye-poppi

lol... i bet the said scooby driver was laughing, god that must of hurt seeing him dissapear over the horizon.

[R-200vi]

My abs light and trac's light is on atm too. If im driving/breaking hard most worse in the wet my one off back wheels lock up to never had both. Keeps you on your toes a bit. ha. I also have a flat spot on one of my new rear tyres..

[t5steve]

oooh, thats a real bad whack!!:eye-poppi

lol... i bet the said scooby driver was laughing, god that must of hurt seeing him dissapear over the horizon.

scooby driver was anything but laughing............he didn't make roundabout and ended up in the flower beds in middle of roundabout...............at least i drove mine home..............he had to wait for tow truck

[t5steve]

Although I agree ignoring a warning light is not a good idea and I'm glad your ok, I must say I consider 'racing' on the highway an equally poor decision. If you had not been 'racing' and trying to out run another driver then you may have not hit the kerb despite having a problem with the car. Unfortunatley your decision to 'show off' meant that you actually ended up having a minor accident, damaged your car, and only made yourself look foolish in front of the driver you were trying to impress. I've never understood this need to race other drivers and see who's car is faster - utterly pointless.

Anyway 'rant' over, best of luck with the repairs.

Regards

James

point taken ref racing........................point i was making ref abs light was it could happen to anybody that ignores warning light and needs to stop quickly

[Ali-Bongo]

My abs light is permanently on, read the codes and know the faults (RR circuit has a break and abs pump is fudged) only locked up once by accident in 5,500 miles and that was heading to the oxford meet with hazza behind me. I find the car behaves much better with no abs but I did drive a mighty little rover 100 before the T5 so used to no assistance. Shame about the car Steve but it's easily repaired. Nice orange mk2 escort hiding behind the Volvo too!

[t5steve]

My abs light is permanently on, read the codes and know the faults (RR circuit has a break and abs pump is fudged) only locked up once by accident in 5,500 miles and that was heading to the oxford meet with hazza behind me. I find the car behaves much better with no abs but I did drive a mighty little rover 100 before the T5 so used to no assistance. Shame about the car Steve but it's easily repaired. Nice orange mk2 escort hiding behind the Volvo too!

car is repaired and back on road thanks..................escort was my sons and has been sold to finance his new project....................don't forget abs light must be fixed for mot.......................

[iancho]

Sorry to read about your "incident" Steve and i'm glad you and the car are ok.... I can only guess how angry and foolish you feel and relived that it was not worse! (i know thats how i would feel) Credit to you for putting this post up and warning others....and for being man enough to take some "hits" for your driving.... I had the same problem with my car for well over a year, the problem got steadly worse... it really did affect the breaking and i got it fixed on E-bay for £45.... Now then!!... I am the first to put my hand up and say i have done the same as Steve on occasions... I'm sorry but the temptation is just too much sometimes and we all love to show off... thats one of the reasons we own these high powered cars. I'm not mad in mine, nor is Steve... he was just doing what every red blooded male does... I'm usually worrying about the auto box too much to thrash mine and i'm well aware that if i abuse my car it will abuse my pocket even more and drive steady 99% of the time.

Top man Steve for this post!

And before anyone says it i know the roads are not for racing... just be honest and admit we have all done it!

[wegal]

Tut tut tut... racing on a public road !! Save it for the track, next time someone might get killed.

Ok bollocking over.... the lack of ABS or the introduction of ABS half way through a serious stop should not result in the rear of the car attempting to overtake the front. The cause I suspect has nothing to do with a failed ABS unit ( they fail safe ) but more likely the huge mismatch you have between your front and rear brakes. Excessive front brake power will always cause the rear to break away, unless the rear has enough braking force to keep it straight ( thats why the car breaks on all 4 wheels and not just the front two) Excessive rear brakes will cause the car to be difficult to stop, but it will stop in a perfectly straight line.

You need to have a serious look at your break modifications, because your front and rear brakes are seriously, and dangerously, out of sync with each other. Next time this happens it could be on the motorway at rush hour, a spin there will leave you needing a new car and not just new undepants !

The moral here isnt to fix the abs module, it is two fold, dont race on a public road to that extent, and dont modify a car without thinking about what that mod will do to the rest of it.

Genuinely sorry you bent it, we have all done stupid stuff in the past.

Now get them rear brakes uprated, or but a brake bias valve in and get it on a brake tester to make sure that the rears can offer enough resistance to keep it straight under hard breaking.

Peace :-)

[t5steve]

Tut tut tut... racing on a public road !! Save it for the track, next time someone might get killed.

Ok bollocking over.... the lack of ABS or the introduction of ABS half way through a serious stop should not result in the rear of the car attempting to overtake the front. The cause I suspect has nothing to do with a failed ABS unit ( they fail safe ) but more likely the huge mismatch you have between your front and rear brakes. Excessive front brake power will always cause the rear to break away, unless the rear has enough braking force to keep it straight ( thats why the car breaks on all 4 wheels and not just the front two) Excessive rear brakes will cause the car to be difficult to stop, but it will stop in a perfectly straight line.

You need to have a serious look at your break modifications, because your front and rear brakes are seriously, and dangerously, out of sync with each other. Next time this happens it could be on the motorway at rush hour, a spin there will leave you needing a new car and not just new undepants !

The moral here isnt to fix the abs module, it is two fold, dont race on a public road to that extent, and dont modify a car without thinking about what that mod will do to the rest of it.

Genuinely sorry you bent it, we have all done stupid stuff in the past.

Now get them rear brakes uprated, or but a brake bias valve in and get it on a brake tester to make sure that the rears can offer enough resistance to keep it straight under hard breaking.

