96 Camry ABS Problem

[rmmagow]

The car has 92000 miles and has been well maintained. 4 cyl engine. Automatic.
The ABS seems to be activating when bringing the car to a normal stop. At first I though it was just a rubbing vibration between the pad and rotor, but the pedal has that distinctive ABS shudder. Coming to a stop REAL slowly this action does not occur. I am familiar with ABS/anti-lock systems, tone rings, sensors etc. The car had a brake job within the past year. This isn't my car so I don't have a lot of seat time in the vehicle. Can anyone give me some trouble shooting tips for this kind of issue? Is there a way to measure or see what the sensor is seeing as the car comes to a stop? Where is the tone ring on this car, the sensor? I think it's the Right Front wheel acting up but am not positive.
Any guidance for trouble shooting this system is greatly appreciated.

[ASG14]

What is the code that the ABS light it throwing?

[rmmagow]

Originally Posted by ASG14

What is the code that the ABS light it throwing?

The ABS light is not on, no codes as far as I can tell.

[ASG14]

Wow, thats really odd. I know the feeling your talking about though. My ABS light is currently on, and its the left front sensor (snapped the wire like an Idiot). Once in a while before the system realizesthe sensor is not working, the abs kicks in for no reason until it reads the fault in the sensor.

Your best bet is to read this:

http://www.**********s.com/camry/

Download br.pdf (It;s the official OEM Camry repair manual. this section is for the Brakes). What you need should start on page BR-67. I hope this helps out a little.

[bigbird]

my old 95 did the same thing, never tripped a code. but i didnt have it long enough to find out why, most told me it was a wheel speed sensor, but again no code was dropped.

[rmmagow]

The BR thing has something like 300 pages just for brakes! I bet it's a wheel sensor. It's not my car but next time I see the owner I'll have a look-see at the sensor. Expensive little part. You don;t have to pull the axle for a sensor swap do you? Can you remove the sensor and observe the tone ring, say with a flashlight, to see if it' appears OK?
Thanks

[Venom_5]

mine is doing this now when it starts, and then the ABS light comes on...

i just had my rear rotors replaced, rear pads replaced, front rotors resurfaced ... and on the way home from the shop this happened ... shop wont claim responsibility

i think im going to take it into the stealership today

[Venom_5]

turns out they havta replace some gear and the sensor ... $500

this is why i hate dealership work

[rmmagow]

Originally Posted by Venom_5

turns out they havta replace some gear and the sensor ... $500

this is why i hate dealership work

Same thing on my sister's car. The parts were expensive and they had to pull the axle. Her's came to about 350.00. Sucks, but generally a dealership will stand behind their work. Toyotas don't seem to break much.

[Venom_5]

yeah, thats why i dont wanna go back to one of the other local shops ... at least this way if it messes up soon, then i can bring it back and yell at them and they will fix it

[unclemilty]

The ABS on my 96 Camry XLE makes an electronic buzzing noise when I come to a slow stop. I hear the buzz sound more often than I feel the brakes pulsing, but I do feel the ABS vibration in the brake pedal every now and then. I don't have an ABS light on. The ABS still works normally when I slam the brakes on a wet/slick surface.

I took the car to the Toyota dealer and they said that over time, dirt accumulates in the ABS sensors (since they're exposed components) and this behavior was "normal" for this model car...normal meaning that they've seen many Gen 3 Camrys exhibit this problem. They didn't even bother trying to diagnose it further or attempt to fix it. At this point, it's really more of an annoyance than anything else, but I wouldn't be surprised if the problem gets worse over time.