93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.

Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
MPH, tried it several time.

Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>
> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
> MPH, tried it several time.
>
> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!

---------------------

It's telling you there's a wheel sensor not checking in. Clean the tone
rings of grease and dirt, using a scrubber brush or a small brass
toothbrush.

'Curly'

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>
> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
> MPH, tried it several time.
>
> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!

why don't you read the code?

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:00:13 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
>> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>>
>> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
>> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
>> MPH, tried it several time.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!

>why don't you read the code?

Nah. Isn't replacing the entire system one part at a time more fun?

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

AZ Nomad wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:00:13 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>> septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>>> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
>>> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>>>
>>> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
>>> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
>>> MPH, tried it several time.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!
>
>> why don't you read the code?
>
> Nah. Isn't replacing the entire system one part at a time more fun?

for him, sure, but for the rest of us, it's a waste of freakin' bandwidth.

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:30:38 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>AZ Nomad wrote:
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:00:13 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>>> septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
>>>> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
>>>> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
>>>> MPH, tried it several time.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!
>>
>>> why don't you read the code?
>>
>> Nah. Isn't replacing the entire system one part at a time more fun?

>for him, sure, but for the rest of us, it's a waste of freakin' bandwidth.

The auto newsgroups need a FAQ like the sci.electronics.repair FAQ.

I've seen so many so amateur mechanics who are so clueless about
troubleshooting procedure that it isn't funny. For example, I once
had a room-mate who's car had died and he was walking to/from work for
a week. He had a friend over who was in the process of ripping the
dash apart and I asked him what he'd checked so far. He was starting
at the ignition switch. I joked that he should check if there was air
in the tires, and me drunk, he was about to follow my advice.

I took over and started right at the ignition system. Pulled a wire,
had him crank the engine and there was a nice fat spark. Next: fuel
system. Asked if there was gas in the car. They didn't know, the
fuel guage was broken. I pulled the gas cap and rocked the car and
didn't hear any splashing. The car had run out of gas right at the
moment it was parked and couldn't start again.

People need to learn some trouble shooting skills before they start
asking questions like "my car won't start; what part should I replace?"

I've been guilty of the same thing. I had an acura integra that
wouldn't start. No spark. Checked the coil and it measured good.
Replaced the ignitor. Still no spark. Was about to replace the
output transister of the ECU, but was so impressed with its internal
aerospace quality, that I decided to keep looking elsewhere. Put the
ECU->ignitor signal on an osciloscope and saw a pulse. Replaced the
coil that had measured good. Fixed the problem and only wasted $90
which was more than a mechanic would have charged to diagnose and
repair it in the first place.

Re: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...
 

AZ Nomad wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:30:38 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>> AZ Nomad wrote:
>>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:00:13 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>>>> septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>> When you start the engine, the ABS light goes right off. Then, at
>>>>> about 10 MPH, it goes on and stays on.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas as to what it most likely is? It just started doing this.
>>>>> Stopped car, shut off engine, start it, then it goes on at around 10
>>>>> MPH, tried it several time.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks in advance for what to look for !!!
>>>> why don't you read the code?
>>> Nah. Isn't replacing the entire system one part at a time more fun?
>
>> for him, sure, but for the rest of us, it's a waste of freakin' bandwidth.
>
> The auto newsgroups need a FAQ like the sci.electronics.repair FAQ.
>
> I've seen so many so amateur mechanics who are so clueless about
> troubleshooting procedure that it isn't funny. For example, I once
> had a room-mate who's car had died and he was walking to/from work for
> a week. He had a friend over who was in the process of ripping the
> dash apart and I asked him what he'd checked so far. He was starting
> at the ignition switch. I joked that he should check if there was air
> in the tires, and me drunk, he was about to follow my advice.
>
> I took over and started right at the ignition system. Pulled a wire,
> had him crank the engine and there was a nice fat spark. Next: fuel
> system. Asked if there was gas in the car. They didn't know, the
> fuel guage was broken. I pulled the gas cap and rocked the car and
> didn't hear any splashing. The car had run out of gas right at the
> moment it was parked and couldn't start again.
>
> People need to learn some trouble shooting skills before they start
> asking questions like "my car won't start; what part should I replace?"

the ones that piss me off are the ones that /try/ to fix things, foul
something up, frequently unrelated to the first, /then/ want it fixed
while all the time insisting that they didn't touch anything.

moral of the story: don't trust a single word people tell you on
diagnostics - always do it yourself.


>
> I've been guilty of the same thing. I had an acura integra that
> wouldn't start. No spark. Checked the coil and it measured good.
> Replaced the ignitor. Still no spark. Was about to replace the
> output transister of the ECU, but was so impressed with its internal
> aerospace quality, that I decided to keep looking elsewhere. Put the
> ECU->ignitor signal on an osciloscope and saw a pulse. Replaced the
> coil that had measured good. Fixed the problem and only wasted $90
> which was more than a mechanic would have charged to diagnose and
> repair it in the first place.

any [honda] manual relying on a simple resistance test of a coil is
wasting a whole bunch of peoples time and money. modern potted coils
frequently pass the resistance test ok, but flash over internally and
are consequently useless. the only reliable test is to manually trigger
the igniter unit and see if the coil sparks a test plug.

acura integra ignitor (was: 93 CIVIC EX ABS LIGHT STAYING ON...)
 

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:16:19 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:

>any [honda] manual relying on a simple resistance test of a coil is
>wasting a whole bunch of peoples time and money. modern potted coils
>frequently pass the resistance test ok, but flash over internally and
>are consequently useless. the only reliable test is to manually trigger
>the igniter unit and see if the coil sparks a test plug.

I never thought of that. I think I was afraid of frying the ignitor
with a too long pulse or too high a voltage pulse as would be the case
if you touched it with a wire to 12V. Also, I didn't mention it
earlier, but the ECU threw no codes. The output was clearly open loop.

Re: acura integra ignitor
 

AZ Nomad wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:16:19 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>
>> any [honda] manual relying on a simple resistance test of a coil is
>> wasting a whole bunch of peoples time and money. modern potted coils
>> frequently pass the resistance test ok, but flash over internally and
>> are consequently useless. the only reliable test is to manually trigger
>> the igniter unit and see if the coil sparks a test plug.
>
> I never thought of that. I think I was afraid of frying the ignitor
> with a too long pulse or too high a voltage pulse as would be the case
> if you touched it with a wire to 12V. Also, I didn't mention it
> earlier, but the ECU threw no codes. The output was clearly open loop.

i've not been able to fry an igniter testing like this. great way of
testing both in fact. only if you get a "fail" do you have to
differentiate between them.

Re: acura integra ignitor
 

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:46:58 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>AZ Nomad wrote:
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:16:19 -0700, jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>>
>>> any [honda] manual relying on a simple resistance test of a coil is
>>> wasting a whole bunch of peoples time and money. modern potted coils
>>> frequently pass the resistance test ok, but flash over internally and
>>> are consequently useless. the only reliable test is to manually trigger
>>> the igniter unit and see if the coil sparks a test plug.
>>
>> I never thought of that. I think I was afraid of frying the ignitor
>> with a too long pulse or too high a voltage pulse as would be the case
>> if you touched it with a wire to 12V. Also, I didn't mention it
>> earlier, but the ECU threw no codes. The output was clearly open loop.

>i've not been able to fry an igniter testing like this. great way of
>testing both in fact. only if you get a "fail" do you have to
>differentiate between them.

Besides, if it is a part that is going to be replaced anyway, (as was
the case for me), there's no harm in potentially frying it