Traction Is Always Off

[pawan]

I have a 94 LS400. The traction light is always off and the traction button is no longer responding. I am not sure what and where to check, the mechanic is clueless about what could be the problem. And I have got another problem with the brake pedal which is slips a little bit when I hit the brake to stop the car at the stop sign or red signal. It give a jerk kind feeling just before the car comes to a complete stop. Are these two related?

Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks in Advance.

[steve2006]

Hi,

First of all read your fault codes using this link

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

The most probable cause is a fault ABS wheel sensor as the braking and trac systems are interlinked.

Check each sensor and the wiring to them and clean the crud off them.

[pawan]

Okay, I searched the forum and found these links link1 and link2. Now my problem is very similar to link1, but I want to make sure I am spending after the right thing, so how can I confirm whether its the O2 senson or the knock sensor, because both not that cheap for me atleast.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[pawan]

Hi,

First of all read your fault codes using this link

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

The most probable cause is a fault ABS wheel sensor as the braking and trac systems are interlinked.

Check each sensor and the wiring to them and clean the crud off them.

Hey Steve,

I will check again today and match the error codes and update here.

Thanks for your response.

[pawan]

I did a diagnostic test and found the following two error codes:

13 - RPM signal no.2

51 - Problem in engine control system

I am not sure what these means and are these related to my traction/braking problem.

Please help.

[pawan]

I replaced my timing belt recently, so does the error code 13 means a problem with the camshaft sensor? Please advise.

[steve2006]

Hi are you correctly diagnosing here as the ABS light should flash giving you the fault codes if you short out terminals TC and E1 in the diagnostic socket.

Code 13 for the ABS/Trac indicates "an open or short circuit in the ABS motor relay circuit.

Code 51 indicates the ABS pump motor is locked.

Before doing anything else check the fuse # 17 in the footwell fuse panel it is the lower of the 2 fuses separate and to the right from the main block of fuses it's rated at 15A.

[pawan]

Hi Steve,

When I ran the diagnostic tool at my mechanic's garage, it showed the two error codes respectively with description.

13 - RPM signal no.2

51 - Problem in engine control system

I almost ran all the options available in the toolkit except the transmission diagnostic which always gave communication error.

The ABS light was on for few days but went away on its own leaving the "Trac Off" light on. I will try to do it again in a day or two, do you want me to run any specific diagnostic test?

Thanks for your reply.

[steve2006]

If you could do the test socket link the pins method it should give the codes just for the ABS ( the ABS light should flash the codes) as there are the same codes for the engine ECU but they mean different things as I showed in my previous post.

[pawan]

Hey Steve,

sorry for the delay on this, I had a hard time with my mechanic and still unsure of the exact problem.

After doing the diagnostic again, the mechanic says the machine is showing ABS problem, but the ABS light doesn't come on in the dash, only the "Trac Off" light stays on.

Now what should I do for the error codes 13 and 51 for the ABS/Trac?

[steve2006]

I would check the ABS wheel sensors starting with the front ones, remove them from the mounting,clean all the debris off them and the mounting, check the toothed wheels on the hub for damage then if you have a digital meter check the resistance of the sensors.

Not sure of the exact reading but if you get no reading the sensor has failed and will need replacing.