Does my 1987 Volvo 740 GLE have ABS (Antilock Brakes)?

Have a look under the trunk floor on right hand side. If it contains an ABS modulator unit and a few hydraulic pipes then it has ABS. However on your car it may well be under the hood, either side of the compartment near strut tower(s). If it has none of these things it does not have ABS.

All the best, Peter.

My '87 Turbo does, but it was a fairly rare option on the 740s. You can look for the ABS modulator under a wood cover under the carpet in the side of the trunk, but it's easier to just get out on an empty road, preferably wet, get it up to about 25 mph and slam on the brakes. If it has ABS you'll hear it chatter and feel in the pedal.

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If your car is fitted with ABS there should be a warning light for ABS malfunction, this should be on when ignition key is turned prior to starting just like all the other warning lamps.

Regards

Per Hauge

Isn't this light fitted anyway ? My '89 UK 740 estate has the light but no ABS. There's no exhaust cat either, but I have that warning light too !

I haven't been able to test it yet, but I think he means when you turn the key, if you have it the light should come on for a few seconds as a system check. If you don't, the light will not illuminate.

Just my guess...

"Andy Dingley" skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

This is interesting. The ABS warning lamp is lit when grounded via the ABS control module, and positive feed from ignition key switch. If you have ABS light, I would have hard to believe you don't have ABS, and if light goes out when engine is started, I would say even a working ABS. What does the light look like, color and text?

The check engine light is not related to the exhaust cat, but is lit when either igniton or fuel injection module has detected an error.

Regards

Per Hauge

Not sure if you've gotten your answer, but there is a very simple test if you live in Northern Climates.

Find a large parking lot or sidestreet without cars or other obstacles around, with a layer of slippery snow or light ice. Drive up to about

If you get a shuddering through the pedals as you go sliding along, the odds are that you've got ABS.

If there's no shuddering, no ABS.

Local newspaper covered ABS and described the driving technicque needed is not pumping the brake pedals, but "stomp and steer".

Thanks, yes that would surely do it. My issue is that I bought the car a couple weeks ago and don't have the car with me. It's been at the mechanics and I was trying to find out how to tell without actually having the car with me.

I thought perhaps all 1987 740 GLE models either had them, or they did not.

It was an expensive option, available but certainly not all of them had it.

Just curious, what is the name of that large drum-like object between the master cylinder and the firewall? It's been driving me nuts. I always thought THAT was the master cylinder, but it turns out it is not.

Vacuum brake booster. The master cylinder is the gizmo with pipes attached that bolts to the front of it.

Bob

That's the vacuum booster, often just called a "brake booster." You've heard of "power brakes" - that's the part that makes them power.

Mike

Which reminds me, if you ever go to rope tow the car, or your engine conks out while moving at high speed or down a hill, prepare for the braking effort to be MUCH heavier as soon as you run out of vacuum in the booster. It'll feel like there's a block of wood stuck under the brake pedal.

Both red, with lettering "ABS" and the catalyst symbol.

I think they were options at the time (UK, '89) but mine has never had either fitted.

Or "brake servo" here in the UK.

That's for most cars. On my Volvo (740) it's not MUCH heavier it's INCREDIBLY heavier. I've never known a car with such heavy brakes, unassisted (except possibly my Citroen 8-) )

Half of my other cars are old enough they don't have brake servoes anyway.