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2001 Accord EX ABS Light On

31K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  badlt 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I have googled many websites and search this forum for my issue but I am unable to find a solution, short of going to the dealership. I'm hoping that perhaps one of you would be able to help me out.

I'm the first owner of one of the Japanese made 2001 Accord EX (VIN starts with J) and for 8 years and 145k miles, I have never had any problem with this vehicle until a couple of weeks ago when the ABS light went on. I have read multiple sites stating that it could possibly be the sensor or the ABS module. The thing is, I would rather not be playing any guessing games as to which item(s) is malfuctioning.

I have tried removing the fuse for the ABS for 30 min and also switching the ignition to on and off 20+ times then driving the vehicle. Neither method works for clearing the light. I also have an ELM scantool that I tried to connect to the OBD2 sensor, and that did not work either. It was not even able to detect that there was any problem with the car.

I'm trying to find out if there is a "morse code" way of detecting what is wrong with the ABS system. On some Accords, I guess, people were able to short out certain pins or grounding certain pins in order for the ABS light to give a "morse code" to determine what is wrong. Is there a way to do this on the 2001 Accord? Also, once I am able to fix the problem (ie. cleaning or replacing the bad sensor), will it go away on its own or will I have to reset it? Dealers usually charge an arm and a leg for 5 min of their time to plug in their scanning tool and I'm hoping not to spend that much if I am capable to work on it on my own. Thanks in advance for any suggestion that anyone can provide.
 
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#2 ·
How good/bad is your battery? Since ABS is a great(est) consumer of electricity, maybe your battery is going bad, thus ABS is not getting enough power.
 
#4 ·
Battery is a little more than a year old. I never had any problems starting up the car. Battery test through Autozone a couple of months back showed that it was in great shape. So I don't think that is the issue.

I have a feeling that it might be one of the wheel sensors. I just want to make sure which one it is. I can get a replacement for about $30 a piece. But I just want to know which one to replace. Also, if it will automatically clear the ABS light right after I fixed it. Thank you for your suggestion.
 
#3 ·
My ABS light comes on too sometimes, more so recently. My dealer wants 90 to figure the issue out and will apply half of that to the resolution. I can always clear mine by flicking the ignition off then on when coasting (yea maybe not the best idea) so i never bothered with it. Everything is working fine it seems....

Let us know....
 
#5 ·
According to the manual, when the ABS light is on, the ABS system will not be functioning. You will have the regular braking system of the car, but if you need to steer the vehicle during a sudden stop, the ABS will not work and you may loose control of the car.

I can try your method of clearing the ABS, but I wonder if it matters if the car is in neutral or in gear. I have a manual transmission version of the accord. If it can be in neutral while I turn the car off and back on, then I don't think it's a big deal. It may be more complicated to have the car in one of the gears and having to start it while the transmission is still spinning. I guess I can give that a try after I fix what causing the light to come on in the first place. The streets are pretty quiet in the morning. I can try both being on gear and being on netural when I'm sure I won't be endangering anyone else. Thanks for the tips.
 
#6 ·
I received an answer from another forum and was able to find out how to find the code for the ABS. Basically I shorted out the BLACK and BROWN wire and the ABS light started flashing out the code 5-3, which means that the ABS pump is staying on.

http://alflash.com.ua/honda.htm


Ok... so now that I know that my ABS pump is contantly running, does anyone know how I can fix it? Would this be the ABS modulator problem or can I fix this by just changing the relay? I'm guessing it is the relay because the ABS is staying on. Any suggestions provided is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
 
#7 ·
I think I may have just fixed my ABS situation. I thought I would post this in case someone else might have a similar issue.

I installed digital ballasts for HID headlights a couple of weeks prior to the ABS light coming on. It just so happen that one of the ballasts were mounted right next to the ABS pump/modulator. So I just thought that perhaps it was causing an interference with the ABS system. After moving the ballast and all the wirings away from the ABS modulator, I pulled all of the fuses to the ABS system for about 1/2 hour and put them back in. I also switch the key on/off for 30x. When I started the car, the ABS light remained. It wasn't until when I drove it for about 20mph that the light went out. I thought I would post this just in case someone else have an ABS issue with the Gen 6 Accord. Of course, I may have just temporarily fixed the problem by clearing the ABS light. I only drove it around the block for about 1/4 mile. I will post an update if it returns. Thanks for the tips everyone.
 
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