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New SC400 Owner - ABS Light On

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Old 10-25-22, 04:39 PM
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rmikebaker
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Default New SC400 Owner - ABS Light On

UPDATED:

Hi folks! Just picked up a 1995 SC400. The ABS light is always on, and code is 11. I see that might be an open circuit in the ABS relay circuit. Is that correct?

Thanks in advance!
Mike

Last edited by rmikebaker; 10-25-22 at 06:17 PM.
Old 10-26-22, 08:50 AM
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Arsenii
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Hello,

Code 11 indicates a fault with the relay that triggers the ABS actuators, which should be an easy fix.

The relay is located in the junction box somewhere behind the Driver's strut tower, at least it was there at some point.. This relay is very specific to the ABS actuators, it has diode in it to prevent the coils in the actuator from shooting back into the ECU, so don't try any other relay in it. I think it will be a lot easier to simply find a new one on eBay or at the junkyard.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
Old 10-27-22, 05:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Arsenii
Hello,

Code 11 indicates a fault with the relay that triggers the ABS actuators, which should be an easy fix.

The relay is located in the junction box somewhere behind the Driver's strut tower, at least it was there at some point.. This relay is very specific to the ABS actuators, it has diode in it to prevent the coils in the actuator from shooting back into the ECU, so don't try any other relay in it. I think it will be a lot easier to simply find a new one on eBay or at the junkyard.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thanks for the info. I took the relay out and followed the diagnostic steps, and it checked out ok, but maybe it's something intermittent. Won't hurt to put a new one in and see what happens.

Old 10-27-22, 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by rmikebaker
Thanks for the info. I took the relay out and followed the diagnostic steps, and it checked out ok, but maybe it's something intermittent. Won't hurt to put a new one in and see what happens.
One important thing to realize is the fact that relay clicks doesn't always mean that it is working, hence the relay testers. There was a time before dinosaurs went extinct and a P38 Range Rover was still popular, the latter had an interesting fault with systems starting to fail randomly and intermittently. After months of pulling the hair out, the fault turned out being that the switch on the relay would either erode or bend out, loosing contact over time, so the relay would still click nicely, yet no circuits would be connected.

In any case, it won't hurt to get a different relay to see if that will help..


Hope this helps and best of luck!
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Old 10-28-22, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Arsenii
One important thing to realize is the fact that relay clicks doesn't always mean that it is working, hence the relay testers. There was a time before dinosaurs went extinct and a P38 Range Rover was still popular, the latter had an interesting fault with systems starting to fail randomly and intermittently. After months of pulling the hair out, the fault turned out being that the switch on the relay would either erode or bend out, loosing contact over time, so the relay would still click nicely, yet no circuits would be connected.

In any case, it won't hurt to get a different relay to see if that will help..

Hope this helps and best of luck!
I was going through the fuses in the box in the front left of the engine bay, and I noticed a fuse was missing. When I looked at the fuse diagram on the back of the cover, the fuse is listed as "ABS No 2 - 40A". Could that be the missing link?
Old 10-28-22, 07:44 PM
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Was the system working when you got the car?

Here is a Fuse Diagram for your car, the fuse you mentioned is not listed in either the fuse or wiring diagrams, the system and the relay in question are powered via a 60A ABS No.1 fuse, so it may be something they planned for the future use or something like that.

The only real way to find out though would be to look if there are wire terminals in the slot itself to actually connect to the fuse, just compare the empty slot with any other one that has a fuse in place, if there aren't any terminals in place, that slot was never meant to accept a fuse.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
Old 10-30-22, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Arsenii
Was the system working when you got the car?
Nope. Bought it several states away and had it shipped, and the dealer didn't disclose the myriad of issues it has (shocking, I know). I didn't opt for a PPI this time, like I've done in the past. Lesson learned.

I've see all the fuse diagrams, including the ones in the owner's manual. I watched several ABS-delete videos and those cars had both the 60A and the 40A ABS fuses. There are terminals in that slot in my fuse box, but it has a blade sticking up from one of the terminals.

I'm going to get things repaired and checked out and then sell it, so if anyone is looking for a '95 SC400, I'll have one for sale in the (hopefully) near future Has roughly 77K miles on it.
Old 11-03-22, 05:48 PM
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Just an update for future reference.

I replaced the ABS relay but it didn't make the ABS light on the dash go out I saw another post about a bad alternator being the cause, so I checked the voltage at the battery terminals with the car running and it was reading 14.4 volts, so seems like that's ok.

Still looking for the culprit...
Old 11-04-22, 09:58 AM
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Which relay did you replace?

Check that you have a Jumper installed in the Diagnostic connector under the hood between Pins WA and WB, if not, you can use wires from the O2 sensor to temporarily bridge them together before getting a replacement jumper from the junkyard.

If that is good, check the pins of the relay, there should be 6 of them - Pin 1 is Constant 12V from the battery, Pin 2 is a Constant relief Ground, Pin 3 supplies 12V to the ABS Actuator, Pin 4 is Ground for the Coil side of the relay, and Pin 5 is connected to the ABS light on the dash, it is meant to short the light to Ground through Pin 2 should a Relay fail, and Pin 6 is the Control signal for the Coil Side of a relay.

Also check the 4-Pin connector on the ABS actuator as well - looking straight at the wiring, Pin 1 is for the Constant Ground, Pin 2 should be vacant, Pin 3 is a 12V coming from the ABS Motor Relay, and Pin 4 is 12V from the ABS Actuator Relay, the one described above.

Hope this helps and best of luck!
Old 11-04-22, 10:24 AM
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The one I replaced is the one under the hood in the small black relay box that holds 4 relays. It's green. I have the original jumper in the diagnostic port already. I'm starting to think it might be the ABS ECU under the dash, although not sure if it could throw a code of 11 due to an internal issue.
Old 11-04-22, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by rmikebaker
The one I replaced is the one under the hood in the small black relay box that holds 4 relays. It's green.
How many pins did it have?

Originally Posted by rmikebaker
I'm starting to think it might be the ABS ECU under the dash, although not sure if it could throw a code of 11 due to an internal issue.
Only one way to find out, check the pins as described above..
Old 11-04-22, 04:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Arsenii
How many pins did it have?
6 on the old, 6 on the new
Old 11-10-22, 06:11 PM
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I finally figured out the issue. There was a broken wire going to the big gray ABS connector. I temporarily spliced in a wire, and voila, no more ABS light. Go figure. Wonder what other hidden "gems" are waiting for me to find them...

Old 11-12-22, 05:49 PM
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Here is a thread on how to de-pin a connector. To repair something like that, I would actually just get a whole new terminal from the junkyard and then use butt connectors like the ones linked below to tie it all together. In any case, thanks for sharing a solution!

Heat Shrink Terminals Heat Shrink Terminals

Hope this helps and best of luck!
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