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Flashing ABS light

Discussion in '1st Gen Tundras (2000-2006)' started by FirstGenVol, May 13, 2019.

  1. May 13, 2019 at 6:15 AM
    #1
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    I did a search for info on this but didn't find anything. I was greeted this morning with a flashing ABS light. It turns off once I get up to speed but comes back on at red lights.

    Ironically, I installed one of those bluetooth OBDII's over the weekend but it's not giving me any info. I assume it's because the light is only flashing? @because_v8 , did you end up getting one of these as well?

    When I was installing the rear shocks this weekend I removed the driver side drum to look at the brakes. I noticed the drum was harder to get back on than the last time I checked them. Aside from that, I'm not sure what I could have done that would cause this light to come on.

    When I got to work I felt both drums and neither one felt really hot. I didn't know if one of the shoes may have been dragging. Is the wheel speed sensor related to the ABS or separate? I was thinking I may have bumped the sensor during install.

    Any thoughts on how to diagnose this?
     
  2. May 13, 2019 at 6:26 AM
    #2
    because_wumbo-truck

    because_wumbo-truck TTC#036 & 1st Degenerate

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    I never ended up ordering that blue tooth obd2 reader. But I can say in my Tacomas, that sometimes the scangauge2 would make the abs light flash or light up. Have you unplugged and plugged it back in? It shouldn't be an issue and will go away eventually. May come back randomly a few times a month
     
  3. May 13, 2019 at 6:28 AM
    #3
    because_wumbo-truck

    because_wumbo-truck TTC#036 & 1st Degenerate

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    Also yes if you did mess up the speed sensor, it would mess up the abs. That happened on the front passengrr brake on my Tacoma. I pulled the abs fuse and fixed the problem. The abs on first gen tacos is garbage anyways. It was optional lol
     
  4. May 13, 2019 at 6:35 AM
    #4
    koditten

    koditten New Member

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    Same.

    My ScanGauge2 will occasionally cause the abs light to flash. It stops after I unplug it and plug it back in.
     
    because_wumbo-truck likes this.
  5. May 13, 2019 at 6:42 AM
    #5
    Darkness

    Darkness Allergic to white

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    Did you touch the sensors at each wheel? If they're a little loose you'll see the light come on.
     
    Black Wolf likes this.
  6. May 13, 2019 at 7:00 AM
    #6
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    I'll try that next. It didn't occur to me that the OBD may be causing this because it's only happening at a stop.

    I checked the sensor on the wheel that I thought I may have bumped and it seemed fine. I was actually going to unplug it and blow it out but I couldn't get it to budge. It's in there firmly. I'll check the others.
     
  7. May 13, 2019 at 9:59 AM
    #7
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    I completely removed the OBDII and it's still happening. This is strange.
     
  8. May 13, 2019 at 10:33 AM
    #8
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    Have you tried disconnecting the battery for a few mins and then trying again?
     
    TX-TRD1stGEN likes this.
  9. May 14, 2019 at 6:18 AM
    #9
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol [OP] Brake Czar

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    Well I guess this OBDII was a waste of $10. My truck apparently doesn't like it. The light hasn't come on since lunch yesterday.

    Thanks for the help everyone. It never occurred to me that this would cause my ABS light to flash.
     
  10. Sep 13, 2022 at 7:17 AM
    #10
    sakana

    sakana New Member

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    FWIW, I get the same thing - (flashing ABS light) - when I have one of those el cheapo bluetooth OBDII readers plugged in. Doesn't seem to matter whether I unplug it/plug it back in. ABS Light comes back on at stoplights. I even disconnected my battery, which I did for a different reason (alarm randomly setting itself off) and that didn't seem to matter. ABS light still flashes whenever the bluetooth reader is plugged in. There seem to be no adverse effects on my truck's drivability, but just to be on the safe side, I am not leaving the OBDII reader plugged in all the time. I may also try a different OBDII reader. https://www.obdlink.com/products/obdlink-lx/
     
  11. Sep 13, 2022 at 8:34 AM
    #11
    shifty`

    shifty` Is the Gila Copter a love machine?

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    Lots of problems have been reported here with always leaving bluetooth OBD dongles plugged in - battery drain, unusual gauge cluster lights lighting up or gauge cluster behavior, etc. Some guys get lucky and don't see anything. Other times, total chaos. I think it speaks to the poor quality of cheaper sub-$50 products out there, and even some of the pricier ones. Unfortunately, they're designed and made as cheaply as possible, some of the circuitry isn't protected, and can short the unit, or potentially even short your truck's electrical out.

    If the ABS light flashing stops when you unplug the OBD dongle and doesn't return until it's plugged back in, I'd e-Recycle the dongle and get another unit. If it's sending false signals to your ECU saying ABS has a circuit failure, something has probably shorted out inside the unit and it's backfeeding noise or voltage to the ECU making it see shit that's not there.

    I've shot a message to the ODB Link folks inquiring about the LX product you linked, I'm curious to give it a try, or if their flagship model that costs $160 adds any benefits in our early-model trucks.

    If the ABS flashing still happens after unplugging the OBD dongle, you'll need to throw a code reader on it to see what the problem is, but normally SRS/safety restraint ABS flashing needs a capable, separate tool to reset the light. It's not like resetting a diagnostic code.

    It'd be interesting to see what error codes it's throwing while flashing. I'm guessing squib circuit fail.
     

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