W124 ABS sensor
 

My ABS sensor is shot and i don't really want to spend the money it costs to replace the sensor....

can i disconnect it somehow and not have to deal with the ABS kicking in when i don't need it to? i don't care if the light is on its always on...

thanks

If it has a bad ABS sensor it won't work anyways.

The ABS kicks in at Random times.. and will vibrate the pedal making it hard to stop

Just put a piece of black tape over the light (or pull the cluster and remove the bulb) and drive without ABS. The brakes will work (are working) the same. To eliminate the pulsations, unplug either the black box (behind the battery) or the ABS pump (behind the left headlight).

Incidentally, I replaced both my W124 front wheel sensors from parts removed from a similar car at my local Pick and Pull for a few dollars each.

Jeremy

Ok, thanks, is the ABS attached to the abs module itself?

Eh?
 

I don't know what you mean. Google "anti-lock brakes" and you should find some good articles explaining it way better than I can.

Mercedes ABS consists of (2) front wheel sensors and (1) rear axle sensor in the differential. They are wired to a black box located in the compartment behind the battery. The black box connects to a special pump located on the left inner fender. The brake hydraulic lines go through this pump. The black box watches the sensors (they measure wheel speed) and interrupts (pulses) the brake line on that wheel if it is more than couple of mph slower than the others. If the pump does not get instructions from the black box, it does nothing. With the pump out of service, the brakes work like non-ABS brakes. IMHO, you're better off fixing them (they're there for a reason).

Jeremy

alright i'll check this out thanks

if you unplug the sensors at the coax connectors under the hood left and right side it will shut down the abs system:)

look closely at the cables that connect the sensors to the coax plug at the inside of the fenderwell. If they are cracked then its likely that is the culprit. If your lucky it might just be one cable and the sensors are OK, the cables take a lot of beating and have to flex with the movement of the wheel so they tend to go bad near the end where it fits on the wheel.
I recommend fixing the ABS its a good design for a purpose.

If you have an odd-size tire on one side, you may have ABS problems.

My ABS light goes on and off....

When the light is off i get bad pulsation in the wheel and its been difficult to stop....

When the light is on its fine and i do not get the pulsation at all... i think i'm just driving without ABS at that point...

Garrett

I think I may have the same problem that you have; when I start the car, the light will remain off for up to 5 minutes max, but during this time, the brakes pulsate for the first and sometimes second stop (like the ABS is working, although I don't know what it should feel like since I've had the problem since I got the car)
Once the light comes on, I don't have to problem anymore. I thought for a while it was the OVP but I have doubts

The ABS does a self-test the first time you use the brakes after the car is started, so a mechanic told me, causing pulsations in the brake pedal. If there is an electrical connection problem in the ABS 'brain,' it might think that it is getting re-started and you would feel the pulsations in the brake pedal again (and again . . .). Checking all of the electrical connections would be a good idea.

It self-tests when you reach about 6mph (on the '87 300D and 190D anyway). You don't have to touch the brakes, you will hear the pump burp though.