ABS and BRAKE annunciators illuminate simultaneously

From : hog driver

Q: i have a 98 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab and recently the amber-colored abs and the red-colored brake idiot lights have been illuminating simultaneously. they only come on after the truck has initially started moving after engine start and stay on until i shut the truck off. this problem started after i took the axles off the truck. the front disc brake calipers were removed and tied up out of the way so that end of the system was not opened. the rear brake lines were disconnected from the drums and plugged then bled once the axle and drums were reinstalled. i have attempted to bleed the system again but still the lights come on. brakes seem to work fine though i havent attempted to lock em up to see if the abs is actually working. ideas .

Replies:

From : tom lawrence

they only come on after the truck has initially started moving after engine start and stay on until i shut the truck off. one or more of your abs sensors isnt reading properly. do you have 4-wheel abs or rwal-only if there were wires going to the front hubs you have 4w abs and you would have had to disconnect the sensors from the hubs before removal. if you have rear-wheel anti-lock only then id check the electrical connector on the top of the rear differential. you cant extract abs codes without a specific scan-tool generic obd-ii wont do it but im willing to bet the fault code is a bad reading on one of the speed sensors - in all likelihood the hydraulic portion of the system is working fine. .

From : james1549

if you have both lights on you should be very careful driving your vehicle. just an abs light on is ok to drive. but if the brake light is on as well i would get it repaired immediately. my caravan had both lights come on when i was about 20 miles from home. by the time i got home i couldnt stop the vehicle. plenty of pedal just no stopping. the dealer had it towed in for me. luckily the repair fell under one of dodges hidden warranties. i am told they will do that sometimes to prevent a recall. james .

From : tom lawrence

if you have both lights on you should be very careful driving your vehicle. just an abs light on is ok to drive. but if the brake light is on as well i would get it repaired immediately. possibly but not necessarily. both lights will illuminate for a simple sensor malfunction. i drove my 99 like this for several months before i finally got around to correcting it conflict due to tire size and speedo correction box. .

From : denzon

i have a 98 with the same problem- a brake job was performed in june- the lights however did not start sticking in the illuminated position till almost 2.5 months later- all bulbs are good .

From : ed hartley

my 99 with rear wheel anti-lock rwal had a similar problem after i disconnected the battery to do some work and the tires are not evenly worn. when the lights came on the cruise control didnt work either. this is what i did to correct it...this proceedure re-calibrates the wheel speed sensors with each other there are 3 - one for each front wheel and one for the rear axle. note if the lights come on at or above a particular speed for mine it was 40 mph. disconnect the battery for 10 minutes reconnect it then drive about 10-15 minutes at speeds below when the lights come on. after doing this i ensured the rwal was working by finding a lonely stretch of road where i could get up to speed then stand on the breaks. all was fine. i have a 98 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab and recently the amber-colored abs and the red-colored brake idiot lights have been illuminating simultaneously. they only come on after the truck has initially started moving after engine start and stay on until i shut the truck off. this problem started after i took the axles off the truck. the front disc brake calipers were removed and tied up out of the way so that end of the system was not opened. the rear brake lines were disconnected from the drums and plugged then bled once the axle and drums were reinstalled. i have attempted to bleed the system again but still the lights come on. brakes seem to work fine though i havent attempted to lock em up to see if the abs is actually working. ideas .