Peace :-)

read post 9
the car HAS got a brake bias valve fitted and it was supplied by AP racing to match the front brakes fitted..................the brakes have been set up correctly and tested and adjusted by local AP racing specialist.........................i am very particular with the running gear on my car and was more than willing to spend money on the correct parts and services as i aquired the front setup cheaply

[volvokid]

Good on you to be so honest with your post, such ashame you where forced to have to repair the problem after such an incident. Glad your ok

[y2blade]

Although I agree ignoring a warning light is not a good idea and I'm glad your ok, I must say I consider 'racing' on the highway an equally poor decision. If you had not been 'racing' and trying to out run another driver then you may have not hit the kerb despite having a problem with the car. Unfortunatley your decision to 'show off' meant that you actually ended up having a minor accident, damaged your car, and only made yourself look foolish in front of the driver you were trying to impress. I've never understood this need to race other drivers and see who's car is faster - utterly pointless.

Anyway 'rant' over, best of luck with the repairs.

Regards

James

My thoughts too.

[JamesT5]

point taken ref racing........................point i was making ref abs light was it could happen to anybody that ignores warning light and needs to stop quickly

Yes, I understand your side of the story, however if I have any issues with my car that could be dangerous in anyway, I tend to drive much slower, take back roads to avoid holding people up and if possible borrow another car until I can get the fault diagnosed and corrected.

I don't know, maybe I'm too sensible..... ;)

Regards

James

[wegal]

read post 9
the car HAS got a brake bias valve fitted and it was supplied by AP racing to match the front brakes fitted..................the brakes have been set up correctly and tested and adjusted by local AP racing specialist.........................i am very particular with the running gear on my car and was more than willing to spend money on the correct parts and services as i aquired the front setup cheaply

Steve.. I dont doubt that you had it set up correctly, Im not implying that you are an idiot. Just trying to make sure you dont kill yourself on accident !

Did the fronts lock ? Or was it just the rears ? If you locked all 4 well there isnt much you can do really, although Id personally increase the rear bias a bit. If only the rears locked then Id definately look at rear bias. Its a fine balancing act, but if you get enough rear bias to drag the rear of the car down ( think how it feels when you drive with the handbrake on.. the rear of the car sits down, its this effect that helps keep the weight on the rears under braking and so makes them less liable to lock ) Too much rear bias and it will lock all the time. Dont take someone elses word that your brakes are right, you know your stuff, and you know your car and how you drive it, set it up for your style, youve spent the money to have that facility, may as well use it :-)

If the brakes are right even without ABS the car should still slide in a reasonably straight line.

Peace :-)

[T5frankie]

out come all the misery guts, "don't race on a public road" blah blah blah every time without fail, lol

[Ed.]

I had a close friend kill himself by driving dangerously on a public road. He wasn't even racing anyone at the time. Stories like this should serve as warning, people may not be so lucky next time....

[mr shifter]

You see a few 850s on ebay with the abs and or tracs light illuminated on the dash. Would you buy one of those?

[JamesT5]

I had a close friend kill himself by driving dangerously on a public road. He wasn't even racing anyone at the time. Stories like this should serve as warning, people may not be so lucky next time....

Well said Ed! :)

[t5steve]

Steve.. I dont doubt that you had it set up correctly, Im not implying that you are an idiot. Just trying to make sure you dont kill yourself on accident !

Did the fronts lock ? Or was it just the rears ? If you locked all 4 well there isnt much you can do really, although Id personally increase the rear bias a bit. If only the rears locked then Id definately look at rear bias. Its a fine balancing act, but if you get enough rear bias to drag the rear of the car down ( think how it feels when you drive with the handbrake on.. the rear of the car sits down, its this effect that helps keep the weight on the rears under braking and so makes them less liable to lock ) Too much rear bias and it will lock all the time. Dont take someone elses word that your brakes are right, you know your stuff, and you know your car and how you drive it, set it up for your style, youve spent the money to have that facility, may as well use it :-)

If the brakes are right even without ABS the car should still slide in a reasonably straight line.

Peace :-)

it was stopping well and straight untill abs light came on............the rears locked for a split second only before i released them............but it was long enough to start the car going sideways (it was on a slight bend and camber is a bit more than normal but not excessive so this probably didn't help)
maybe you are right and a little rear end adjustment is needed...................

[Aydenapp]

I thought the ABS worked on my T5 when i bought it, didnt even think to look for the light when i switched on the ignition, wasnt until i was braking for a roundabout in the damp and locked the front wheels up that i realised someone had REMOVED the bulb for the ABS completely, when i put a bulb in it was permenantely on......

So on another note, check it comes on first aswell !!

[d2k]

scooby driver was anything but laughing............he didn't make roundabout and ended up in the flower beds in middle of roundabout...............at least i drove mine home..............he had to wait for tow truck

soooo..... you both crashed.



http://i48.tinypic.com/10wqjxl.jpg

:smile:

[wegal]

Steve, Im wondering if maybe when it was set up with the bias valve the pads were new ? Its possible that they have bedded properly now and your fronts are out breaking your rears... just a thought, its worth a check.

Off camber roads are a biatch !

[t5steve]

Steve, Im wondering if maybe when it was set up with the bias valve the pads were new ? Its possible that they have bedded properly now and your fronts are out breaking your rears... just a thought, its worth a check.

Off camber roads are a biatch !

ha ha ........ain't they just....................fronts weren't very old when they were set up so it is a possibility.....................

[mhill53]

i do believe that braking hard on a bend with adverse camber which would totally unload the inside rear wheel, would be a no no any way?however well you may think the car is set up may i suggest you concider basic driving principles first? ultimatly the car wont get you out of ever situation? abs or no abs,personally i hate abs which is why i removed it from my R.
try driving your sons mk2 like your volvo and it will bite you in the §§§§ big time.