'96 C1500 Silverado ABS light.

[James2406]

I have a intermittent ABS light on my c1500. It's a RWD Silverado 305ci 4l60e Ext cab three door truck.

Looking for a scan tool that can diagnose the abs light before I start throwing parts at it.


For reference here is what's done to the truck,

New Transmission and Torque Converter by Overhaulin Transmission of Savannah Georgia.
New rebuilt drum brakes, shoes, cylinders, ect.
New brake reservoir AcDelco
All new A/C lines, condenser, filter, Evap and Heater Core, compressor, blows hot and cold.
Brand new Power steering pump, pulley, high and low pressure lines to new RedHead Gearbox.
Mevotech Idler arm and bracket Grease able. E
New pitman arm, idler arm, center link, inner and outer tie rods. AC Delco and Moog only.
New upper and lower control arms both sides.
New Upper and lower ball joints Mevotech TTX's both sides. Grease able.
BellTech 3 inch lowering springs and Street shocks up front.
New BellTech 4 inch drop shackles and hangers, and belltech lowering shocks around back.
BellTech transmission & carrier bearing spacers to fix driveshaft angle.
New AC Delco carrier bearing.
New spicer ujoints from the transmission to the rear differential.
Custom shortened and balanced driveshaft by Powertrain of Savannah Georgia.
New 235/75/R15's GT Radial HWY Terrain's, road force Balanced.
New Power stop Evolution Street Rotors and pads.
New AcDelco Front calipers.
New inner and outer timken wheel bearings.
New Red Top Optima battery with new terminal hardware.
New AcDelco Rotor, Cap, and plug wires. Distributor screw mounting holes for the cap broken, repaired with a Dorman Distributor Breaker Plate (creates new holes for the cap to bolt too instead of replacing a good distributor)
New oil pan gasket.

Thanks! Sorry if posted in the wrong location!

 

[Jeepwalker]

Looks like you did a lot of work!

The easiest/cheapest/quickest way right now would be to drive down to a parts store like Autozone or OReilly's and have them do a free scan of your truck and ABS module. There should be stored codes which will probably indicate a lack of a certain sensor reading. You should also do a visible inspection to make sure no wiring got pinched, or frayed or disconnected during the process of your work. A failed sensor reading could mean no signal due to wiring too. It should help point you where to start looking.

But overall, recommending a scanner .....if your truck has OBDII (which it should), then wheeew! ...there are nowadays about a bazillion scanner options out there for consideration ...from free (or real low cost) software-based Android or PC solutions (plus ~$30-80 for a cable/dongle), various import handheld scanners like Launch models or Foxwell ..and other scanners ...all the way up to $2000+ for a more "pro" scanner that does a ton. They each have certain capabilities to fit certain type of users' needs. Do you need a scanner that also does OBD1 for another (older) vehicle you own? How new of a vehicle would you like to be able to scan? (maybe you don't work on newer cars??). Before jumping in on a scanner, I would suggest take a few days or weeks to consider these factors and what depth of capabilities you want/need (graphing capabilities?) ...and what your top-line budget is. I personally would buy the most robust scanner you can afford that will fit your needs and accomodate future needs/mechanical growth. If you only need a basic, simple scanner with real-time readings, maybe a scanner much cheaper Launch scanner for less than $200 is the way to go. Or maybe you can just rely on a part store scan? Maybe you can articulate your needs to us. Search Youtube and Amazon ...lot of reviews you can look at.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Check the wheel sensors and make sure they're all clean and their distance to the tone ring is within spec. If I remember right, we fixed an ABS light on my son's first Crown Vic by cleaning one of the rear ABS pickups of metal fuzz and securing it closer to the tone ring. The sensors are magnetic, and both metal stuck to them as well as increased distance weakens the tone ring's induction in the magnetic field.

 

[Schurkey]

Perhaps a moderator will move this thread to Axles + Brakes instead of the Engine forum.

 

[Jeepwalker]

It says, with a $15 add-on this modestestly priced scanner can also do ABS bleed. Doesn't do bi-directional, but for most guys they may not need that ..esp for a 96. Later vehicles it 'may' come in handy. Once you know the basics, Google is an amazing way to figure out the most common problems. Nothing worse than buying a scanner that leaves off a real useful feature. Always check the scanner feature list of any scanner before buying.

Launch CRP129E Scanner

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[James2406]

"snip"

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I have a '02 7.3 power stroke that would be nice to have access to in depth diagnostic tools as well, however that's about it. A scanner that could do both would be fine by me.

Was my grandfather's truck and after all the money and time into it, I'm definitely getting burned out on chasing issues constantly.

"Snip"

I'll definitely give that a look thai weekend, I've never touched the wheel speed sensors so that definitely could be the issue. It seems to brake fine when the ABS light of off, however it shudders when it's on. Will report back.

"Snip" again

Appreciate that info, I'll read up on it and report back.

Sorry for posting on the wrong section!