[xj-s] Re: Heat & ABS Brakes

["Peter Cohen" <petercohen@unn.unisys.com>]

Chris wrote:
> Sometimes, the brake system/ electronics inside the engine compartment
heat up >together with the rest of the engine parts and the brakes/
antilock give me red/ >yellow warning/ hazard lights.  After that, the
brakes lose their power assist and I >have difficulty stopping the car.
>There is also a mild vibrating feeling on the brake petal when this
>situation arises and the normal brake pumping feeling vanishes.  From the
>outside, the brake system makes a buzzing sound as well.  I use the hose
to
>cool the brake system down locally.  And it works!  It must me heat-
related
>then.  I did check for any leaks in the brakes, I did maintainance, I did
>change brake pads, as well as I did bled the brakes.

I had this exact thing happen to me one time. Now that you mention it, it
did happen on a very hot day, however the indicated engine temperature was
not unusually high.  Since the manual states that the ABS pump should not
be allowed to run for very long, I stopped the car & pulled the pump fuse.
This leaves you with unassisted front brakes and no rear brakes.  I drove
home very slowly and parked the car for 6 hours, after which it was fine.
I never considered the possibility that it might be heat related.

I did take Chad's advice, and flush the brake fluid lines, since I
suspected that the problem was caused by debris in an ABS valve.  Since
then, I have had no further incidents of the strange & scary ABS behavior,
nor has the ABS light come on.  However, in the last few days, the red
BRAKE light has been coming on for a few seconds (without the yellow ABS
light).  This has been happening while driving, without touching the
brakes.  So far, my only experience of having the red light come on without
the yellow light has been due to low fluid warnings.  Perhaps my low fluid
sensor is shorting.

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