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Your ABS light came on. That's always a
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bit worrying. Hey there, I'm Tom from
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Car Justify. Let's figure this out
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without a scan tool. It's not as bad as
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it sounds. First off, the ABS light
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doesn't mean your brakes are gone. Your
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regular brakes still work. It just means
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the anti-lock systems offline. So, no
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panic stops with fancy pulsing. You'll
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lock up if you slam them. Now, the
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easiest place to start is the brake
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fluid. Pop your hood and check the level
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in the reservoir. Low fluid trips the
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ABS light all the time. Top it off if
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it's low, but don't just walk away. Look
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for leaks, too. I've seen people fill
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it, drive off, and leave a puddle
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behind. Next, look at your wheel
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sensors. Each wheel usually has a little
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sensor at the hub that reads a tone
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ring. Dirt, rust, or even a broken wire
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can mess with the signal. I had a friend
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with a Camry who had a mud ball stuck on
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the ring. Yep, that's all it was. Just
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brushing it off fixed it. Check for
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broken or loose wires around the wheel
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hubs. Bend them gently. Sometimes you'll
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spot cracks or splits that open up when
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the wheel turns. This one trips people
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up all the time because it's easy to
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miss. Spin the wheels by hand if you're
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up on a jack. Listen for weird grinding
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or scraping. A failing wheel bearing can
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mess with the ABS sensors reading. The
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sensor relies on tight tolerances. If
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the bearings sloppy, you'll get random
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ABS errors. Also, consider your battery.
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Sounds weird, right? But low voltage can
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make the ABS module throw codes or stay
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lit. If your battery is old or you've
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had starting issues, test it or swap it
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out. I've seen this one a hundred times.
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Folks change sensors, but it was just a
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dying battery. Now, if you've had recent
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work done, like brakes or suspension,
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double check the sensor plugs. Mechanics
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sometimes forget to reconnect them. I'm
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guilty of that once or twice myself. No
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shame, but it's an easy fix. Without a
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scan tool, you're kind of in detective
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mode. You won't get a code telling you
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which wheel, but you can usually find
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obvious stuff. low fluid, dirty sensors,
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broken wires. Don't be afraid to get
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your hands dirty. If you've gone through
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all that and the light's still on,
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that's when you'll want to borrow or
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rent a scanner. A lot of parts stores
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will lend one. You can read the exact
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code, and avoid just guessing. All
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right, quick recap. Check your brake
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fluid, inspect, and clean sensors, look
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for wiring damage, test your battery,
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and check for recent work that might
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have left something unplugged. Nine
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times out of 10, you'll spot the issue.
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If this helped or you want more DIY
2:21
tips, don't forget to like and
2:23
subscribe. I'll keep showing you how to
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fix your car without emptying your
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wallet at the shop. Thanks for hanging
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out with me. See you in the next
