Abs & traction control light!

Rookie question, but how do you check this? Put it on jacks and yank on the wheel?


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Yeah pretty much. Feel for play. Could potentially be an ABS sensor/wire taking a shit but unlikely if it hasn’t stored any codes. Get it up on stands. Check for play. Pull the wheel off and check everything. Inspect the wires. Make sure the abs sensor isn’t loose in the unit bearing also. I’ve seen that little bolt back out a couple times on rigs and make everything go all fucky
 

fiend

Caught the Bug
Alrighty add me to the list with these lights... my situation is a little different though. Didn’t want to make yet another thread for this if it may be the something similar.. so here goes...

On the way to work this morning, traction control and abs lights came on at a stop light. Did t fee like either of those systems engaged at all. After work, lights went out before I got outta the parking lot, then came back on after about 10 miles. Still no other symptoms. Got home and wiggled speed sensor wires and Abs connectors. Lights went out before I got outta my driveway for a test drive. About 3 miles later, lights came back on again, then turned off, but traction control started engaging randomly all the way back home, and my brakes went to shit. Feels like grinding in the pedal. Lights are off, but brakes feel like shit and traction control engages with any decent throttle input. No codes present when the lights were on. No stored codes. Wife is about to pop and hospital is 2 hours away. Definitely need to get this thing running good ASAP. Any thoughts?

Edit: battery terminals are solid, Jeep has 62k miles (unit bearings?), and it’s been raining. Hopefully it’s just a little water intrusion but not good either way.


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I am fairly certain ABS/TCS codes don’t show up with a regular code reader or using the instrument cluster. You need a code reader that is ABS/TCS enabled.

It sounds to me like either you have one or more bad sensors (which could be a compromised sensor wire) or one or both of your unit bearings is worn.


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wjtstudios

Hooked
Agreed on a good code reader that will register abs codes. Then you narrow it down to which corner has the issue. But it’s also a good Time to wire in a kill switch when the ABS/TC gets in your way before it does leave you in limp mode.


2015 JKUR AEV JK350
1985 CJ8 Scrambler
 

jdofmemi

Active Member
All the above is good advice.

The thing I will add is that if one wheel position goes bad, you get lights, if another one fails st the same time, you get limp mode.

First time I had it I had to drive 20 miles home at about 25 mph.

Not acceptable with the little woman about to pop.

With the mileage you have I would suspect unit bearings. The rear sensors are also prone to fail, at least in my experience. I usually carry a spare or two.
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
All the above is good advice.

The thing I will add is that if one wheel position goes bad, you get lights, if another one fails st the same time, you get limp mode.

First time I had it I had to drive 20 miles home at about 25 mph.

Not acceptable with the little woman about to pop.

With the mileage you have I would suspect unit bearings. The rear sensors are also prone to fail, at least in my experience. I usually carry a spare or two.

I think you could also just pull the J6 fuse out.
 

-AINOKEA-

Hooked
Thanks everyone! I’ll try to work through everything that I can. Hopefully it’s an easy fix. Having a hard time because it’s so inconsistent. Right now there’s no lights or symptoms of anything. I’ll keep looking though.


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ScottofKSU

Caught the Bug
I will share my experience if it helps anyone, if only to have hope that you can resolve this issue:

My 2012 JK's ABS and Traction Control lights began coming on whenever I would either back up or down any hill and especially whenever I hit a sizable bump. The stored code indicated a bad drivers side cam position sensor. So I replaced it and that kept it off for about a week. Then it returned. I then read that some had experienced a short in the cable to the cam position sensor plug due to the cables being too tight in this area of the factory loom. This led me to reach up next to the firewall, grab the cable to the CPS sensor on the drivers side, and wiggle the cable. BOOM! The lights came on! Then would not go off as they had before - I guess I finally frayed what remained of one of the wires. Note: the actually wires looked fine, but once I cut off the old connector I found that the copper wires inside the plastic wire shielding were completely frayed. I took the Jeep to the dealership and they replaced the plug for the driver's side Cam Position Sensor around two months ago and have not had a single issue since - even after going on my first off roading trip to Southern Missouri Off Road Ranch.

Good luck!
 

