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4W ABS light won't go away

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Old Apr 3, 2009 | 01:09 AM
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4W ABS light won't go away

Ok, so for like the past 3 weeks or so my 4W ABS light has been on and won't go away. I didn't do anything our of the ordinary that would trigger it but iit just came on.
I already searched the forums but didnt really find anything helpful...
Tried Spraying the wheels down like they said on the forums to "remove dirt from the sensors" (which I don't even know are at) but watever, sprayed it down... didnt help.
Anyways I thought that this was nothing serious but yesterday while driving i took a corner pretty quick and was braking while turning. (not even hard braking) the fornnt wheels all of a sudden locked up and instead of turning I just was sliding forward with my wheels turned to the right......Slid into the oncoming lane, thnkfully there was no traffic or there could have been one less RX7 on the road!!! Was scared shitles. That night ater work went for a drive on some empty streets and tried the same thing, and once again the wheels locked up and same **** happened. so i was like, to hell with this, and decided to post. Any Advice?

What causes the ABS light to come on?
What does it mean?
I've only heard of bad sensors and stuff like that, no broken ABS systems or anything? Can the ABS system even break?
And how do i fix this?
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Old Apr 3, 2009 | 01:15 AM
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I had a similar problem, the rear wiper fuse had blown. Im pretty sure the abs and rear wiper share a fuse.
It was a long time ago though, but no harm checking.
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Old Apr 3, 2009 | 11:11 AM
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Check for basic continuity on the wheel speed sensors. If one doesn't have any continuity you've found your problem. If not you can spin each wheel and look for a change in continuity. Spin each one at the same rate and note the generated number. If one wheel is off from the others it's most likely that sensor...
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Old Apr 4, 2009 | 01:00 PM
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What is Continuity?
And where is the antenna fuse? I checked every fuse I could think of and nothing is blown....
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Old Apr 5, 2009 | 02:25 PM
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Continuity is a way to check a electrical circuit you'll need a dvom to perform such a task. what your doing is making sure it has a complete electrical path to travel ie no broken wires or a failed sensor. the abs light is a warning lamp to let you know there is a problem with the electrical side of your braking system (your abs which is now disabled) Ill put money you have an issue with you wheel speed sensors which are on every wheel usually located behind the dust shield. look for broken wires around this area you cant find anything obvious my suggestion is to take it in and have some one look at it. its nothing really rotary specific so its not that hard of a problem for a decent tech to figure out. if you really just wanna figure it out i could probably walk you through it but electrical is kinda hard and it looks like you might have to go invest in some tools as well. how are you checking your fuses?
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Old Apr 12, 2009 | 11:11 PM
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Is there any way you can put up a picture of the wheel speed sensors? I have no idea what they look like or where exactly they are.... A Picture would help a bunch. I have a multimeter... Checks everything from ohms to volts and all that other stuff. And for the fuses I used a test light, and i also took each one out separately and made sure the little wire inside wasn't blown...
So my ABS is off at the moment then? so i shouldn't be doing any hard braking?
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 05:55 PM
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If you haven't already got one, a purchase or download of the manual would be a good starting point....and the supplement too if you've got a later model ABS for fault finding.

Here's a complete S7 set

http://page3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c201350368

Manual calls for .8 to 1.2k ohm, generally find around 1.0k is what they test out at. Unless proven otherwise subsequently, it's generally a good idea to believe any warning light on your dash.
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Old Apr 13, 2009 | 06:55 PM
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I think its time for you to call a mechanic who knows what he is doing or spend some time reading the FSM. To learn how to measure continuity, I have found it helpful to Google it and read the links. Some even have pics which make it easier.

You do know you can download the FSM from the stickied link in this forum right?

Yes, if your ABS light is on, then your ABS isn't working and you can lock up the tires under hard braking.
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