almost wrecked. junk ABS must read

[Diesel Dan]

Almost bit the farm boys. Missed judged a yellow initally jumped on it only to realize that the binders were in order. that is when the problem came up. Slammed on the binders, initally got some braking although not enough and wham goes the brake petal down an inch or two and the sensation that the abs was activating and suddenly a loss of over 50% braking reduction and wound up well past the middle of the intersection. fortunatly the other people were watching this fiasco and didn't enter the intersection. The horror of this is... what if that was a kid on a bicycle? my feelings for my CTD would have been lost forever. Here are some of the perticulars, Speed was apx 55mph going slightly downhill i have apx 1000 miles on perf friction front brake pads (deffinatly not the problem. love them) 26k miles on the truck. Here are the questions. Are the rear brakes in need of adjustment (semi obvious i know) but does anybody know or have tried to disconnect the ABS? i understand that my 315 tires are somewhat to blame but looking for some feedback from the members. A last note CHECK YOUR BRAKES. Go out to a deserted stretch of road and practice some emergency braking so you know what you have in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO IT TODAY NOT TOMORROW

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL

 

[Straight6Jeff]

I hav the RWAL only on mine, but when i had my 95 Chebbby, it would act just like yours. It would do it especially when braking while going over transition strips or expansion joints. Others may disagree, but I feel i can stop my truck much faster on dry, rough surfaces than the computer.

 

[roadranger]

DD- you should see how this ABS thing works in the snow!



I guess ABS is meant to let you steer around situations, not try to stop from hitting them.



So much for Government Regulatory Power

 

[PHaller]

ABS junk

I paid an extra 500$ for the 4 wheel ABS and IMHO, they don't work very well on my Dodge. They engage for no reason... like a bump in the pavement or a wet spot and after they engage my stopping distances increase by a factor of 3. They don't do this om my Toyota 4runner or my Ford Taurus. After this last monday where I almost rear ended the subcompact in front of me I vowed to never let the ABS try to help on my truck again. I dissconected the electrical harness at the pumpkin. In my 97 I have a transmission gear for the speedo so it just disables the ABS and turns on the ABS light. I can lock em up at will now. I LIKE it! Now, I find the rear auto brake adjusters that don't auto adjust need to be adjusted manualy about every oil change. So, I now run around every 3 months or so and put a new piece of tape over the ABS light on the dash and adjust my rear brakes. Why should I have to do this on a 34,000$ truck? What's wrong with this picture or do you all prefer that dog don't hunt! Either way, it's a sad commentary on the Dodge.

-Paul R. Haller-

 

[Coop]

Last winter, only 1 tire was on some ice, while the others were all on nice dry pavement. The car in front of my slammed on his brakes, and the ABS kicked in because of the 1 locking tire. Needless to say, with the decreased braking power, I tapped the guy in the rear-end. $1500 worth of damage, for just a dented front bumper!?! No, I definately do not want, or need, their ABS system, and I wouldn't get it again!

 

[QRTRHRS]

It took me a while to realize that when the ABS kicked in, I was either letting off or holding my pressure steady. Seems like what I need to do is push harder then I get the pulsation from brake/release... . Cost me a grand for lightly tapping someone on ice already too. Eight hundred some pound mower deck helps somewhat in the winter.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Had the same problem with the rear-only ABS on my early '91 - the LEAST road imperfection encountered while braking would COMPLETELY disable the rear brakes, leaving ALL stopping to be done by the front brakes... REAL scary to see the rearend of that car stopped ahead of you looming ever closer, while YOU are entirely helpless...



MY fix was to totally DISABLE the ABS function on the rear of my truck by disconnecting the plug from the ABS differential sensor, and substituting a fixed resistor for the coil resistance of the sensor. It works PERFECTLY, no further stopping problems, and the computer thinks the sensor is still operating, so no dash lights flashing errors either...

 

[Neal Cassady]

Had a bad ABS experience in my old truck, cost me a $1000. 00 deductible and a hike in my insurance premiums. Had to stop suddenly at about 5 mph, jammed on the brakes, truck started to stop then felt as if the brakes let go. Ram receives rude introduction to the rear of a 4 Runner. Never felt brakes do that in any other vehicle I have ever owned.



Dave

 

[Bad340fish]

heavy Truck

One reason its kind of flaky on our trucks is the E range tires and 3/4 or 1 ton spring rating. On a half ton with spongy tires an expansion joint or a rough country road is not problem. The soft tires and springs conform to it a little better than an E rated tire and heavy springs do. We go sliding over the top of washboard roads, where a soft tire will go into the grooves a little more. My ram has the 4wal and I like it. It does kick on when going over an expansion joint or potholes when trying to stop harder than normal. But the one ton van(which has no ABS) we have at work chirps the tires over stuff like this becuase the tires are losing contact with the road. I had 1500lbs of batteries in the back of my truck over the winter and it no longer messed up in situations that I mentioned above. . and it worked great on ice and snow.



