02 ABS light when wet?

[sirdeeker]

I have 2002 Impala with 100K mi. The ABS light comes on whenever it is wet out. You will drive a bit and hear the ABS pump cycling many times then the light comes on to disable the system. I tried taking off the connector on the driver front ABS sensor and coating all wires there with liquid electrical tape. I did this only by the wheel end of the harness.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so what was the solution. It seems there must be some exposed wiring somewhere that is shorting out. I also thought of idling the car on a dry day then systematically squirting parts of the underbody with a hose to see if the light comes on. However I don't know if the wheels need to be turning for an ABS code to be shown.

I'm open to any ideas. Thanks for the help.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by sirdeeker

I have 2002 Impala with 100K mi. The ABS light comes on whenever it is wet out. You will drive a bit and hear the ABS pump cycling many times then the light comes on to disable the system. I tried taking off the connector on the driver front ABS sensor and coating all wires there with liquid electrical tape. I did this only by the wheel end of the harness.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so what was the solution. It seems there must be some exposed wiring somewhere that is shorting out. I also thought of idling the car on a dry day then systematically squirting parts of the underbody with a hose to see if the light comes on. However I don't know if the wheels need to be turning for an ABS code to be shown.

I'm open to any ideas. Thanks for the help.

take wheels off and inspect wires. if chaffed use electical tape or cut out and replace use heat shrink tubing at solder connections. radio shack has this equiptment to repair

[57chevyragtop]

Check for wet area in back seat floor or if you have access to hoist check to see if any (floor) drain plugs are out of place. I am not sure if the through connect from outside to inside is still located below in front of the seat bottom, verticle portion of floor or not. But if these get wet they will give you a light....Use WD-40 directly into connectors (WD stands for Water Displacement) The main reason for the product development was just that. Had been used in the past for drying distributor caps on moisture laden mornings especially the old VW Beetle, Square Back Wagon, Karmin Gia and Bus....Other cars also had these problems but I used the most popularly known example. 40 probably stands for the number of formula attemps for success to occur. I really don't think taping or liquid tape would work very well as it may trap moisture doing the opposite of sought after effect.

This is not meant to be an endorsment of this product. Only to help you with a possible solution to your request.

David~

[Iflylow]

If the wheel speed sensor is shorted to ground, you will get an ABS code. The wheels do not have to be turning.
All four wheels have sensors, so you need to check all four.
Pay close attention to anywhere the wires go over or near supsension or steering parts that move, chafing is common in those areas.