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*REAL FIX FOR Astro Van Intermittent brake & ABS light!!!!

169K views 214 replies 89 participants last post by  Mrjff 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have made this video to put this to REST once and for all - the astro van ABS/BRAKE light issues.

HERE IS THE REAL FIX - someone in charge please make this a 'sticky'

WATCH VIDEO BELOW



WATCH VIDEO ABOVE

This is the REAL FIX for ANY Chevy Kelsey Hayes 325 EBCM module - common on Astro Van, S10, Corvette, etc. There is NO NEED to 'mail it in for repair' to the online 'companies' out there. YOU can do it YOURSELF in about 10 minutes on your kitchen table with a simple 25-watt soldering iron and some flux.

The fix WORKS - I have done it MULTIPLE TIMES. All the 'repair companies' do is RE-SOLDER the broken joints typically around the relay (code co256) - NO "NEW RELAY" IS PUT IN. The RELAY is NOT the problem! It's simply old solder.

Do it yourself and save $100-$1,700

The cost for repair if you have a soldering iron laying around is $0

Typical symptoms:

BRAKE and ABS light come on 'intermittently' seemingly when 'going over a bump', doesn't happen all the time, code co265 may show WITH an ABS code-reader

Comment with questions.

--Rolling Rock
 
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#102 ·
:banana: Woot, Got mine fixed to. Nothing complicated If you just take your time. :banana:

:ty:

So some things I was worried about Thinking I was going to lose break fluid, nope.
but
Cutting the layer of silicone to pry the thing open was the hardest part.

My board visually looked mint and the solder on the board it self didn't really melt I used 2 irons and heated each side then toped it off with new solder on every point and a few.

Was a really raining morning I was going 35 engaging Abs and then bumping over speed bumps :driving: It is the first 10+ minute drive in this bumpy town its made and it drove 30 minutes of torture testing and parked with no flaws/

Dealership really tried to low ball pops for that abs so it was gifted to mah, several shops installed speed sensors I don't know If he will be happy as me or mad that its fixed... lol he drives a Denali wtf does he care.

TY
 
#103 ·
As a follow up, my repair went well too. Pulled the whole thing out, drilled the rusted heads off and it came apart easy. Prying was a bit of work to split the silicone, and then using a dremel with a brush to clean up the old silicone was the biggest job.

Soldering was easy, it was all those spots the video showed. They didnt look that bad, but certainly were. Replaced bolts, all back together. Quick powerbleed and it is working great.

All together a much easier repair than I was expecting, and if your in the south it will be much much easier as the module will probably come apart by itself! I wish I did mine when I had the body off the frame, but I didnt know those error codes were bad solder joints at the time!

Scott
 
#104 ·
"@ pharbach" I found this forum while looking for info to repair the module on my 02 Silverado as it uses the same ABS hardware. I searched high and low to try and find the size, pitch and length of the four T20 screws so that I could buy replacements locally prior to dis-assembly but found nothing. I finally managed to get one of the screws out of my unit with vise grips and I thought I would share my findings. The four screws are 4 mm diameter, 0.7 pitch, x 25 mm in length. I purchased a pack of 25 from McMaster for less than $3. I hope this helps someone.
 
#106 ·
Just to let everyone know I too had my abs/brake light on my 2004 rwd driving me nuts. I took apart the ebcm looked at the board didn't see anything wrong with the solder joints and thought hell no I am not going to screw with it and fry the board so I put it back thinking it would just magically disappear. Yeah right! Two months later I took it apart again followed the instructions to a tee used jeweler style magnifying glasses touch up (8) eight solder joints and thanks God its been a week no warning lights on yet. Thank you Sir for that thread on the abs/brake light fix and thanks astro/safari.
 
#107 ·
I am in the process of fixing the ABS circuit board on my 2001 Astro. I was unable to remove the board from the valve body & pump, so I disconnected the five brake lines and unbolted the pump+valve+board from the frame. Having the screws out in the open allowed me leverage to get everything apart without stripping the rusty torx heads. I did manage to break one of the heads off the circuit board cover screws, but I'm not going to fix it.

I resoldered the board and put everything back together with new heat sink compound and silicone sealer. It was quite a job to get the old silicone off.

At this point I am trying to remember where all the brake lines go on the valve body. Could someone help me out? I assume that four of them go to the wheels (which one?) and the fifth goes to the master cylinder. At my age I know I should have written this down. I have a Haynes manual but it does not cover this. Below is a picture.

Thanks for any help.

 
#112 ·
Thanks for all the help!

Unfortunately, resoldering the circuit board did not help me. The ABS light is still on.

I have a code scanner (ScanGuage II) but it doesn't detect any codes. Is the OBD-II connector under the steering wheel the same thing as the diagnostic port? Some instructions I found online:

http://pswired.com/misc/pacaudio/abs.pdf

mention that you can extract ABS codes by using jumpers on the DLC (Data Link Connector). This document has a long troubleshooting section. Is the DLC the same as the OBD-II?

I also checked the two front wheel sensors by uncoupling a 4-way flat connector in the area of the ABS controller. I used aligator clips and a digital multimeter. I put the multimeter on VDC and turned the wheels to confirm that a signal was coming. The only thing I did not check, because I don't know where it is, is the sensor(s) for the rear wheels.

