ABS freaks out when car gets wet

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blwnbyu

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This car is really starting to piss me off. At first I thought it was a wheel sensor, but I scanned the abs codes and got 5..

C1233
C1234
C1235
C1236
C1145

EVERY time I drive in the rain, or go to the car wash, it sets off the ABS, BRAKE, and Check Advanced track lights.. It also blanks out the Odometer and shuts off the speedo, which also makes it harder to turn the steering wheel (guessing speed sensitive steering) After letting it sit for a few minutes, the Odometer and Speedo start working again, as well as normal steering feel, but it takes an hour or more for the advancetrack and abs lights to turn off..

Where do I start.. This ONLY happens when it gets wet, so I don't think the ABS module has an internal problem. Any help would be appreciated guys.
 
blwnbyu said:
...
Where do I start.. This ONLY happens when it gets wet, so I don't think the ABS module has an internal problem. Any help would be appreciated guys.
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Don't worry. Eventually, it will happen all the time. It should be easier to find then. I would first suspect the wiring bundle at the front of the car. There are a few threads on here about water wicking up into it and causing all sorts of problems. I think that most of them had to do with the lights.

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=77772
 
So I'll go with my original plan and just start pulling wheels/tracing wiring?
 
blwnbyu said:
So I'll go with my original plan and just start pulling wheels/tracing wiring?
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I'd either start there or start at the ABS module. Either way, the effort and results should be about the same.
 
pektel said:
Only if it's at a high rate of speed and he's not wearing a seatbelt o_O
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ouch :eek:

But seriously, with 40,000 miles, I shouldn't be dealing with these problems yet..

Anyone else have any ideas, besides taking the garden hose to it and chasing wire?
 
I trust joegr's advice. Too bad there isn't some magic easy way to solve your issue.
 
pektel said:
I trust joegr's advice. Too bad there isn't some magic easy way to solve your issue.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'll start there.. The part that throws me off is it is throwing a code for ALL 4 sensors, instead of just a bad wheel sensor, which I was suspecting.. I would love to get my hands on a diagram so I can see what could affect all 4 sensors and the abs module.. Also, this happens without the module getting wet, but definitely from getting the front of the car wet.
 
I have an intermittent issue with the ABS light illuminating when it gets cold out. Brought it to the dealer for diagnosis. They couldn't find anything wrong except some pins out of spec. Reset the light, and called me. I picked up the car, and the ABS light turned on again.

I brought it back, talked to the tech. He cleared the light again, and had me go for a drive with him while he was datalogging. I was watching the screen showing the info for both front abs/wheel speed sensors. Everything was reading fine. When the ABS light illuminated, both signals were dropped entirely. He was guessing moisture in some connection was causing the issue.
 
Try taking a spray bottle and hitting the connectors and pinch points in the wiring harness one by one. You might get lucky and trigger the fault.
 
I will tackle this in the next few days. I will jack it up, remove the wheels, and start spraying connectors.. Think I'm gonna throw the clutch in my Cobra first :) I still have my 3rd car to drive if it's wet out
 
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