ABS coming on at low speeds 05 Astro RWD, leave it as-is?

[justsomeguy]

I see I'm not alone with the ABS coming on at very low speeds on dry pavement (under 5mph/8kmh). Mine just started doing this a few weeks ago. It doesn't do it every time, but quite often at low speeds, like coming to a red light, stop sign or parking. I'm a pretty easy going driver, approaching stops by braking early and gently, so I've never felt that I was about to hit anyone or anything, but I suppose it increases the braking distance. Of course, there is no need for the ABS come on at such low speeds and especially not on dry pavement.

Is there any harm in just leaving it as-is? (at least for a little while)? I've got so many other expenses right now and this doesn't seem to be a serious issue, in the grand scheme of things. Based on other posts I've read, the price to fix this can vary from cheap hack jobs to expensive hub and sensor replacements. I'm not a mechanic and do not do any work on my vehicles. When replacing parts, I prefer to get them from the stealership, oops I mean dealership, even though they're more expensive. I've rarely found a case where aftermarket parts were better than OEM parts, although it is possible (excluding high performance upgrades). I believe in fixing things the right way, and I'd like to have ABS the way the van was meant to be. I just need to save up a bit, expecially if this will be a few hundred dollars or more.

My van is a 2005 Astro RWD with about 66,000 miles (106,000 kms). Sometimes I use it daily, sometimes once or twice a week, and on rare occasions it may stay parked for 7 to 10 days. I use it mostly in city driving with a bit of highway driving. I've noticed my brakes have started to pulsate a bit, probably due to cheap aftermarket brake rotors. I wonder if this has anything to do with with ABS coming on at low speeds? Both issues came up around the same time. I bought the van used about 6 months ago, and love it. Aside from routine maintenance and new winter tires in January, I haven't put any more money into it. When I fix things, I like it to be done right and with good quality parts. However, I suspect the used car lot that sold me the van may have replaced the front brakes with cheap aftermarket pads and rotors. Again, I'm not a mechanic and won't be pulling off the wheels to do my own brake job. But I just want to know what I might be in for when I take it to the Chevy dealer and if this can wait for a little while. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[jcmastro]

on my 2K Astro, I pulled the fuse for ABS until I got around to fixing it. You can leave it as it won't hurt anything. Now, you may reconsider as when the abs goes off as you are pulling into a parking will be a brown underwear experience.

[justsomeguy]

on my 2K Astro, I pulled the fuse for ABS until I got around to fixing it. You can leave it as it won't hurt anything. Now, you may reconsider as when the abs goes off as you are pulling into a parking will be a brown underwear experience.

Haha, yeah I hear ya. Now that I've gotten used to it, I kind of expect it. I usually pull up behind cars at lights slowly and leave lots of space, and pull into parking spaces slowly too (usually backing in, or drive frontwards through one empty spot to next one so I avoid backing all together). Honestly, I've never had a situation that made me scared or have a close call where I thought I would hit anyone or anything.

I'd rather not pull the fuse for the ABS, as it would be nice to have the ABS working in a situation where I really need it. I'll put up with the glitch of the ABS coming on at low speeds on dry pavement for now if it won't cause any damage to anything. Then, maybe later this summer when I have some extra cash, I'll get it fixed the right way. And I'll either have my rotors turned or get new OEM pads and rotors. I hate when the brakes pulsate. It's not too bad now, but like I said, the used car lot I bought the van from probably put cheap aftermarket pads and rotors on. Not sure if that had anything to do with the ABS coming on at low speeds...

[rev_les]

I'd pull the ABS fuse until you can get it fixed. The point is, it ISN'T going to work when you need it,what's gonna happen is you're going to have to make a sudden stop and the van's going to keep on a rollin'. Ask me how I know.....
I'm not questioning your ability to be a safe driver, it's the soccer mom with 3 screaming kids in the SUV and talking on her cell phone, that you have to watch!!

[justsomeguy]

If I pull the fuse for the ABS on a 2005 Astro RWD, will the only change be that I have regular (non-ABS) brakes? I just want to be sure I'm not indirectly affecting anything else.

I thought that with this issue, the ABS would still work at high speeds. I should try doing an emergency braking on a deserted road in the rain. There's a quiet industrial road near me, and I'm sure we'll get some rain today or tomorrow. The only times I've felt the ABS come on for real was in the snow during the winter back in January/February. And yeah, it took a while to stop, but at least the wheels didn't lock up so I could still steer.

[jcmastro]

as long as you are the only driver...it's when someone else happens to drive it. I know in my case, my wife was used to it and later said it had been happening for a while.

As for the brake job, it new rotors. Here is a link which I think is a better explanation to warped rotors. In particular the BS about not having the wheels torqued properly - the do need to be torqued, but little to do with rotor warp.

http://www.centricparts.com/files/Centric%20White%20Paper%20B1-Warped%20Brake%20Disc.pdf

[justsomeguy]

Yeah, I'm primarily the only driver of my Astro, in fact, 99.9% of the time. Good point about torquing the wheels. I never did believe that overtorquing the wheels could warp the rotors, though I've heard many people say it will. It could cause other damage like stripping some threads on the stud or lug nut maybe. Later this summer, I'll get it all checked out and replace any needed parts. For now, I believe the warped rotors are more of a minor annoyance than a safety issue. The ABS coming on at low speeds it probably more of a serious issue.

