560SL Brake Problem?

[fpilot]

Hi there. To begin, this is my first time posting on here, so do be kind.
I am a new proud owner of my first MB560sl. I am loving it so far. This car is a 1986 with 78k miles. I have only had it for 3 months and trying to get used to the noises of this car. One it squeaks in stop and go traffic. Brakes are good but from time to time, I have noticed a weird feeling in the brakes. Hard to describe but I will try. Kind of like when you are riding a bike and the chain comes off. I do not hear any grinding and it does not do this all the time but I have no idea what the problem is. Yesterday, the antilock light came on the dash but then went away once I had turned the car off. I have been driving it since yesterday and the antilock light has not come on again. Does this sound like something familiar?

Thanks for your help.

Ms. Newbie

[ctaylor738]

Welcome to the forum, Ms. Newbie.

What you are probably feeling from your brakes is the antilock brake system (ABS) pulsing the brakes. It is doing this because it thinks the car is skidding and by pulsing the brakes it can equalize the braking force on each wheel and help stop the car safely and in a straight line.

The ABS system relies on on sensors on the wheels that tell a computer how fast each wheel is turning during braking. These live in a harsh environment, because of brake dust, heat, and turning wheels. So they can send false signal to the computer during normal braking. This will cause the computer to "pulse" the brakes during a normal stop. But the ABS has system checks built into it to detect these situations. When it detects them, the warning light comes on.

So, you need to find a reputable shop and tell them that your ABS light comes on, and that you sometimes get a pulsation when braking normally. The usual fix is to replace the ABS sensors on the front wheels, which is not too bad financially.

As to your squeaking in traffic - is this over bumps, or while braking, or what?