So heres the deal, and any help on this would be appreciated.

My 96 Rl has about 188k on it, but runs great, despite a problem I believe to be in the ABS.

At first start in the morning (usually around 8:30am) the ABS light is on. I hear the motor pump up and all sounds well, but the light stays on. I drive to class and everything is fine. However, after class (10:45am) the ABS light is off. Now, as long as the ABS light is off the brakes will disengage when I apply the brakes below say 7 MPH, I get sort of a "thump" and lose all braking power, about 2 seconds later the brakes "catch" and will stop the car abruptly. This happens constantly, every time I stop. I have tested this by gradually slowing, waiting for the thump, and pushing the brakes to the floor. At first there is no reaction, then (almost like a slipping clutch) the brakes catch and stop the car instantly.

Of course I googled it and found a test that required I go about 40 MPH and slam on the brakes (apparently to reset the ABS system). This test resulted in a horriffic slide of about 7-8 feet, and me crying over the rubber lost from my new tires. Again the light was not on during the test, but was on afterwards.

In a nut shell, I have found only fixes for the light being on and the brakes NOT working, well mine work perfectly when the light IS on. This is very important to fix since i have already had a few close calls.

I searched the forums and found nothing of this particular sort.

Is this an ABS problem, or a TCS problem.

It should be noted, I personally replaced the brakes on the front wheels about 2 months ago (the problem started 1 month ago). Just a simple, C-clamp slide em out slide em in change. No fluid change.

 

I will start by saying that since your problem is a BRAKE FAILURE situation, I wouldn't mess around and take it to a dealer to get it fixed right away. I would NOT drive the car in this condition since a loss of brake pressure is a SERIOUS accident risk.

Having said that, my bet is that your ABS accumulator/modulator is bad and not holding pressure. The 96 RL has the first gen type ABS system where a pump pressurizes brake fluid into a cylinder called the accumulator on the ABS modulator. The pressure is EXTREMELY high, like 1400 psi if I recall correctly. Anyways, this high pressure brake fluid stored in the accumulator is what is used to pulse the brakes in case ABS is activated. Since the pressure is so high, the seal holding this back when not in use is susceptible to leakage when it gets older. There are also many other seals in and around the accumulator and modulator that can fail to hold back that high pressure when they get old.

Unfortunately, the modulator and accumulator are not cheap parts to replace. I used to have a 96 RL and had this problem and replaced these parts myself at a cost of $1400 just for the parts!!! I can't imagine what the dealer would charge to install it for you.

Anyways, hope this helps...

 

The ABS pump went out on my 96. I just pulled the ABS relay so I didn't have to listen to the gnarly sounds it made at start up. If you're fine w/o having ABS to save $ try pulling the relay from the under-hood relay/fuse box. Then see if you still lose all braking. If so do as MEGATRON said and take it to a dealer.

 

Alright guys, $1400? gee wizz. Im not interested in paying that much, but i will try the relay thing, and if it does not work i supposed i'll change the name from Acura to "Boat" (Break Out Another Thousands)<---Old fishermans Joke. Nontheless, thanks for the help. Ill post here again about what I found.