ABS not working

[mikaelrules]

Hi everyone, I recently just purchased an S14 and I've noticed the ABS is not working. The car was formerly an automatic with an SR20DET but the previous owner had it converted to manual but claims the ABS was not touched. There are no warning lights on the dash and the fuses are ok. What should I check first?

Could it have been possible that he installed non ABS driveshafts into the car when the conversion was made? (Would they even fit?)

[jspec240]

just convert to non abs.

but for the meantime, you got to blead the hell out of the abs transfer unit.. or whatever its called, then bleed your lines.

what are the symptoms?? pedal to the floor? hear a hissing sound when brakes are depressed? or something else??

[mikaelrules]

Hey there, saw your post in the "identify this" thread. So if that's the ABS wiring hanging by the rear diff, does that mean that non-ABS driveshafts were used, thus killing the ABS? Or perhaps whoever worked on the car previously just forgot to reconnect them

Actually, the only symptom is that the ABS isn't working and the front wheels lock up in a cloud of smoke when I slam on the brakes. It stops quite well actually, I just want ABS for piece of mind for daily driving.

Image for reference:

[jspec240]

well that wiring auctually connects to your diff. not sure what it auctually dose( I think it throws a code if your diff is bad or low fluid), I just know cause I swapped diffs and I let it hang cause I converted to non abs. look around on your diff for the plug, has it been swapped out?

[mikaelrules]

Yeah the diff right now is a 2-way. Thanks for the advice, I'll try to look for the plug. Why do most people on the forum seem to be taking out ABS? Is the S14 ABS really that primitive?

[jspec240]

better braking in the corners, mostly

[cdlong]

the wire is for the ABS sensor. if it's disconnected, it should shut down the system. if the diff housing wasn't changed (there's no reason it should have been) then you should be able to reconnect the sensor and everything will work.

i'm not sure how ABS would affect your braking in corners. it only comes into play at threshold braking. if you're doing that while cornering on the street, you've got other issues. if anything, i'd think ABS would be beneficial for corner braking. it would allow you to use full braking without worrying about spinning out.

[jspec240]

should have been more specific. better in corners for drifting cause you can lockem up

Originally Posted by cdlong

the wire is for the ABS sensor. if it's disconnected, it should shut down the system. if the diff housing wasn't changed (there's no reason it should have been) then you should be able to reconnect the sensor and everything will work.

i'm not sure how ABS would affect your braking in corners. it only comes into play at threshold braking. if you're doing that while cornering on the street, you've got other issues. if anything, i'd think ABS would be beneficial for corner braking. it would allow you to use full braking without worrying about spinning out.

[projectRDM]

Originally Posted by jspec240

well that wiring auctually connects to your diff. not sure what it auctually dose( I think it throws a code if your diff is bad or low fluid), I just know cause I swapped diffs and I let it hang cause I converted to non abs. look around on your diff for the plug, has it been swapped out?

Horrible. That's the ABS sensor on the snout of the diff.

To the OP- Who did the wiring? The ABS portion has to be removed and spliced back into the engine harness. I'm betting they left it out or unplugged.

[mikaelrules]

Originally Posted by projectRDM

Horrible. That's the ABS sensor on the snout of the diff.

To the OP- Who did the wiring? The ABS portion has to be removed and spliced back into the engine harness. I'm betting they left it out or unplugged.

It was the previous owner who did all the wiring, though he claims that the ABS was left untouched. I'll try plugging the connector near the diff when I get time, but if it still doesn't work, how do I check if the ABS portion was spliced back into the harness?

[cdlong]

he's in manila, the SR is probably stock, i.e., original, not swapped, etc.

[mikaelrules]

Originally Posted by cdlong

he's in manila, the SR is probably stock, i.e., original, not swapped, etc.

Actually the SR is swapped. The original SR20 in the car went bad so the owner swapped in an engine from a japanese market S14. I'll be taking a look at the plug tomorrow, hope things go well.

[cdlong]

well, with a stock sr, there shouldn't be any rewiring.

anyway, let us know how it works out.