Traction Control Kicks In When Backing Up

[TronCarter]

Another thread on traction control made me thing about a peculiar "problem" that my '02 GTP has had since she was a baby and I brought her home. When backing out of my driveway or a parking spot, more often than not, I will get about 1 second of what I believe to be the TCS kicking on (usually when turning the wheel). The TCS light does not come on, but it is the same sound as when it does. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

Tron

[TDCRacing]

It may be related to ABS. TCS is all inside of the PCM

[Scimmia]

Is it just the sound, or do you feel it? The ABS system does a self test just after you start the car up, maybe that's what you're hearing?

[TronCarter]

I think you might be right. I don't drive it hard, so it is rare when I actually use TCS or ABS. Come to think of it, it could very well be the ABS sound. Again, no lights though like normally happen when ABS engages. Is it normal, or something I should worry about?

[TronCarter]

I I'm not actually on the brakes at the time, so I don't feel it that way, but you can feel a little vibration when it happens, just like when you are sliding on ice and ABS kicks in, of course then you are on the pedal and you can feel a difference there too.

[Scimmia]

Yeah, definitely sounds like the self test to me, I wouldn't worry about it.

[TronCarter]

Does it wait for the car to be in motion for the self test? In the winter I will warm the car up for 10 minutes or so and once I start to back out and get maybe 10-20 feet, it happens. In the summer I only wait 10-20 second for the oil to get pumping and then leave and it happens at just about the same point in backing up. I did some googling and only found one reference to the self test but it sounded like that happens when you first start the car and if the abs and brake lights go off, the test was successful.

[Scimmia]

Here's the info I have:

The EBCM performs one initialization test each ignition cycle. The initialization of the EBCM occurs when one set of the following conditions occur:

Both of the following conditions occur:

The EBCM receives that there is a minimum of 500 rpm from the PCM via class 2 serial data message.
The stoplamp switch is not applied.

OR

Both of the following conditions occur:

The vehicle speed is greater than 16 km/h (10 mph).
The stoplamp switch is applied.

The initialization sequence may also be commanded with a scan tool.

The initialization sequence cycles each solenoid valve and the pump motor (as well as the necessary relays) for approximately 1.5 seconds to check component operation. The EBCM sets a DTC if any error is detected. The initialization sequence may be heard and felt while it is taking place, and is considered part of normal system operation.

The EBCM defines a drive cycle as the completion of the initialization sequence.