Brakes are rock hard and ABS/parking brake lights are on!

[ALLROAD VR]

Car in question is a '93 Corrado VR6. Haven't driven the car in 3-4 weeks and all of a sudden, the brakes are rock hard and hard to stop! The ABS lights are on and the parking brake lights stays on. Any ideas what it could be??

[herby53-akaherby53]

abs relay

[ALLROAD VR]

Do you know what number it is on the fuse box?

[xxxkoppstaxxx]

check the abs ecu in the side panel under the dash by the driver side door.

[ALLROAD VR]

[VTK THS @ VT]

I was in the same boat, freaking out thinking it was going to be crazy expensive. I let it sit for a while until I could dive into it & when that time came the battery was dead. When I went to charge the battery I noticed that a bolt for a wire was loose on the terminal. Tightened it up, brakes softened, lights off...danced jig.

Good luck.

[ALLROAD VR]

Naw, still doing the same thing!

Anyone know where the ABS relay is?

[fredhogarth]

Behind the cluster marked 78 and 79 abs and pump relays

can you blink out your codes and look them up?

[ALLROAD VR]

Thanks! Yeah, we blinked out the codes but it went on again.
We'll check the relays, maybe that's the cause of the light coming on.

[sal16v]

Remove D/S kick panel and locate ABS computer! Once you find it, remove the 2 or 3 ten mm nuts holding it in, Then proceed to throw it in the trash! Best move you will ever make. No Light's, no abs trying to kill you Win Win!

[fredhogarth]

Quote, originally posted by S4Bi-T »

Thanks! Yeah, we blinked out the codes but it went on again. We'll check the relays, maybe that's the cause of the light coming on.

Did you write down the codes? They tell you exactly what is wrong unless it is like a dozen codes then it's just something unplugged. How many codes was it?

[ALLROAD VR]

Quote, originally posted by sal16v »

Remove D/S kick panel and locate ABS computer! Once you find it, remove the 2 or 3 ten mm nuts holding it in, Then proceed to throw it in the trash! Best move you will ever make. No Light's, no abs trying to kill you Win Win!

Tried unplugging it, ABS light and brakes are still hard!

Quote, originally posted by fredhogarth »

Did you write down the codes? They tell you exactly what is wrong unless it is like a dozen codes then it's just something unplugged. How many codes was it?

Forgot to write down the codes, but those ABS relays are hard to pull out! I can't even get them out to re-seat them.

[Zero_System]

I had the same problem in my corrado and I was able to verify the problem. The brakes feel like they require a ton of force to work, I tracked the problem down to the ABS Pressure switch. This switch triggers one of the relays which drives the Brake Pump. If you have ever tried to change the brake fluid and not had the car on (ACC. only) you would notice that it takes 5x longer because the pump is not working. This Pressure switch in the wiring diagrams also goes to the ABS control module, which if it reads a high or low pressure will not activate the ABS and give a check ABS light. On my corrado, I mis-took this relay as another and could not get it out (it was stuck in there good), when I tried to use a tool to pry it out I shorted two of the pins, the (+) to the ABS Pressure switch pin and the brakes from then on required a HUGE amount of force to use. So I figured it was either I fried the relay or fried the switch, so I had a spare relay laying around and I replaced it. This however did not solve the problem, so I just jumpered the (85) & (86) pins on the relay completing the circut without the need for the trigger of the ABS Pressure Switch and it solved my problem. I then tracked down a new ABS Pressure switch and it solved my problem. This would be a good place to look for the source of your error.

[ALLROAD VR]

Yeah, the ABS pressure switch was my next guess...I heard they're expensive!

Here's the codes that came up.

Address 03: ABS Brakes
Control Module Part Number: 535 907 379 F
Component and/or Version: ABS/EDS TEVES 02
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code:
4 Faults Found

00285 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor; Front Right (G45)
35-00 - -
00290 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor; Rear Left (G46)
04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction
00287 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor; Rear Right (G44)
04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction
00599 - Plausibility of Pressure/Brake Light Switch
04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction

[Zero_System]

Yea I don't know if the ABS worked before this, those codes you gave would indicate that the ABS was non-operational before the brakes got heavy. The heavy brakes is because of the Pressure switch, however the ABS not working (my guess) is because of the speed sensors being bad. Or it could be that the last code (that is last), is the latest error. Which is the ABS/Brake Pressure Switch and if the ABS was working, it sometimes can error out and give a code, but next time you started the car it was working ok, but left the code in memory. Make sure you clear them and try reading the error codes again.

[a_riot]

Too much or too little brake fluid will also create the same symptoms.

[ALLROAD VR]

Brake fluid is on level.

It seems like it's the pressure switch judging by the last code.

[ALLROAD VR]

TTT.

[VWLeistung]

this happened to my Corrado this morning. googled "corrado ABS relay" and found your thread. i was driving to work and after i exited the highway, i noticed my ABS light was on. brakes were fine until i reached my work and then the pedal was stiff requiring a lot of force on the pedal.

where exactly are the ABS relays/fuses located? above the normal relay/fuse box?

