Thread: ABS Light & TCS Off Light, PLEASE HELP

Okay, well it's impossible for me to have a problem-free experience with my GP.

Here's the story: When I had my vibration problem, I replaced both front wheel hubs, only to find on the driver's side (front) that someone at one point had evidently ripped the plug off. So they spliced the stock harness wires to the wires coming out of the hub, no plug/connection. So when I replaced the hub, I spliced in a plug from the junkyard so that I wouldn't have to butcher to the new hub's wires. Well that worked great for a while (maybe a month or so).

JUST as I solve the vibration issue, the ABS light and TCS Off light keep coming on. I have re-wired the splice 4 times now, currently they have a butt connector that I have neatly/properly stripped and crimped and heat shrinked.

Well, I'm still having the issue. The lights go out sometimes, come on randomly, sometimes it's just the TCS off light, most of the time it's both lights on.

The funny thing is, when the ABS light is on, the steering stiffens up as if the ABS system disabled magnasteer/variable assist or whatever it is we have that makes it easy to turn at low speeds.

So yeah, tonight I re-wired it as described above with the connectors, lights were still on. So I made sure I had di-electric grease on all the hub connectors just to be safe, and i cranked it up, JUST the TCS off light was on. So I killed it, then started it again and all the lights are off.
Furthermore, on the way to the store, it just comes on randomly. Sometimes I'm braking, other times just driving.

As I Googled the issue, this is what I've found, you can browse through it, but the whole EBMS module thing scares me as that is really expensive. So yall can browse through this: 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP ABS & TCS lights on UPDATED FIX [Archive] - Colorado4x4.org Forums


Sooo is my best bet to take it to the dealer to get it scanned? I don't know who has a TechII GM scanner for the abs codes other than the dealer.
And if the lights stay off, are the codes still present?

Other than that, does anyone have any suggestions, solutions, tests I can do, anything?? It's been suggested that I should solder the wires and heatshrink them. But it has worked previously with the crimp connectors so could it make the difference?

**ALSO, I wouldn't give 2 chits about the abs&tcs for now, but since it messes with the steering somehow (EBMS?), I haz to fix it.

Please help!!

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by brandonl2000

Sooo is my best bet to take it to the dealer to get it scanned? I don't know who has a TechII GM scanner for the abs codes other than the dealer.
And if the lights stay off, are the codes still present?

I don't know anyone besides a dealership with a TechII, either. But the codes will be saved, even if the lights don't come on for the scan. The EBCM (should that be the problem) isn't a critical item to me... I'd be happy to wait for a junkyard part, as it should slide in under $200 instead of new for $1200 (more like $700 at rock auto).

Most garages will have a snap-on scanner of sorts that can scan ABS codes. I have scanned my car many times for ABS codes and never put a food in a dealership. Call around and ask. Most will have them. And the couple I have been to scanned my car for free and told me the codes.

With that said, solder and heat shrink is 10x better than any butt connector you can buy. Do it.

Originally Posted by Zef_66

never put a food in a dealership.

Agreed.

The dealer wanted $103 to scan it. I hung up so quick.

Then, this one shop (cheapest I've found) said he'd charge me $49 bucks to get the codes for me.

I may have to figure out how to solder this summbeetch and see if that does it.

Originally Posted by brandonl2000

The dealer wanted $103 to scan it. I hung up so quick.

Then, this one shop (cheapest I've found) said he'd charge me $49 bucks to get the codes for me.

I may have to figure out how to solder this summbeetch and see if that does it.

So you only called two places?

Find a small local shop and show up at their door. See what they want.

Most places are going to tell you over the phone one hours work as that is the minimum. You show up and they are not busy, usually you can get it scanned for a ten spot.

you really dont need a soldering iron either, or flux, get the solder with the flux in it at radio shack.

‪How to solder with a lighter‬‏ - YouTube

Show up at lunch time with a hot pizza. Not kidding.

Originally Posted by Zef_66

So you only called two places?

Find a small local shop and show up at their door. See what they want.

Most places are going to tell you over the phone one hours work as that is the minimum. You show up and they are not busy, usually you can get it scanned for a ten spot.

yeah they told me it would take 1 hour. he tried to get me to leave me car i said hell naw i wait with it.

Originally Posted by scottydoggs

you really dont need a soldering iron either, or flux, get the solder with the flux in it at radio shack.

‪How to solder with a lighter‬‏ - YouTube

okay. the video looks cool. but is that paste what you are talking about??

or are you suggesting something different from radio shack? can u link me to what you're talking about at radio shack?

i cant for life of me think of what its called, i have it in my trunk and im 7 floors up lol, if you go to the shack, ask for solder with flux in it, it comes in a plastic tube and is very thin solder,(costs like 3 bucks) heat up the wires and touch the solder to the wires and it will flow across the wires real nice, i did my maf pig tail this way, wait for the wires to cool before you try to slide the shrink wrap over the soldered area or it will shrink before its in the right place,(remember to put the shrink wrap on the wire first, and a way from the area to be worked on)) then heat up the wrap with a lighter too, and it looks like pro did it.

i showed a friend of mine how it looks and he was like you did that?!

yeah we have a soldering kit thing one of those heat/cold things where it doesnt burn your fingers. and anyway... i bought some rosin soldering flux (non spill paste) but i dont think this is the stuff i need from what i saw in the video.

It's just called Flux Core Solder.

But I use past anyway. Cut and strip my wires, put in some flux, tin the wires with solder, more flux, then solder then together and it works great!

yeah the solder we have requires a solder gun but it's the rosin core...

i think i'm gonna use this stuff and just use a lighter. i can't solder worth a damn and on top of that the solder gun we have isn't working properly. it was an epic fail earlier this morning.

so yeah, ill use the lighter trick, it makes a pretty solder from the video.

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