MB Enthusiast

I had my rear wheel bearings replaced last week and now my ABS and ETS lights are on

Anyone have ideas on what might have been damaged or mis aligned while doing the rear wheel bearings

The brakes seem to work fine but I don't want to drive

My mechanics computer is down and I am being forced to get the codes read at the dealer/stealer

KADE

you can go to autozone to get codes read for free! or purchase your own code reader...harborfrieght has them for $39.

Also I know if battery has been disconnected you will get warning lights; They probably would not have disconnected the battery for the work you discribed. If your turn your stearing wheel all the way to the right, and then all the way to the left, that normally will turn off the warning lights...but you should first get codes to see if there is something else going on.

ohlord

codes can be read at any autozone or with the 94169 scanner from harborfreighttools.com if you have a store near you.
Check the brake light switch,and recheck the work on the wheels,someone may have neglected to hook up the sending unit or damaged the wires.

Militant-Grunt

See if your brake lights are working. You might have the same problem that Tom had, ABS ECU failure.

You shouldn't worry about driving the car, the brakes are stronger without ABS.

FlatlineEF9

90% sure its the ABS switch. Less than $30 at the dealer. Bring your vin with you because they will need to know it at the counter. Easy job to replace it, it takes about 30 minutes. Hopefully its this and not the ABS failure. Might as well pay the small amount of money and change out this switch before getting all into the diagnostic whatnot. However, im sure ohlord knows how to rebuild this switch with some wd40, twine and an avocado. lol

ohlord

What century do you live in?Acar wih locked up wheels is the longest stopping,most uncontrolled ,abs prevents lock up,retaining control and decreased stopping distance.Fresh snow and gravel are the few limits of abs,however if you are driving at a safe speed in those conditions abs is still safer.
Under high speed braking with abs no flat spots on tires,locked up with no abs major flat spots.
Race cars,which I know you don't drive,and race car drivers may be able to stop the same car without abs as fast.Since neither you nor he is either of the above,don't give him the idea his brakes are stronger!
Fix the problem.
If they unhooked the battery,do as the member above said,and turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times to reset the steering angle sensor.And check the brake wires.
ohlord
TOM had?if it's the Tom we're thinking of,he had far more problems than an abs warning

ohlord

Just the twine and the wd40,avocados are a little to messy for most repairs

MB Enthusiast

I do have a brake light problem as we all do with the melting that occurs over time from the heat of the bulb - Could this cause a abs light to come on - seems odd

I was told that the auto zone and aftermarket devices do a very poor job of reading the codes and providing diagnostics. - Is this false information from mechanics and other fanatics?

Will the ETS come on whenever the ABS light comes on or is this a different problem?

ohlord

the systems are interlinked
The best way to track down abs esp ets problems is with the diagnostic flow chart on the factory dvd or starteckinfo.Next bet,start simple,brake switch,speed sensor,frayed or damaged wires,reset codes.The last resort a shop.
There is a thread about the bulb socket or several threads,Raymonds posts on the subject.
Obd2 scanner from harborfreighttools item 94169 scans active codes,pending codes,I/M status,erases and clears.Never had it fail,Has helped lots of members save tens of thousands of dollars and more importantly given them a sense of accomplishment when they read,learn how to diagnose the direction the code or codes is pointing towards,and solve the problem.Simple little scanner,Don't know about the other brands,I only tell people about this one because I use it myself and don't want them to get reamed at the shop.
I have had more cases where a tech with the aid of the big buck scanner has made the wrong call and the forum member posts a thread about what they propose to do,They post the code or get the reader and we discover they were being sent down the wrong path entirely.Simple fix and they saved hundreds of dollars.
The dealer will always tell you,their machine is the only way.
My opinion if it can't be read with the simple obd2 scanner get someone with a real time scanner like autotap or one at an indie shop to solve the problem

illest

If any of your brake lights are out they could be causing this problem. Over the summer I had a brake light out for over a month and eventually the ABS/ETS light came on. I bought the brake light switch from the stealer for $24 but before I installed it I fixed the failed brake light and the ABS/ETS light went off immediately.

MB Enthusiast

Tail light assembly replaced but did not rectify problem

ABS control module needed replacement

Alway an expensive fix but working fine now