I'm getting conflicting reports on this issue. I just bought a super clean 1994 S10 blazer 4.3. The Anti-Lock idiot light is always on. According to one source, GM manufactured the vehicle to display that at all times. According to some who have the same model, the ABS system is supposedly more of a hazard during sudden stops than a benefit and the light being on tells me I have no ABS and should keep it that way. I was thinking about having my ABS system looked at (Wheel speed sensor cleaned etc.) by the dealership, but now I'm leaning towards saving the money.

Is it an easy thing to clean the sensors just to see if the idiot light will go out?

 

my light stays on and i have a 94 s10 blazer 4.3l as well but being the light stays on i still have ABS

 

The light is not supposed to be on. It will come on when there is a problem with the system. It means that the system may not operate properly in the event that it is needed.

Most of the time this can be attributed to a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor. However, the earlier systems were plagued with issues relating to the ABS pumps and controls themselves.

To the OP. Your friend must have a VERY active foot if he can out-brake a properly working ABS system in adverse conditions. That "old wives tale" came about from the early ABS systems (far earlier than 94) that reacted slower and tended to stay on after the condition had subsided. Most of these older systems never worked properly anyway. Newer systems are MUCH better and are way faster than any human could think of reacting or even possibly hope to recreate in terms of controlling brake force to maintain traction.

 

I have a 94 and my ABS light is not nor never has been on (except during initial key on when starting the truck) and I have never had any complaints about problems with it being a hazard or not working properly, do a search on these forums about cleaning the wheel speed sensor I've never had to do it but it seems pretty easy and straightforward.
I would not take it to a dealership they would likely tell you the ABS box on the front driver fender is the culprit just to soak you ($700 for the part alone iirc) if it comes to that id do some boneyard hopping you may get lucky.

 

i have had my ABS light on for awhile now. w/ the light on u have no ABS so u just have to pump it ur self if u feel em start to lock up.

u can clean the wheel sensor fairly easily. u just have to pull the wheel and rotor off and u'll see a gear like looking thing in the center the wheel sensor is like a 'caliper' to that. u'll prolly see lil spikes sticking up from it to do magnetism. just either blow it off or use some WD40 to clean it.

also if u see grease coming on to it, that could be from a bad wheel bearing pushing the grease out and onto the sensor. if cleaning it doesnt help then u prolly have a bad wheel sensor.

 

When the wheel sensor failed in my '05 silverado I could not make the brakes engage at all using the brake pedal. Made for an interesting time on the interstate in traffic. In my opinion it's definitely "worth the bother" to check it out. Using the parking brake to stop gets old in a hurry. And your underwear will probably stay cleaner!

 

After some heavy off-roading my light came on. The next day I started checking things over and discovered a cut wire to the LF wheel sensor. Just sayin that its worth a shot to do a visual for anything out of the ordinary.

 

my abs light was on for awhile, then i took the wheel off, and the sensor is a little black box on the wheel hub, i just pulled it out and it had some grease on it, how idk, and put it back in and it solved my problem

 

Great to hear may need to do the same then

 

Figured I'd post this in here instead of creating an entire new abs post.

My abs sensor was disconnected when i bought it (94 s10 blazer) because it has issues...should i buy a new sensor? They are around $60. Any safety concerns without it, besides bad weather? With the way people drive here there have been several occasions where i needed to get the brakes to lock up, but also i don't know much about abs, does having abs take longer to stop if you really have to stomp on it? As an example of what i mean I'll tell you my latest collision avoidance...

Was driving down the main street in town and there was a blue car in front of me, and a white car in front of him...the white car came to a dead stop on a 30 mph street which meant the blue car had to slam his brakes, which then i had to do...thanks to my fast reaction time and driving skill the only reason we knew that our 2 cars had made contact was because i brushed some mud off his bumper, no scratches or anything

Any help and guidance on this issue will be greatly appreciated