[andyman]

False activation is usually caused by an excessive gap(rust) between the front abs sensors and the mounting surface on the hub/bearing asy. You can remove the sensor (if your carefull not to break it) clean and prep the surface and reinstall it. Hope this helps.

[justsomeguy]

False activation is usually caused by an excessive gap(rust) between the front abs sensors and the mounting surface on the hub/bearing asy. You can remove the sensor (if your carefull not to break it) clean and prep the surface and reinstall it. Hope this helps.

That would be even better if it just needs some cleaning up! I don't do brake work though or mess around with things like that, I'm just not mechanically inclined so I don't even bother. But when I take the van in for servicing, I'll ask the mechanic to check for rust between the ABS sensors and the mounting surface.

[jcmastro]

well, not that simple. To get to sensors to see if the rust has moved them is the same work as replacing them or cleaning them up.

[justsomeguy]

well, not that simple. To get to sensors to see if the rust has moved them is the same work as replacing them or cleaning them up.

Ah, in that case, might as well replace them since they'll probably need it sooner or later. Unless cleaning them up will truly be just as effective. I'm not mechanically inclined enough to do this, so I'll price this out with a mechanic or the Chevy dealer and budget for it. (along with possibly replacing the pads and rotors - might as well get all the stuff done at the same time).

[FLSafari]

I've had the dreaded ABS light for some months. When the brakes do their abs party piece at low speeds it is disconcerting. Had mine checked out by a local garage who said front RH and 2 rear sensors were not working. I checked the wiring from the main abs box and could not find anything resembling abs on the rear wheels. I have a 96 2WD model. Spoke with gm main dealer who confirmed the 96 2wd has only sensors on the front wheels & are about $100.00+/- apiece.
This weekend just put new front rotors on the van & cleaned out all the crap around the sensors. They sparkled. Put everything back & still the abs light shines bright!
Don't want to spend $100 or $200 replacing sensors if they are not the culprit, so may get 2nd opinion from another local garage I know & see if they can do a diagnostic. If the sensors show to be dead, I can do that job my self as it's 2 bolts and plug in electrical connector to replace.
I have to replace the master brake cylinder in the next couple of weeks, so may do that, then review the abs.

[justsomeguy]

Interesting... good to know. I don't know if there's a lot of difference between the 1996 and 2005 2wd models, but I'll be leery if I'm told there are ABS sensors on the back wheels. My ABS light is not on, but I still have the ABS come on at low speeds on dry pavement.

[Leeann_93]

The sensor for the rear wheels is the VSS.

[justsomeguy]

The sensor for the rear wheels is the VSS.

OK, thanks.

[rev_les]

My ABS light never came on with the '99....it just activated itself. It's more disconcerting when it does it on wet slippery pavement.

[AstroWill]

I disabled the ABS, it's never going to be put back either. If I have to do new lines, I will remove it from the circuit completely.

[justsomeguy]

OK, time for an update. About two months ago I got the front bearings replaced. I went to the local mechanic with a small shop. He got me some aftermarket bearings. I forget the name, but he said they're the best ones he knows of, and he's familiar with the GM bearing issues. He said even his 2000ish Buick Century had a bearing issue, and he used this brand in his Buick, and he drives it hard, and they're still OK.

So far so good. It's only been two months, but it's so nice to not have the ABS come on every single time I'm coming to a stop. In fact, it took a few days to get used to it! Every time I came to a stop, I was waiting for that loud noise the ABS makes and for the brake pedal to pulsate. But now, everything works perfectly!

I know the aftermarket parts may not be as good as the OEM parts from GM, but the parts from GM were about three times the price. I think with parts and labor at the stealership would have been over $2000 plus tax. I got a nice cash deal for $650 - parts and labor! That's a heck of a deal, and within my price range. Even at that I had to save up a bit. And even if these aftermarket bearings last half as long as OEM GM bearings would, it will still come out cheaper to get them replaced twice with aftermarket parts. Even better if they last as long or longer than OEM parts. I'm a pretty easy going driver too, so that should help prolong the life of the bearings, and a lot of other components.

[Leeann_93]

Were they Timkin? If so, imho they're better than OEM.

That's what I put on the passenger side of my Safari.

[justsomeguy]

Were they Timkin? If so, imho they're better than OEM.

That's what I put on the passenger side of my Safari.

Hmmm... Timkin sounds familiar, but it might be a brand with initials only (like 3 letters). I know it was a brand I had not heard of before, so I was a bit leery about them, but the mechanic assured they were very good. Next time I see him, and if I remember I'll ask him what brand he used. In any case, he gave me the impression that they were very good quality - either almost as good as OEM or just as good. Maybe they're even better than OEM but he didn't want to set the expectation too high. I figured if they stand up to his harsh driving in his Buick, they must be pretty good. And the cost savings was a huge bonus.