ABS on 1996 Honda Accord EX v6
 

Hello all,

I have been having problems w/ my ABS light coming on for a few months now.

A friend at work suggested that I bleed the brakes to remove any air. There
was a fair amount of air, but this did not make the ABS light go out [even
after disconnecting the battery to remove any codes from the ABS computer].

Next I tried to bleed the ABS unit- fluid came out for a few seconds, but
then stopped. I killed the engine and re-started, but to no avail- the ABS
fluid just did not want to move.

I forgot about this for a few months. I did notice a buzzing sound that
could be felt through the brake pedal for about 30 seconds when I turned my
car on. I assume this was the ABS motor trying to pump and make pressure.

This weekend, I tired bleeding my brakes again because they were starting to
feel a little spongy [looks like it is time to replace the rear brake pads,
actually]. After bleeding [and finding no air bubbles] the brakes feel a
little better.

I found an article on the web at http://www.forparts.com/hon6.htm that
suggested using a hand vacuum pump to put some pressure into the fitting on
top of the ABS reservoir. It suggested opening the ABS bleed valve [and
connecting the appropriate tubing to drain fluid], putting a 3/8 OD vinyl
tube into the opening beneath the gray cap and applying pressure, then
having someone start the car while to activate the ABS pump. In lieu of
having a vacuum pump, I used a clean piece of 3/8 OD tubing and blew air
into the reservoir. This made LOTS of bubbles come of the bleed valve, and
it pushed about 2" of fluid into a 1/4" ID / 3/8" OD vinyl tube- and this
looked like all the fluid that the ABS held.

I repeated this four times, as the instructions suggested, and it has
stopped the buzzing that occurred in the brake pedal when the ABS started.
However, the ABS light still comes on after 30 seconds.

I am beginning to wonder if brake fluid is getting into the ABS reservoir- I
cannot find information on how this fills or what procedure I should use to
see if it fills.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bruce
Atlanta, GA