I'm thinking about going to a brake shop to see if they can tell me why the light's on. I want to get this fixed because I'm hoping to sell the van. It has about 76,000 miles.
 
#114 ·
Brake and abs lights turn on, not always just sometimes. When going to make uturn brake pedal tends to soften up more then normal, brakes tend to somewhat lock or brake quicker than normal. need help......... can anyone give me some advise on what the problem might be? :banghead:
 
#115 ·
Took my van to a Monroe shop so they could read the codes. They say the front right wheel sensor signal is bad, and think that the ABS ring on that rotor is rusted bad enough to cause this. They want $500+ to replace rotor/hub, new shoes, bearings, etc. Seems kind of high to me. Said $150 just for rotor/hub, but I can get that at NAPA for around $100. At some point I repacked the front bearings, so I think I could do it. But it will just take time. I should have gotten it diagnosed like this before I wasted my time ripping into the ECBM to resolder! Oh well. Anyway, I'm going to either do the work myself or get another estimate. I normally go to an independent shop to get work done that I don't want to do myself. I had them look at this problem a year ago or so but they did not want to get into the ABS area.
 
#116 ·
Jal, you don't say what year or model (awd, rwd) your van is, guessing it's pre-'03 rwd since you're talking about repacking bearings though...

As far as re-soldering the EBCM, it wasn't really a waste of time as it was likely to fail sometime anyway so consider it preventive maintenance. :thumbup: Also, when they do fail can set codes for things like faulty wheel speed sensor, etc that aren't really bad.
 
#119 ·
IT WORKED! On my 2000 Astro van there was very little overhead room to access the 4 small Torx screws to remove the module and to make it harder the screw on the back that is not visible didn't feel like it had a good fit with the Torx bit (I was using a 1/4" socket wrench with a Torx socket bit). I used a dental pick to remove or at least loosen the dirt in the screw head and then I dipped the Torx bit in valve grinding compound. I keep some handy for Phillips head screws that are worn and dip my screwdriver tips in the compound. The Torx bit then fit better and was easier to keep in place while I worked to get the socket attached. Once removed I found the two halves of my module were held together with six size 9 torx screws and the bits I had weren't long enough. I went to Harbor Freight and purchased a set of long Torx head keys (similar to hex head Allen wrenches). I went slow in splitting the case and this took quite a bit of time. Once open I could see NO problems but I put the soldering iron tip to all the larger solder joints and reheated them and added a just a little more solder (small dia. fluxed solder wire). I bought a $4 small tube of Heat sink compound at Radio Shack and reassembled with rtv siilcone adhesive. Reinstalling the module was not difficult and I would have bet you that I had not fixed the problem because even with a magnifying glass all joints looked fine before I reheated them. However this procedure fixed it! I hope the tips I have included help someone else.
 
#121 ·
I just got finished doing it too. It worked for me, but it turns out that I also have a bad wheel sensor. Now the ABS goes off every time I brake at low speed. I pulled the fuse and ordered a pair of new sensors.

The sensors are from Hong Kong and were $13 for the pair shipped. I'll do a review on them after they are installed and some time passes.
 
#122 ·
By the way, my ABS sensors are on the slow boat from China. I ordered them two weeks ago and they aren't due to arrive until later next month.

Judging from the price, I can't hope for a lot. However, there is a chance that they are made at the same factory as the expensive "American Made" sensors. For thirteen bucks, I don't have a lot to lose.

...except time and scraped knuckles.
 
#123 ·
I have a 2005 Astro Van showing the ABS and Brake dash lights intermittently along with the code C0265. I'd like to give this fix a try, but need a little advice on pulling the ABS module. Mine is located under the van in the driver's seat area. I can pull the three electrical connectors without much difficulty. Getting to the T20 bolts is another story. They're all blind bolts meaning I can't seem to get a visual on them. I just can barely reach up and find them when I'm under the van. There appears to be an angled guard around the ABS assembly held on by two nuts/bolts. They are pretty rusted. I'm afraid if I loosen them to remove the guard the bolts will start spinning and I'll have no way to tighten things back up again.

The instructions I've seen show you what to do once you get the module on the bench. My problem is getting it to the bench. How do you remove the module on a 2005 AWD Astro??
 
#124 ·
Liberally soak all the fasteners in penetrating oil a few days ahead of time and you will have better odds. As for the T20 torx screws, you just have to feel your way through it. Start with the torx bit or socket and work that into place, give it a good tap to make sure it's seated, then put the ratchet on the socket. Stay positive, that helps.
 
#126 ·
If you happen to have a Silverado or Sierra pickup (99 to 06) with the shift indicator and odometer display out on the instrument cluster..... thats another bad soldering job. While I want to blame GM I know they do not make the cluster. On the trucks you can pop the entire upper dash bezel without removing a single screw. Remove the 4 screws on the cluster (same single large connector like on my 2000 Astro that connects itself), unclip the plastic protector on the back of the cluster and carefully resolder the larger pins on the display. Same thing with places online wanting to charge you a lot to send it off for them to fix it.
 
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