[VWLeistung]

check out my car during lunch and found out that the connection for the small wires on the positive battery terminal was loose. tightened it up and brakes are back to normal. good luck with yours

[Eric D]

I have a new pressure switch if you need it, they are pricey and I'll let it go cheap.

The problem with these is that buried inside are 3 micro switches. The toggle mechanism breaks and the switch is stuck.

The pressure switch controls the warning lights and also the pump.

Its the lime green part in this pic (borrowed pic). Mine is new, but was threaded in to test the switch functions. Turned out my problem was a bad check valve in the pumps valve block.

I want to point out that there was a service bulletin years ago for 93 Corrados and Passats.
It stated the ABS warnings lights may be on due to a faulty ignition switch not returning from the start postion (terminal 50) to the run position (terminal 15).
If the switch doesn't return to the run position, circuits controlled by terminal X (headlights, dash blower or ABS) will not function.

If you don't have a Bentley, search the net for ATE TEVES ABS as used in your Corrado. Hopefully you find a site that show how the system works and how to troubleshoot it.

Modified by Eric D at 9:14 AM 11-5-2009

[sdezego]

Glad to see I am not the only one that shelled out high$ for this switch. Luckily it was truly the problem with mine. $110 is a steal if you want to keep the ABS.

[skullyg60]

Do you still have the pressure switch?

[corradojohnt]

I dont know if you have the issue still, because I am too busy to read the whole post but I had this issue too. Brakes were hard as a rock and the brake light was on (ebrake light).

It ended up being that when I disconnected my battery I failed to reattach the power wire for the abs pump to the terminal upon reconnecting the battery. Check this first

[Eric D]

Yes I do have.

Wow low post count. Have you been lurking for awhile?

[skullyg60]

No, I haven't been lurking. I just bought a '90 G60 a few days ago and started "fixing all the problems" and I thought I should start with the brakes first.

[skullyg60]

Found the part locally, thanks anyway.

[Eric D]

Pressure switch I mentioned earlier.
Genuine ATE brand, VW part.

[corradojohnt]

trust this guy ^

[Eric D]

Quote, originally posted by corradojohnt »

trust this guy ^

Thank you!

[Moneybags]

Still have this switch?

[editionone]

Hi,im new to this forum and i wondered if anyone can shed some light on a problem i have,to save a bit of time,i will just copy and paste the text i posted on another forum!

Has anyone every had any problems with abs on a mk2 G60? This is what i got! My rear pads were on their way out a while back so i took the car out of the garage to bring it to work and put new discs and pads on the back.I drove about 300yds from the the garage door til i had to brake for a stop sign,now this car doesnt get used often,infact it was the 1st time for a couple of mths that it came out.When i braked for the stop sign i instantly noticed the brakes weren`t what they usually were and my instinct told me to just press a bit harded on the brake pedal.Straight away from that point the pedal went rock hard and the ABS light came on,and has never gone off since.i took it to our VW dealer,and a local vW `specialist` and it turns out i know more about golfs than the pair of them.The `head man` at the dealers was even in there looking for the servo and m/cylinder and couldnt believe it didnt have one!Anyway,i set too and had a bit of an investigation myself,i took out the rear pads and pumped the pedal,only to find that there isnt any braking power whatsoever to the rear calipers!Although when u drive the car and u hit the pedal the car stops(the brakes are really crap and the abs light is on).Does anyone know what the problem could be?Then i found another problem.I thought it may be the rear sensors,maybe some metal shavings had got to the sensor magnet and was playing up,so i started to take out the sensors,only to find they were siezed in the hubs.By this point im getting really annoyed so took off the rear discs and hammeded them out.I realised i would never get new ones in so dismantled the whole rear end and took out the axle.Stripped it,blasted it and painted the thing.Ive been building it up with brand new everything inc stainless nuts/bolts/washers for the past couple of weeks.Everything is back together,and ready for the new abs sensors(pt number191 927 807 B).So off i go to the dealers,gave them the number and guess what,obsolete without a replacement!!! Ive searched everywhere,all i can find is sensors with the same number but with a `D` on the end instead of `B`.Does anyone know what i can do for-

a, Trying to find out what originally caused the brake pedal to go solid and the abs light to come on.
b,Trying to get some new rear abs sensors.Would 191 927 807 D work???

[l3urton10]

hey guys sorry for bringing up an old post but im having the same issues.. i checked the battery wire, i checked the fluid level, i checked the kick plate connection on the driver side, and i pulled the fuzes to see what they look like. they where a PITA to get out with big hands... anyway the fuze labeled "78" has a black mark around the " large SILVER" prong, and the other relay "79" seems loose in its housing... im hoping these can replaced quickly ( if stores carry them) and it solves the problem, if not i guess its that greenish gold sensor??

[IanJ3VR6]

I am having the same issue. Both warning lamps are on yet I am throwing no ABS codes, fluid level is correct, wheel sensors and all relays/fuses are new. I'm just going to swap out my old ABS block with a known working unit and see what I get.

[l3urton10]

TTT