2004 Camry with about 160K miles (and I hope to drive it until the kids take away my keys in a few years).
For the last month or two, sometimes when I’m slowing gently almost to a stop, I get what I think is ABS activation: loudish fast pulsing sound (roughly five pulses/sec; almost a vibration) that I can feel in the brake pedal. Maybe more likely on a slow speed turn while braking (I do a half-K turn to back into my driveway).
Is that ABS? Does this require fast attention?
Would my mechanic’s code readers be able to find any useful codes? (Or do I just report the symptom and let him/them investigate?)
Yes, you need to scan for any codes or pending codes, then a test drive may be required while using Live Data on a scanner while watching all 4 wheel speed sensors (ABS) to see if there are any wheel speed sensor signal drop outs that are activating the ABS system…
An inspection of the hub bearings, tires, and brakes etc needs to happen also to rule out any worn out or failing parts, checking for calipers locking up and whatnots…
If capable, and with the correct tools, you can DIY also, but it sounds like you have a mechanic you use…
VDCdriver – All four new General “Altimax RT” January 2021, about 24K miles ago(!). Here’s a pic of the right front tread this morning. Looks good to me. I SHOULD check the pressure. Even though no warnings from TPMS, local high temperature is down about 30-deg-F from a few weeks ago.
Davesmopar – Thanks for the info. It would be fun to try DIY in nice weather if I could do without the car for a few days. I’m due for a six-month oil change in February. Can the ABS issue wait until then?
Typically, the TPMS warning will only show when a tire has lost a significant amount of pressure. Your tires could be underinflated by ~20% of their recommended pressure and that light would still not show up on your instrument panel.
If your instrument panel doesn’t show the exact psi in each tire, you should do it–manually–at least every few weeks. I used to do that, even after getting a vehicle with a read-out on the instrument panel, but after confirming the accuracy of the car’s TPMS readout, I only do it manually when I am inflating tires at the start of the winter, or when I am taking some air out when the warm weather returns.
Don’t know, don’t know what is wrong with it, if a dump valve closes and stays closed it will not release the applied pressure to that caliper/wheel cylinder causing the wheel to lock up, that would be a now thing, if a wheel speed sensor is dropping out, well the abs will not work correctly and depending, can go a while longer… You can do the live data thing yourself in any weather…
Dirty or failing wheel speed sensor maybe. Bad tire, maybe. Bad wheel bearing, maybe. Sagging or broken spring, maybe. All reason enough to get it checked out by a pro.
Thanks for the on-point replies. I have made an appointment with the mechanic (9 days hence). I’ll minimize driving until then, but be ready if anything serious goes wrong. And I’ll try to get to checking the tire pressure this afternoon, now that the temperature is up to 29-deg-F.
Doh! I was thinking of the dashboard display in my daughter’s 2019 Corolla, which I have recently driven.
Meantime, I tried to check the tire pressure this afternoon. Digital gauge batteries were dead. Old-time gauge with sliding stick gave varying non-credible readings. Digital gauge on air pump is suspect from the beginning. Nonetheless, pressure did seem low (way low?), so I pumped them up to my best estimate of the specified 29 psi. I’ll get a proper gauge to check and adjust, and I’ll drive for a few days to see if the problem was just low tire pressure (left front did seem lower than the others). If yes, I’ll feel foolish, but relieved.
Can the ABS be calibrated with an advanced scan tool? I have this issue with my 07 Silverado. Not too long ago, I got an ABS light and discovered the ABS cable had come loos from its anchor point on top of the hub and rubbed against the inside of the rotor till it got cut in half. I replaced the cable and this started up with the new cable.
One thing I noticed was that the original sensor had a shim under it, the new one did not come with a shim so I used the old one. Maybe that is the problem, maybe the new one isn’t supposed to have a shim under it.
All my Trailblazers had issues with rust jacking the ABS sensors. The symptoms started with gradually more low speed engagement and watching real-time ABS signals showed which one was dropping out. Typical fix was to remove the sensor and remove the rust from the mounting surface. I was rather astounded to see how little rust could have an adverse effect on the sensor function. The clearance required between the end of the hall effect sensor and the tone ring could be measured with a feeler gauge. I always thought this was a poorly designed system.
Hub bearings would be a fairly frequent service need. I learned to buy them loaded with a new ABS sensor when one I bought had interference with the old sensor installed. It needed a shim and a very thin one at that. Lots of messing around trying to get the spacing right for consistent results. From that point on, I bought them pre-loaded with a new sensor to eliminate that frustrating exercise from happening again…
This is the answer , had the same issue on my Trailblazer . you try and clean the tone ring but most mechanics will just replace the whole wheel bearing assembly .
How much does it cost, including labor, to disassemble the hub and clean the tone ring vs replacing the wheel bearing? The mechanics are likely keeping the cost down.
Keep in mind that the OP’s Camry’s ABS Tone Ring is on the axle and not in the wheel bearing, so you just simply replace the ABS sensor when it fails, unless the tone ring detaches from the outer cv joint, then you replace the cv axle or both depending…
If the wheel bearing is bad then you replace it… Don’t overthink it…
davesmopar – I’m not thinking at all. I don’t have the test gear to diagnose the problem, I don’t have a good way to get under the car, and it I don’t have a garage and it’s freezing cold out there, and I don’t feel like learning how to do that repair. I was delighted to give it to the pro.
jtsanders (Local Boy) – And I was delighted to pay the pro $195 for 1.5 hours labor (including diagnosis) and $145 for the part (and I’m not even going to look up how cheap I could have gotten it myself ).
lol… My overthinking comment/post wasn’t in anyway directed toward you, it was more for the comment about “this is the answer” when it clearly was not the same design and failure as your vehicle and could/will confuse others looking for an answer to their vehicle like yours, as well as give AI false information…Just because one manufactures design failed one way, doesn’t mean they all fail the same way…
I knew from past replies that you were not doing the work yourself and your situation and therefor having a pro do the repair for you…
Thank you for the update as to what the real issue was, it can help others in the future…
I don’t have the test gear to diagnose the problem, I don’t have a good way to get under the car, and it I don’t have a garage and it’s freezing cold out there, and I don’t feel like learning how to do that repair. I was delighted to give it to the pro.