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Brief grinding noise, felt in brake pedal/abs/trac light

KZOO3800

KZOO3800

New member
1997 Grand Prix SE 3800. 160,500K. Owned since 159,500K.
When I first start the car and put it in gear I hear a brief, one time grinding noise which I think is coming from abs pump the first time i hit brakes. Been this way for about a month without any dash lights coming on.

Its snowing now in MI and I got curious so I set the ABS off a couple times on some snow and as I suspected, the same brief grinding noise occurs. No warning lights until, yesterday, pulling into my business college last night my ABS light lit up, accompanied by the "TRAC OFF" light, as well as the "CHECK TIRE PRESSURE" light. :confused: It had been days since I set off the abs.
Is this part of some redundant system, specifically if your ABS malfunctions does the Traction control also shut off? Maybe the tire pressure light comes on to warn drivers that there are no computers aiding their driving and they should actually *gasp* check their tire pressure?

Tried to extinguish the "TRAC OFF" but pushing the "TRAC" button did nothing, it blinked off for a split second and the light turned right back on. Also held the button under the driver side dash but couldn't reset the "check tire pressure" light. I've read up a little about related issues. Does not appear to be a bad sensor, rather a mechanical issue in the ABS system. Haven't driven since yesterday.

Also, in addition to above mentioned mechanical problems, battery is wicked old and shows signs of it: turning on rear defrost will decrease RPMs subtly at idle, and dim headlamps for a few seconds. Alternator issue as well?

What do you fellas think, and should I pull the ABS fuse until I can have the pump repaired/replaced?
Thanks
-Scott
 


hard to diagnose abs issues over the net... "usually" its a bad hub. but could be anything... best thing to do is get it scanned and let us know what codes were present.
 
Well I don't believe most auto shops have a scanner capable of pulling an abs code. So, I think I'm going to do us all a favor, and take some pictures and videos from now on. This would be a good idea for the gasket issue my car has as well.

In the next couple days I'll try to get some you-tube videos up showing the gaskets leaking and an in-car/running engine look at the gauges and tachometer as well as the ABS/TRAC OFF/CHECK TIRE PRESSURE light behavior. Later on I can document the improvements in performance after I get this engine back in good shape.

Its gonna be a while because I don't have any trustworthy mechanics in west Michigan. When I travel east next weekend from college things will start to get interesting.
 
Hopefully you hear back from KZOO3800, Rex. In the meantime, if you need any help getting connected with a dealership in your area to get this checked out we'd be happy to help set you up with an appointment.

Sarah (Assisting Louis), GM Customer Service
 
Make sure you get it scanned. Videos won't be that much help. Mine turned out to be the pump itself not the hubs.
 


I have seen this issue in 2 different models of this platform - a '98 olds intrigue that I used to own and my dad's '03 impala. After researching the issue when it occurred in my olds, I found that the unanimous answer was that the ABS wheel sensors had failed and I needed to replace the hub assemblies. After replacing both front hubs, good as new. The problem then arose in my dad's Impala so I completed the same repairs, replacing both front hubs. The problem was fixed for all of about 5 miles and it started again. The cars both had approximately 135k miles on them which seems to be the general mileage where the ABS sensors and wheel bearings fail in this platform of vehicle. Unfortunately, my experience only has me at a 50% success rate with the hubs being the issue...

I was told that you can check the ABS wheel sensors by putting the front end up on jack stands, disconnecting the ABS sensor on the wheel hub and inserting a volt meter while manually turning each front wheel. Supposedly this would show if one or both have failed. Unfortunately this was a few years back and I don't recall what reading you're supposed to see while doing this.
 
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