[Brendan]

Have the dreaded ABS/Brake light issue. Try as I might I was only able to get one of the torx screws out. I am thinking I have to something a bit more drastic.

Option 1: take whole ABS unit out but then I don't have the ability to bleed the ABS.

2) cut a whole in the floor of the van. This might give me enough access to grind the heads off the stock torx bolts. Has anybody tried this approach?

 

[keith92ext]

those modules are a pain in a$$....make sure it really is the module and not loose ground wire or speed sensor first...if your break lines are rusty or even questionable i would bite the bullet and just pull the whole thing out and do it all...chances are you are gonna snap the lines anyway...more work but piece of mind knowing have new hard lines ...if lines are decent and you dont mind cutting the floor go for it...my lines on my 01 were original and rusted bad when i got it..replaced all with nicop lines..alot more work but well worth it..when you do get to the module take your time and DO NOT snap the screw off flush ..grind off the screw head if you have to but leave enough meat to get vice grips or a stud extractor on..

 

[tungtide]

I just went through this. No way I could get those screws out. So I pulled the whole unit. Still could not get the screws out. Metal screws aluminum housing bonded together through galvanic corrosion. I sent my unit to a rebuilder. ( internet ) I ended up paying about 200.00 to have this done. You can buy a new top half for 179.00, but this leaves you to deal with the screws. Bleeding the brakes has its own problems. I ended up with new calipers due to rusty bleed screws and one rear wheel cylinder. There are threads on that. When it was all said and done turns out I need a front wheel hub and sensor also. I will be rebuilding the front end soon so that's for another day. If I had to do it over I would have bought the entire new unit. 560.00 plus 179.00 lower part ( pump ) upper part ( valving ) because I never want to do it again. Best wishes.

 

[Rustbelt_mVan]

I cut a hole in my driver's side floor to access the ABS unit. I did read several posts in which very patient (maybe lucky) folks used a small grinder to get the heads off. But as stated above, you still have the screw threads to deal with. I don't regret going through the floor but it's definitely not ideal. Perhaps some AZ or SoCal guy will chime in about having their 20-year-old module out in 5 minutes.
There are ebay and other online retailers that sell stainless steel replacement screws for the module. I highly recommend them. Should you need to revisit the module in the future, you will not regret a few extra $$ spent there.
Once I got the module out, I made an attempt at reflowing the solder with a terrible HF solder gun. Still had a hard C0265 code (as I recall) and ended up buying an entire ABS control unit from a local salvage yard for $55. When that EBCM also had the same codes, I used one of the $50 ebay mail-in ABS module repair services and have been good since then (about 2 years).

 

[sixsix]

I cut a hole in my driver's side floor to access the ABS unit... ...

Not seen THAT one before.

Wow.

:shock:

Just... Wow.

 

[keith92ext]

if i had to do it again id go thru the floor like that....i used a little heat to break the rust bond on the screws....propane torch for just maybye 5-10 seconds is all you need...dont wanna melt anything on the inside of that proportioning valve....big money for a new one...dont forget to use neverseize on the new screws..

 

[Rustbelt_mVan]

I cut a hole in my driver's side floor to access the ABS unit... ...

Not seen THAT one before.

Wow.

:shock:

Just... Wow.

Glad I was able to pioneer that one for ya.
I was much happier fabricating the floor back together for a few hours than I would have been laying underneath the rusty van with a die grinder, pliers and PB Blaster. Don't get me wrong, there was a bit of that, just much more tolerable and ergonomic from the top.

 

[AstroWill]

I recently did the one on BB and this time I did it AFTER the 2" lift pucks, SOOOOOOOO much easier than doing it before the lift. So if you are planning on lifting your van, do that first

 

[gengomepyle]

i took mine out a couple of months ago.. i just jacked the drivers side up and did it from under the van. it only took a few minutes to take it out. it was pretty simple

 

[Blit-zen]

I would like to remove the control module from the abs. Is it still possible to drive the vehicle with it out?

 

[CopperFiremist]

Yes

 

[MI_Ghost]

With the control module off you can still drive it.
With the valve body out. You will have NO brakes.

 

[MI_Ghost]

....

 

[Blit-zen]

Looking for the cheapest possible replacement. Is this core still worth anything?

 

[Blit-zen]

So I decided to clean some grounds since I wouldn't be able to fix my abs issues with a soldering iron. Started at the battery and noticed some green corrosion coming from the bottom of the fuse box. I opened the box and found a heavy ground bar corroded on one end where it was pushing into one of the red wires. You can see the dent in the picture. As it turns out that red wire is for the abs. So my question is could this have caused my abs light to come on sometimes while driving and my abs to activate at slow speed? Thanks in advance to all who comment.

 

[Rod's Trucks]

Blit-zen wrote:
"...Could this have caused my abs light to come on sometimes while driving and my abs to activate at slow speed?"
From the looks of that red wire ( it looks like the edge has been pinched, and maybe into the edge of the ground buss), I would suspect you found the culprit. The only way to tell for sure, is to make sure that wire is insulated and cannot come in contact with the buss bar.
Then drive it for as long as you think you need to, to prove to yourself the problem is resolved...or not.
That is the sort of thing that would drive most owners crazy, most mechanics would rather not deal with, and the reason some find 'good deals' on decent vans.
Nice find. I hope that is the problem, and you can button it up and enjoy it. :rockon:
Rod J
Issaquah, WA

 

[Blit-zen]

Thx rod!

 

[a1powerline]

Looking for the cheapest possible replacement. Is this core still worth anything?

They will want the core to rebilled

 

[a1powerline]

So I decided to clean some grounds since I wouldn't be able to fix my abs issues with a soldering iron. Started at the battery and noticed some green corrosion coming from the bottom of the fuse box. I opened the box and found a heavy ground bar corroded on one end where it was pushing into one of the red wires. You can see the dent in the picture. As it turns out that red wire is for the abs. So my question is could this have caused my abs light to come on sometimes while driving and my abs to activate at slow speed? Thanks in advance to all who comment.

I got this when I was looking for my 2003 just now. Have not tried it yet but is def worth a try. I saw a vid that said all you had to do was hit a few of the solder joints and it would fix the problem but . . . I think this ground is going to be first. I could only get one screw out the last time I tried to take it out. So I'm hoping this ground might be it.