Ok guys I have the answer to the question. How do I disable my ABS system. This is NOT the correct fix, but the cheapest for me!
I have a friend who is a fully certified mechanic get me the diagram for the ABS system for my 95 safari and we figured the best way to disable it is to cut the main power going to the ABS pump so heres a step by step of what I did.
1. Pull the battery out, disconnect the ground first then the positive.
2. The ABS control unit is under the master brake cylinder, follow the wiring harness from the unit up to behind where the battery was.
3. There you will see two plugs, one has about 4 or 5 small gauge wires, the other has one big red wire, this is the power wire for the ABS pump, unplug it
4. I wrapped it with electrical tape to keep out dirt and water.
5 Install battery in reverse order of removing it. (REMEMBER YOU NO LONGER HAVE ABS BRAKES NOW)
Now when I took it for a test ride it did take care of the problem I had with the ABS acting up when I was coming to a stop, but now the ABS light is on, so the next fix was a piece of electrical tape over the warning light...lol it works.....I did see online somewhere where you could install a diode in the plug so the computer thinks the ABS is still connected and the light won't come on, but thats another story......
Now my buddy said the correct fix is most likely that one or both of the front hubs with the sensors in them need to be replaced, but that cost money!..lol
So good luck, hope this helps for the guys who wanted to know!
..........I too have been experiencing the brake failure at low speeds in my '98 AWD Astro, and also have almost rear-ended people. I could not find this topic on the forum because I didn't realize it was ABS-related. In fact, nothing showed on my dash in the form of error lights, so I thought it may be air in the brake lines, a problem with the booster, who knows.
There is another thread http://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11954 about this problem. Yes, it is most likely an ABS problem but maybe not with the ABS control unit. It may be a problem with the front wheel speed sensors which are part of the ABS system. There was a recall on some GM vehicles (not Astro) that may still affect our vans. You can read the fix here viewtopic.php?f=45&t=917&p=35796#p35796 If cleaning the sensor mount does not work then you may need a new sensor or even a whole new hub. New hubs come with new sensors.
That recall bulletin did not turn out to be my problem. I had to replace one of the front hubs. You can diagnose the wheel speed signal to the ABS system with a DVM but it won't tell you if just the sensor is bad or the whole hub needs to be replaced.
My '96 AWD had dangerous ABS issues. Finally the pump kept buzzing, so I just pulled the fuse. ABS light is on, but now I have full control of the brakes and it does not interfere with the AWD. Easy.
'96 has very difficult to reach front wheel sensors. You have to remove the brake backing plates which were something like 18mm hex head bolts, and they were seized from Minnesota salt. They had to be the most unreliable ABS brakes I ever drove.
'95 Safari AWD... I unplugged what I thought was the red wire referred to in the OP (the pics are gone) but the braking problem didn't go away and the brake light didn't come on. According to the manual the fuse labeled 'brake on the fuse box is for ABS, cruise control and speedometer. Is that the right fuse to pull? I can do without cruise and I can use a GPS app on my phone for the speedometer so if I pull that fuse will that get rid of the ABS?
You could moose but why? Is the system working in a bad way or do you just want to turn off the light?
If the light is on it means the ABS is not working already.
Black tape.
The light is not on... I want to disable the ABS because they activate at any speed and I have very little braking power because of that. Reading thru this thread it seems like it's a common issue with these vans. I just had my inspection done so I don't have to worry about that any time soon.
I too am having trouble with the ABS system. Started out with the light coming on occasionally then more often now the lights don't come on but every time you stop the abs engages around 5mph. I have removed and checked the module for damage to the circuits. I didn't notice any issues but I still went ahead and re soldered the connections.
I did notice one other time the speedo was acting up as I was almost at a complete stop it still read about 10-20mph it jumped around two or three times very quickly then fell to zero. It's not doing that now and I did pull the speed sensor out of the trans to check it. It passes the tests. Next is the front wheel sensors. Although I really doubt the sensors are the culprit. The abs engages like clockwork now. Still no lights on the dash illuminated though.
I had the same problem with my ABS coming on on dry pavement for no reason with my 2003 AWD Astro.. last time was 2 years ago, I simply pulled the fuse, AWD worked fine... eventually had to replace the front hub bearing assembly when it went... after replacing no more issue... I again have the problem and pulled the fuse, no ABS but the AWD works fine... I'm assuming the hub will need to be replaced again...as far as I know on the 2003 you can't just change the sensor it's integrated into the hub assembly...
Amazing what you find on these forums. Came here with the same problem. Gonna try pulling the fuse tomorrow.
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