-AINOKEA-

Hooked
I will share my experience if it helps anyone, if only to have hope that you can resolve this issue:

My 2012 JK's ABS and Traction Control lights began coming on whenever I would either back up or down any hill and especially whenever I hit a sizable bump. The stored code indicated a bad drivers side cam position sensor. So I replaced it and that kept it off for about a week. Then it returned. I then read that some had experienced a short in the cable to the cam position sensor plug due to the cables being too tight in this area of the factory loom. This led me to reach up next to the firewall, grab the cable to the CPS sensor on the drivers side, and wiggle the cable. BOOM! The lights came on! Then would not go off as they had before - I guess I finally frayed what remained of one of the wires. Note: the actually wires looked fine, but once I cut off the old connector I found that the copper wires inside the plastic wire shielding were completely frayed. I took the Jeep to the dealership and they replaced the plug for the driver's side Cam Position Sensor around two months ago and have not had a single issue since - even after going on my first off roading trip to Southern Missouri Off Road Ranch.

Good luck!

Well that would open up a whole different can of shit that I don’t wanna deal with. Lol. Thanks for sharing though. If all else fails I’ll go down this rabbit hole.


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MattAlpha

Caught the Bug
I will share my experience if it helps anyone, if only to have hope that you can resolve this issue:

My 2012 JK's ABS and Traction Control lights began coming on whenever I would either back up or down any hill and especially whenever I hit a sizable bump. The stored code indicated a bad drivers side cam position sensor. So I replaced it and that kept it off for about a week. Then it returned. I then read that some had experienced a short in the cable to the cam position sensor plug due to the cables being too tight in this area of the factory loom. This led me to reach up next to the firewall, grab the cable to the CPS sensor on the drivers side, and wiggle the cable. BOOM! The lights came on! Then would not go off as they had before - I guess I finally frayed what remained of one of the wires. Note: the actually wires looked fine, but once I cut off the old connector I found that the copper wires inside the plastic wire shielding were completely frayed. I took the Jeep to the dealership and they replaced the plug for the driver's side Cam Position Sensor around two months ago and have not had a single issue since - even after going on my first off roading trip to Southern Missouri Off Road Ranch.

Good luck!

Thank to the OP for starting this thread!

I think this is exactly what I have going on in my JK. I replaced that same sensor about two months ago, still get the lights intermittently (mostly after hitting a bump, but not always). I will be going this route now and see if the connector is actually the issue.


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ScottofKSU

Caught the Bug
Thank to the OP for starting this thread!

I think this is exactly what I have going on in my JK. I replaced that same sensor about two months ago, still get the lights intermittently (mostly after hitting a bump, but not always). I will be going this route now and see if the connector is actually the issue.


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I so hope this solves your problem too! I was about to give up on my Jeep before I finally got this fixed. Ever since, I have been able to truly enjoy the Jeep!
 

-AINOKEA-

Hooked
Ok finally got the codes read. Came back as left rear speed sensor. Just bought one at the dealership. Hopefully it fixes the issue. Any write ups on this or is it pretty self explanatory once the wheels are off?


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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Ok finally got the codes read. Came back as left rear speed sensor. Just bought one at the dealership. Hopefully it fixes the issue. Any write ups on this or is it pretty self explanatory once the wheels are off?


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Super easy. 8 or 10mm socket and it’ll pop out.


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-AINOKEA-

Hooked
Abs & traction control light!

Done. Easiest fix ever... spent more time getting the damn red connector clip off than actually fixing anything.

Edit: is it normal for the old sensor to be covered in metal shavings?

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Last edited:

MattAlpha

Caught the Bug
I so hope this solves your problem too! I was about to give up on my Jeep before I finally got this fixed. Ever since, I have been able to truly enjoy the Jeep!

Thanks! Me too.

Glad you are enjoying it now! Sometimes figuring out these pesky “Jeep issues” allow us to enjoy the Jeep more because you gain more knowledge of how the Jeep really works.


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-AINOKEA-

Hooked
Forgot to attach a pic. These shavings normal? The whole thing was covered in them but wiped half off before taking the pic. None were 3D. All flakes.

IMG_1087.jpg


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