I look at it this way, Dodge can build a truck thats meant to be run around empty and put softer C or D range tires on it, or they can build a truck thats got some spring under it and the tires to carry a heavy load. JMO

 

[Deezul1]

Unplug the ABS computer under the dash and no ABS idiot lights are on at all.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"Unplug the ABS computer under the dash and no ABS idiot lights are on at all.



True - but THEN, NONE of the warning lights for the brakes work, EVER - even if there really IS a system problem such as low brake fluid or a break in a line...

 

[roadranger]

Disable '01?

So how would one disable the ABS on a '01?



Doesn't the pumpkin sensor have other functions?



Inquiring minds would like to know...

 

[Ramafid]

I ordered the 4wABS and have been quite unhappy. Stopping distances over slightly less than smooth road surfaces bring on small heart attacks!! I know I could stop much sooner without the ABS. I guess this is why insurance companies stopped giving discounts for ABS.

 

[WestTN]

ABS

Both of my trucks have ABS and my wifes car. ALL of them work better than you could ever dream of if you just practice a little with them and learn how to use them. You MUST follow the pedal down and keep the pressure on.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Dennis - I know you MEAN well - but UNTIL you have driven one of OUR vehicles and had to suddenly apply the brakes as one/both the rear wheels momentarily lose contact with the road surface due to gravel or washboard surface - and THEN *completely* lose the operation of the rear wheels - you just plain don't know what we are talking about! If YOUR ABS works properly, I'm happy for you!



As far as "learning" or "practicing" the use of ABS, nonsense!



It doesn't require a college degree to quickly apply brakes and maintain maximum pressure as you see the vehicle ahead of you drawing steadily and unavoidably CLOSER, as your life flashes before your eyes (NOT a pretty sight... ), and you completely LOSE half your brakes... This isn't about "learning" ANYTHING, it IS about a poorly designed system used on SOME trucks that seriously endangers their owners and others around them in far too many situations they are SUPPOSED to be BEST at eliminating!

 

[PHaller]

ABS junk

You know, when you see the rear of that sub-compact getting closer and closer with no braking... trust me, you put your foot through the floorboards hoping against hope you'll stop in time. I do NOT let off the brake. It just won't stop once the ABS kicks in. I have driven all my other cars with ABS and they do not increase stopping distances in any significant way when engaged.

Iv'e taken it in 3 times for the dealer to look at this complaint and all I ever get is,"It's normal". The last time I took the truck to Carson Dodge at May Madness 1999 and their tech said, in effect, that the ABS isn't worth pooh and to disable the system by pulling the connecter. I did.

-Paul R. Haller-

 

[Leon R]

I have 4 wheel abs on my 94 and I don't like it either. How do you disconnect it on the 94s? I would like to try it without them on a few test runs.

 

[JebDog]

ABS School

Any public safety folks out there been to an E. V. O. C. school? Having driven a non ABS and an ABS equipped car at high speeds through traffic, the non ABS does not compare. Not saying your ABS is not having a problem, but most people do not know how to use them properly which is push them through the floor and steer, in a panic situation. I go through the school each and every year. The only thing a locked wheel will get you is loss of control. A locked up sliding wheel has less traction than a properly working braking ABS controled wheel. Go find a wet newly paved parking lot, get up to about 40 mph in a straight line lock up your rear wheels with the parking brake. Watch out for the light poles because the rear end of your vehicle is going to pass the front end. Don't make sense, but it will do just that. Disclaimer here don't try this at home but maybe there is a defensive driving school around that will let you give it a whirl. NO OFFENSE MEANT TO ANYONE!!!! Been there and done it!

 

[Leon R]

Jebdog, I certainly understand how abs works as I spent a 26 year career driving police vehicles from the early days of bias belted tires and drum brakes all round to radial tires and disc brakes with abs. I don't like the way these dodge 4 wheel abs work and would like to try mine on a few test runs without them. I too have had a few scares with mine and its not because I don't know how to use them.

 

[JebDog]

No offense!!

No offense meant!!! I have no knowledge of what your trucks are doing or anyones driving skill. All I know is that my truck just drives and brakes fine for the time being. As a police officer who made the change from non ABS to ABS you should know what it was like for Emergency Vehicle Operator course instrtuctors to try to teach folks how to brake and steer these cars. Even with the training some of the old salts still tried to feather the brakes and the average joe does'nt get near that type of training.

Again I will say that most (at least 50. 1%) folks don't know how to properly use ABS brakes that are properly configured and 100% functional. So to all of those people with malfunctioning ABS system and know how to use them properly I appologize.