My ABS is going to kill me.

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mtncrzr

New member
1998 4WD, the ABS has always terrified me. Basically slides on gravel, no stopping power which is not fun when you are in and around 600' drops.
Now with the first snow in Colorado, several times I almost slid into the car in front of me, or through an intersection on a downslope even when being super cautious and thinking I had plenty of room. Like it would.not.stop. New Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires (12 years old but stored inside and rubber is very fresh, no cracks at all).

I know the Gen3 ABS is not considered very good. Is there any way to improve it? Or a way to test it to make sure it's performing as well as I could expect before disconnecting it?

I saw a thread saying you need to unbolt the fuse panel under the hood to get to the ABS fuse. anyone have a photo?
You sacrifice control in turns, but I don't trust the ABS at all.
Is this recommended? There was a lot of discussion around notifying (or not) your insurance, as some discount ABS and/or may not cover you in an accident. Thanks!
 
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We had a good snow on the Front Range about 10 days ago and I intentionally tested my ABS/braking system many times after a brake upgrade & fluid flush- it worked as good as any of the ABS system that I have owned.

Push the brake pedal to the floor and hold it- don't pump the brakes.

When was the last time your brake fluid was flushed & replaced?
 
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_Ace_ said:
I tested my ABS/braking system after a brake upgrade & fluid flush- it worked as good as any of the ABS system that I have owned.

Push the brake pedal to the floor and hold it- don't pump the brakes.

When was the last time your brake fluid was flushed & replaced?
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Great to know! This rig sat for the past 7 years without moving at 9,000 ft as I was in another location. I jumped in, changed the oil, jump started it, drove it across Colorado and it's running great. The brakes work fine on pavement but wouldn't surprise me if it had some water in lines from sitting. The ABS was sketchy 7 years ago when I bought it, so I don't know last time fluid changed. It's time to replace the pads, I'll do a full flush. I may not get to doing the brakes right away as I am under crazy work load right now and only drive a few miles a week. I may disco in the mean while. Did you do bigger brakes or just upgrade pads? Recommend?
 
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I'm in the same boat as you, I live in a very mountainous and hill-y area and the ABS is absolutely terrifying at points. I've even had it kick it on completely dry, dusty roads and made me stop like I was on black ice. Worn down manhole covers or steel plating? Might as well be an oil slick.
Most people just ride without it, that alone is a massive improvement. I've been riding without it for a few months now and got my brakes to lock up once since, and it was miles better than having the system activated. I still retained a good amount of braking pressure and stopped in a reasonable distance, as opposed to ABS kicking in and taking away 90% of it
Last snowfall I nearly got in 3 wrecks because of exactly that - was coming over an icy hill very slowly, started braking before cresting it, but the second the vehicle hits ice on the downhill the ABS comes on and reduces the brake pressure until you take your foot clear off the pedal and press again... at which point you've gained more speed and it'll kick on even faster and harder than before, and now you're snowballing.
Tires will make a giant difference too, but pretty quickly/pretty often you're gonna be sacrificing a quiet and comfy ride for traction and grip.
 
From my build thread -

I used this Allstar brake bleeder, worked like a charm -

51WdWAT9rmL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


PhoRunner's video & bleeder recommendation -

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ahEv1GDQ7kw?si=i6YrWCSu6HxcNEfT" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>



I also bled/flushed the clutch system- easy!
 
Devbot said:
I'm in the same boat as you, I live in a very mountainous and hill-y area and the ABS is absolutely terrifying at points. I've even had it kick it on completely dry, dusty roads and made me stop like I was on black ice. Worn down manhole covers or steel plating? Might as well be an oil slick.
Most people just ride without it, that alone is a massive improvement. I've been riding without it for a few months now and got my brakes to lock up once since, and it was miles better than having the system activated. I still retained a good amount of braking pressure and stopped in a reasonable distance, as opposed to ABS kicking in and taking away 90% of it
Last snowfall I nearly got in 3 wrecks because of exactly that - was coming over an icy hill very slowly, started braking before cresting it, but the second the vehicle hits ice on the downhill the ABS comes on and reduces the brake pressure until you take your foot clear off the pedal and press again... at which point you've gained more speed and it'll kick on even faster and harder than before, and now you're snowballing.
Tires will make a giant difference too, but pretty quickly/pretty often you're gonna be sacrificing a quiet and comfy ride for traction and grip.
Click to expand...


