Hello all,

I recently had my ball joints replaced, both lower and upper. The same day the brakes felt funny and later the anti lock light turned on. It was on over the weekend before I could take the car back to the shop. Come Monday the light is off but on the way to the shop i was braking slowly for a red light when i heard/felt the anti lock kick in for no apparent reason( i wasn't breaking hard at all or going fast). It felt like the driver's side locked up and the passanger side did not due to the anti lock kicking in and i almost ended up in the opposite lane. After that the Anti lock light stayed on and the breaks worked OK without the Anti Lock feature, all the way to the shop. When I got there they said nothing they did could cause this, he put the truck on the lift showed me where the anti lock sensors/wire is on each wheel etc and blah blah and told me to go on my way. I know there has to be something that they did to cause this. It did not happen before the ball joints were replaced.

2nd issue.

All my interior lights are always on for some odd reason, I had to pull all the bulbs to not drain the battery. I checked the door sensors and they seem to move in and out fine. This happened after I had the door hinges on the driver side replaced due to a broken washer. The interior light switch/guage backlight dimmer does click on and off and dims the dash lights but doesnt turn off the interrior lights.

Any help would be appreciated on either isssue. I am more concerned about the braking for my safety than the interior light issue.

Thanx.

 

Welcome to the forum.

It sound like the shop screwed up. All they had to do is get some grease on the reluctor or the magnet for the ABS to screw up. Ill see if I can post a picture, but it's probably just dirt.

As for the lights, I would remove the drivers' door switch and check the wire attatched to it. put a bulb back in, then remove the switch. if the bulb goes out, it's that switch that's bad. The switch is simply a ground, when the door is closed, the circuit to ground is broken and the light goes out.
I'd start with the drivers' door 'cause that's the one you had worked on.


Here's a GM bulletin on ABS.

Condition
Some customers may comment on ABS activation at low speeds, usually below 8 km/h (5 mph). Upon investigation, the technician will find no DTCs set.

Cause
The cause of this condition may be an increased air gap between the wheel speed sensor and the hub reluctor ring due to rust and debris built up on the sensor mounting surface.

Correction
Measure AC voltage and clean wheel speed sensor mounting surfaces.

Raise the vehicle on a hoist.
Disconnect both the front wheel speed sensor harness connectors.
Place a DVM across the terminals of each sensor connector.
Rotate the wheel with hand speed and measure the ACmV's. The reading should be at least 350 ACmV's.
If the reading is between 200 and 350 ACmV's, remove the wheel, caliper and rotor in order to gain access to the speed sensor.
Remove the wheel speed sensor and plug the hole to prevent debris from falling into the hub during service.
Clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface using a wire brush, sand paper, emery cloth, ScotchBriteâ„¢, or other suitable material. Be sure to thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor surface. There should be no rust or corrosion.
Check the sensor head to determine if it has been warped/distorted due to the corrosion build up or other causes. Check the mounting surface on the sensor head for flatness by placing it on the edge of a metal machinists scale or other suitable straight edge to measure the flatness. Check the sensor for flatness in multiple (minimum 3) positions/directions. If the sensor head is distorted, replace the sensor.
Apply (spray) two thin coats of the specified rust penetrating lubricant (corrosion inhibitor) to the complete sensor mounting surface on the bearing hub. Allow to dry for 3-5 minutes between coats. Use ONLY Rust Penetrating Lubricant, P/N 89022217 (Canadian P/N 89022218).
When the corrosion inhibitor is dry to the touch (about 10 minutes), apply a thin layer of bearing grease to the hub surface and sensor O-ring prior to sensor installation. Use ONLY Wheel Bearing Lubricant, P/N 01051344 (Canadian P/N 993037).
Install either the original sensor or a new one in the hub and secure the sensor. Ensure that the sensor is seated flush against the hub.
Install the rotor, the caliper and the wheel.
Place the DVM across the sensor terminals and recheck the voltage while rotating the wheel by hand. The voltage should now read at least 350 ACmV's



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Thank you for that quick answer. I will try the door switches tomarrow....and see what i can do about the sensors.

 

I agree on the door switches.

Also, if the shop wasn't careful when they replaced the ball joints, they could have damaged the WSS wiring during the replacement process.

 

Thanks for you help guys. After taking off the passenger side tire it seems that the sensor wire rubbed against the inside of the rim which burned through the rubber of the wire. I had it patched and repositioned so it doesnt hit the rim anymore and the ABS is fine now.


Thanx again
-Paul