ABS activates at 10mph??

I have a 1998 Legacy GT and I am having troubles with the ABS.

After getting my clutch replaced and a bunch of other parts that didn't need to be replaced and being overcharged, I get my car back and the the ABS is acting up. The ABS activates when I am braking from 10-5 mph. I can feel the pedal vibrate and it is pretty consistant unless the ABS light is on. When the light is on the ABS doesnt activate but I am pretty sure at that point it is not functional. The brakes seem totally fine, pads probably need to be replaced, but the car stops fine and drives normally otherwise.

The ABS was totally fine prior to the shop so I take it back to them figuring they forgot to plug something in. They told me the wheel bearing was so worn that it is messing up the ABS sensor. So they would replace both for another $850 after already spending $1800 on the clutch and other stuff. That made me pretty upset so, I check out another shop. They said the bearing was totally fine and did not need replacing and all the sensors looked totally fine. He did replace the ball joint because it was worn but he couldnt figure out anything with the ABS. He checked the computer too and couldnt fine any faults in the system.

So, the ABS was not fixed, it still activates at 10mph and turns off at 5 mph as long as the ABS light is off and when it is on it doesnt activate at all.

Does anyone know whats going on? Im not too worried about it and probably will keep driving it this way but i want to make sure I am not causing problems down the road.

And BTW, do not go to Pacific Rim in Seattle. They overcharged, probably replaced parts that were just fine and after taking the car back to them wanted to replace more parts that weren't broken to probably not fix the ABS problem.

Andys Automotive on Aurora is way better. He said he would have done all that clutch stuff for $1000 rather than $1800.

Well a few things to note:

1. The ABS does not work under 5 MPH, so that is why it turns off below that speed.

2. It sounds like you've got a sensor issue. In fact, if the ABS light is coming on, then that's even more reason to believe you have a sensor issue. Basically, sometimes the car can tell that something is messed up in the readings, and it throws the code. Other times, the sensor might appear to be working fine, but then give an incorrect reading that you have locked up your wheel under braking, which is why the ABS gets activated. When the light is off, it means the car trusts the sensor is giving it the correct info.

A bad bearing can cause ABS problems. I know this because I just (two days ago) replaced the right front wheel bearing on a 2005 Silverado for a friend because her truck had EXACTLY the same symptoms as yours. If the bearing is on its way out, it can really mess with the sensor, so that first shop might have been right with their diagnosis. Until you figure out what is wrong, you can do what I did with her truck, and pull the ABS fuse. That will cause the ABS light to come on, but at least you won't have accidental ABS activation, which can be incredibly dangerous since it can lead to you unintentionally running into things when your car takes twice as long to stop.

A shop should be able to hook a device up to the sensors and pull readings from them. In the case of my friend's truck, they discovered the that right front sensor was "flatlining" meaning that it would give a voltage reading, but intermittently drop to 0. Once they found out that sensor was the issue, they inspected the bearing and noticed that it was completely knackered. Sure enough, when I replaced it, not only was it rusted to hell, with no more fluid, and binding and grinding terribly, but it had a freaky amount of play.

If they (and you) are absolutely certain that the bearings are fine, maybe one of your sensors is just on its way out? You can check the bearings yourself by jacking the car up and wiggling the wheel. There shouldn't be any play. If you want to make sure it's a loose bearing, take the wheel off and wiggle the hub by grabbing the rotor or the lugs. If it moves around at all, and it's evident that it's not a loose suspension linkage, then your bearing is shot.

Great this all very helpful. I will check out the bearings and see if I can figure anything out.

Thanks

Stang70Fastback would you be able to tell me where the ABS fuse is located? I looked in the engine compartment fuse block and couldn't find it there. And the fuse block under the steering wheel is missing the cover so I am not sure which fuse it which.

I'm not sure if you know but, could you point me in the right direction? I may be able to find it by searching as well,

Thanks!

Fuses 18 and 19, which are the 4th and 5th fuses from the left on the bottom row in the fuse block under the steering column. Looking at the box from your perspective, it would be the bottom row, with the "left" being the side near you.

Fuse 18 (10A): Cruise Control / ABS Control

Fuse 19 (20A): ABS Solenoid

I would think pulling fuse 18 would suffice.