ABS light problem
 

Hi everyone, new to the forums and to Honda/Acura in general.

I bought this 1996 Acura TL 3.2 with 219k KMs for $1700 and so far i'm really loving it. I live in Canada so when i bought the car it was on winter tires and the ABS light was already on because the fuse was removed (the previous owner didn't like ABS.) So i put the fuse back in just so i wouldn't have the light on the dashboard. The next day i put the summer tires back on (which came on the original OEM wheels.) Everything went well until the the light turned on again when i started it the next morning. I checked the fuse and it seemed fine.

Now sometimes the light turns on and stays on for the whole trip back or to work and sometimes its off, i don't think it ever changes while i'm driving. Does anyone have an idea what could be causing this? I'm sure i forgot to mention some details, if i did, please ask. Its not really a big deal since i never had to rely on ABS since i first got my license, i'm just really picky about having warning lights on my dashboard.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I suspect that the pump's starting to go bad. When you first start the car, you should hear the pump working then it should shutoff. If the light keeps coming on, you can do the diagnostic procedure shown on other posts on this subject. Do a search for ABS problems and there is lots of info on it. I ended up changing my ABS modulator to a used one from car parts.com

I did the paperclip trick and got the code 1 - 8 (or 18)

No code other then that. What does it stand for?

Uhoh, it's a high pressure problem

Accumulator gas leakage
Changed relief valve set pressure
Rear outlet solenoid valve late to close
Changed pressure switch set pressure

I have no idea what all that means, but that's what the manual says. Too bad it didn't flag a particular wheel sensor. If it gets too much of a pia, I'd change out the modulator assembly. I think I paid around $100 for mine.

Perhaps someone on the forums knows what it means? cause im as lost as you are, tempetom hahaha. Thanks for looking though!

Your ABS system is basically loosing pressure due to a leak somewhere. Mines was doing this and it was easy to spot as it was an external leak of an o-ring at the bottom of the accumulator. If there are no visible fluid leak around the area of the module, you may have an internal leak and suggest you shop for a used unit in good condition to replace if needed.

(Sorry for the late reply)

Thanks, i'll start looking around for one. In the mean time i don't have to worry about the ABS messing with my braking? Would it help to pull the fuse out?

Also a bit off topic: I was looking through the manual and noticed i dont have a TCS off button? Its suppose to be next to the cruise control button but i only have the fog light button...

^ That just means that you don't have a Premium.

~Cheers~

I pulled the 2 fuses for ABS to make it stop trying to pressurize everytime I started it. The light still came on though. It didn't interfere with braking or getting inspection here.
I'm sure the ABS modulator is different between 2.5 and 3.2.

Actually i do :\ ... Standard 3.2 doesnt have TCS off button?

Here's my panel on 96 3.2 premium: Looks like I need to dust lol.

Do not have the TCS. Means my 3.2 is not premium?

Thats strange, on my car thats where the fog light switch is :\

Could it have something to do with it being a Canadian model?

Premium models have the fog button on the console.

I got some "Special Edition" stickers on the doors, might have mistaken that for premium...

What exactly is the difference between Premium and Standard?

Sorry, what i meant to say was whats the difference between Premium and Special Edition.

(Cant edit my own posts? Oh well, one more post to the post count)

As far as I know, there are no such thing as "Special Edition" for these TLs. Just base and premium models were available.

I dont believe those decals were just added for fun, it must be made in factory.

Probably just available in Canada?