Yeah I’ve that same issue on dry dusty roads too. Even something as simple as pulling over onto the shoulder that happens to have a lot of little pebbles will cause the ABS to go nuts and slide like an oilslick is there


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the_welfare_wagon said:
Yeah I’ve that same issue on dry dusty roads too. Even something as simple as pulling over onto the shoulder that happens to have a lot of little pebbles will cause the ABS to go nuts and slide like an oilslick is there


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Replacing my lower control arm bushings and brake hoses and getting a good bleed did wonders for my brakes and ABS.


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Devbot said:
I
Last snowfall I nearly got in 3 wrecks because of exactly that - was coming over an icy hill very slowly, started braking before cresting it, but the second the vehicle hits ice on the downhill the ABS comes on and reduces the brake pressure until you take your foot clear off the pedal and press again... at which point you've gained more speed and it'll kick on even faster and harder than before, and now you're snowballing..
Click to expand...
this is terrifying and making me want to just locate the wire and cut it. :whip:
 
I bought my 2000 4runner in December of 2015.

The first day I drove it I slid through a 4 way stop because the ABS cycled on and off so slowly that it probably doubled my stopping distance.
I disconnected a connector on the ABS unit the next day and have been driving it since without any issues other than the ABS light is illuminated.

I spent 30 years driving without ABS in winter so not having it is not an issue for me.
My other vehicles have it and work well.
 

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Brake fluid changes are often ignored/neglected and this can cause issues like ABS malfunctions, poor braking responsiveness, mushy brake feeling, longer stopping distance, ect.

Most manufacturers recommend flushing the brake system regularly.

Starting with a brake fluid flush/replacement is a good place to start.

I recently did the Tundra brake upgrade on my 1998 SR5 4WD, new rotors, brake lines, pads & calipers with a full flush afterwards. Brakes operate fine and the ABS works great (tested in snow).
 
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Oh that's funny. Reminded me of one time I was in Tahoe, came up to a 4 way stop and gently braked... there was snow or maybe ice, but probably mostly snow around the intersection... the ABS activated like an ice skater sliding across an ice rink.

Everything was in slow motion... other people had come to a stop and was just looking at me (even made eye contact) as I waltz through the intersection. It was sliding so slowly... I felt I could have gone out walked next to it, then hopped back in.

I was running on MT T/A KM2 tires which admittedly has poor snow ratings though. When I switched to AT T/A KO2 the car did better under those conditions, but barely.

I think it works as intended, but what a scary feeling when it won't slow down. Good to manuever though, but sometimes I do wonder if locking up (and yes, as the OP suggested, going downhill on a dirt/gravel road and the truck not slowing down can also be scary) might be preferred?

I wonder if there's a way to put an in-cab switch that could disable the ABS, then I guess reenable it after a restart? (Probably can't be done w/o a restart). Sort of like a last ditch attempt to just STOP the car if you need stopping power without manuevering.
 
lockedlex said:
I wonder if that works too for elockers, if anyone's tried/confirmed.
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I did it on my 97 with an eLocker and it does work.

Another thing that I didn't so quickly see in the thread is that the wheel speed sensors are magnetic and can pick up little bits of debris: if you pull the speed sensors take a look at the ends of them: if there's stuff stuck to them it can interfere.
 
I'm seeing a good number of thread replies with the word "Ice" in them: sorry, but no matter how good your ABS or 4x4 is, ice doesn't care.

For that reason I first weigh the reason why I am headed out in it, and second: I have a set of steel wheels with studded tires that I keep on one of the 4Runners for winter. If I REALLY have to go out, I take the studded tires.
 
Reinout said:
I'm seeing a good number of thread replies with the word "Ice" in them: sorry, but no matter how good your ABS or 4x4 is, ice doesn't care.

For that reason I first weigh the reason why I am headed out in it, and second: I have a set of steel wheels with studded tires that I keep on one of the 4Runners for winter. If I REALLY have to go out, I take the studded tires.
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I had 4 studded cooper snow tires I’d put on my 94 cummins first sign of bad weather. Many mornings they were the only reason I got home from work in ice storms. They lasted 15 years.


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Replacing rear wheel cylinders, master cyl, and fully flushing the brake system did wonders for my ABS. It used to be terrifying but now it works great. I would look into underlying issues before disconnecting anything.
 
I used to have scary ABS stories in the rain. Not snow, not ice, just rain. Soon after I flushed the fluid out each line after putting on the Tundra brake rotors and calipers. I don't remember it kicking on ever again in over 8 years of driving. I am a careful driver and I stop rather slowly though so there is a bit of driving style to blame in some situations.
 
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