abs light after brake job, screwed over?

[wildmonk]

i have a 98 camry and i got the brakes done about two weeks ago. when i got the car back, the abs light was on and i told the mechanic that it wasnt on before so i tell him to fix it 2 weeks later he takes and brings back the car with the abs (fixed)(no more light) so i tested is in the rain and it didn't work then i saw that the abs light wont turn on for those couple of seconds when you turn on the car and the abs light wont turn on when you turn the key right before the start position. basically my question is; is it possible that he just unplugged the whole abs or light. and if so can i still just reset it and how. the only mechanic that will touch my car is toyota and it will cost me $104 just to look at it. help
btw he said he put it through a machine that would reset the abs and would keep the light off for a couple of days which sounds sketchy

[ASG14]

So when you turn on the car, or put it on ACC possition, all the lights come on except the ABS light? BTW, I live in Stamford.

[1996camry]

Look In Your Car Manual To See If Abs Can Be Reset... I Never Heard Abs Brake Light Can Reset... What I Know, When Someone Changed The Brake... It Happen To Me The Same Way You Just Describe... It Turn Out The Front Left Brake Pad Has Abs Attach To The Brake Pad Turn Out To Be Break (WIRE ATTACH ON THE BRAKE FRONT LEFT PAD)..i Have To Replaced New Pad With Abs Wire Attach To The Front Left Pad...then The Light Went Out... This Could Be Your Problem...the Mechanic/or The Abs Wire On The Brake Pad Broke During He Installed The Front Brake..he Didn't Know, Then He Might Unplugged The Wire To Turn Off The Light...

Take The Car Back To Him, Ask Him To Show You The Abs Wire...it Should Be Two Front Tires...and They Are A Wire That Snap In Sit Behind The Wheel Of The Brake... To See If He Unplugged The Wire That Has A Snap Connector And The Other End Go Straight Into The Brake Front Pad.

[wildmonk]

stamford.... yep the abs light wont turn on when i turn the key which is unusual because i believe all cars abs light turns on for few sec. and ill have to check about that wire but even if the wire is messed up on a tire the abs should still engage on the rest of the tires which it didnt when i slammed on the brakes at 20mph to TEST them w/e besides checking for the wire and more help from anyone?

[ASG14]

It means he probably pulled the light out......This is something I never heard a mechanic do. IF the ABS system does not work, the ABS light is on. And there is NO reset time. Once it;s fixed, and the car is restarted, the light is off. Is this a mechanic you've been going to for a long time?

Just slam the brakes on from 30mph later if it is warm outside. If you lock the brakes up and leave a solid rubber mark, then your mechanic is playing games.

[BMR]

Originally Posted by wildmonk

...and ill have to check about that wire but even if the wire is messed up on a tire the abs should still engage on the rest of the tires which it didnt when i slammed on the brakes at 20mph to TEST them w/e besides checking for the wire and more help from anyone?

If you have a bad wheel speed sensor or the cable is damaged, the ABS system will detect it and it will turn off the ABS system... No ABS to any wheels.

BTW, there is a way to clear the ABS system of error codes. It requires pulling and replacing the "ECU+B" fuse in the fusebox in the dash; it's behind a fold-down compartment to the left of the steering wheel, down low. This works on my '92 anyway, your '98 might be different.

[stereo]

Originally Posted by wildmonk

i have a 98 camry and i got the brakes done about two weeks ago. when i got the car back, the abs light was on and i told the mechanic that it wasnt on before so i tell him to fix it 2 weeks later he takes and brings back the car with the abs (fixed)(no more light) so i tested is in the rain and it didn't work then i saw that the abs light wont turn on for those couple of seconds when you turn on the car and the abs light wont turn on when you turn the key right before the start position. basically my question is; is it possible that he just unplugged the whole abs or light. and if so can i still just reset it and how. the only mechanic that will touch my car is toyota and it will cost me $104 just to look at it. help
btw he said he put it through a machine that would reset the abs and would keep the light off for a couple of days which sounds sketchy

I would guess the mechanic must likely broken a wheel sensor , also the if the ABS light fails to light up when the key is turned on (bulb check) it's either burnt out or removed by the mechanic (crooked) and no it doen't stay out for days after it's reset he's full of it...but they should stand behind their work to fix this problem..

[frenum49]

Yeah this guy broke a wheel speed sensor or wire and popped your ABS light and put it back in so he could claim ignorance on the matter.

[Kep]

If the ABS light does not come on during the Pre Operation Self Test (POST) when you first turn the key to "ON" (without necessarily starting the engine) then your ABS light at the dash is mal-functioning. From your description it sure seems like it was intentionally disconnected. I'm with ASG14, I've never heard of a commercial mechanic doing this without the owner requesting it. (I have heard mechanics recommend disabling the ABS system and reverting back to the non-ABS brakes. But only at the owner's request.)

Again with ASG14, how long have you used this guy? What is his reputation? If you don't have any reason to trust him I would suggest you try another mechanic. If that other mechanic finds that the first one disabled the light then I would confront the first one for a full refund. Or you might consider legal alternatives.

Kep