hads310

I have a 2002 TL. My VSA, ABS, and Warning light (triangle exclamation) light keep coming on while I am driving. I did not hit my VSA button at all. About a month ago I took my car to the dealer for its 90,000 mile checkup and got my breaks replaced, so I don't see why ABS is on.

Does anyone know how to get rid of the lights or have experienced this problem?

Thanks.

01tl4tl

It is possible that the ABS speed sensor got disturbed/damaged during brake service or has just failed on its own. I think its less the $50 for a new one- some have reported damage when DIY and failed to work carefully

Did it start immeditaly after the brake job or just suddenly now?

hads310

Thanks for the response. It just suddenly happened now.

mshiwpal

My car (02 TLs) had the same issue. I took it to acura and they said it had a bad front passenger speed sensor and the ABS brake pump modulator. They said the modulator was about $1200 + $300 labor and the sensor was $60 + $30 labor, which is almost $1600...WTF!

Anyway i decided to buy the sensor thinking that might be the entire issue, installed it myself in less than $30 minutes, but that didn't fix the issue. All the lights were still on.

The only thing left was to replace the ABS modulator but i wasn't about to pay $1000+ for the part and labor, so i went on ebay and found a used one for $75, hoping it would work

I was a little nervous about doing the install since the dealers were charging so much to replace this, but i managed to replace it myself in about 3 hours (would've been faster if one of the nuts holding the brake line wasn't frozen!

Anyway after replacing that, i had to bleed out the brakes, but the light didn't go off...I had to drive the car for about 5 miles and then it finally went off and never came back since!

In short...
1. get the car scanned ($85 from acura)
2. replace whatever bad speed sensors they find
3. replace ABS brake modulator <---98% sure this is the problem since it was mines (check ebay for the parts)

hads310

I just took my car to the dealer and it was the rear sensor. It is good and almost like new!

01tl4tl

One of the many reasons to flush the brake fluid every year is to prevent naturally occuring condensation from becoming rust which gets in the ABS and.....$$$$$$

mshiwpal

Sweet, glad it was just a sensor and not the modulator

Crode

Hey there I have got a 2002 TL-S with the same lights on. Sometimes lights are on and other times not.

Diagnostic from dealer shows ABS pump short, ABS pump failure, Modulator Unit Failure
The mechanic was unable to fix the problem

Im no pro mechanic but I would like to check the pump and the electrical wiring for it to see if thats the issue. If anyone can direct me to the general location of this pump I would appreciate it much since I dont have a service manual.

Replacing the modulator unit (what is this anyways) sounds expensive and probably beyond my ability.

fsttyms1

The pump is up front on the passenger side by the washer fluid filler. You will see all the brake lines.

The brain for it all is passenger side kick panel.

01tl4tl

do you mean if my passenger kicks the side panel it will fix a modulator problem?- or cause one? or if the passenger kicks the panel with brains -it will make me smarter, I dont understand

I cant find and identify any of the hydraulic system parts under the hood, and I dont trust the acura approved method on brake bleeding order as stated about a billion times on azine- I want to do it my way, oh and all I have is a kmart tool kit I got for 3 dollars for 124 pieces!!!Is this going to be an easy job for me????

Seriously--When you replace the ABS parts- the factory method to test, is go do 2 ABS activated- full effort braking from 45 mph to stopped- quickly get back to 45 and do again.
If the pedal gets better 2nd time= there was air in the controller and now its in the brake lines- often the LF gets it all- just a few bubbles really- but rebleed all of them to be safe
LF RF RR LR

Gen 3 owners- I thought there was an issue with your abs?-
call acura 1-800-382-2238 x5 ask if any special extended warranty or recall- then go to the dealer and have a talk with the Service Manager- see if any service bulletins or others with this problem.., and the regional warranty rep is cool
may get one for freeeeeeeee

Crode

I guess the question to find the ABS pump was stupid of me. I found it as soon as I lifted the hood. Im going to try and get a look at the cables and connectors around it tomorrow to see if I can spot anything there.

Its not that I dont trust the mechanics and I have access to more tools than I know names for. Its just that the nearest acura dealer is over 2 hours a day and will require another full day trip. Its worth a try for me to see if I can spot anything obvious and save some time or money. Final result is its going to have to go back to the shop anyways.

01tl4tl

thats why I used green and red, so it was seen as a joke- mainly meant for the Mods and some that know me~

Alex D

The ABS modulator is not difficult to change at all, maybe about a hour at most. Its messy since the brake lines will leak brake fluid in the compartment and its too tight to fit anything in there to catch it so you have to quickly swap them out to minimize the leakage. The swap is pretty straight forward, loosen all the brake lines, unplug the connectors, unbolt the modulator, and then remove the brake lines. You might have to slight bend a few of the lines so the unit can squeeze out but you can just bend the lines back into shape.