1. Home
  2. Ford Trucks
  3. 1997 Mazda B4000 ABS and 4WD warning lights problem

1997 Mazda B4000 ABS and 4WD warning lights problem

Bought a used 1997 Mazda B4000 last week; been driving it for 10 days without a problem. Today, when I started it, I got two warning light indications:

  1. ABS light comes on and stays on.
  2. 4WD HIGH and 4WD LOW lights flash 2-3 times then go off. After a few minutes, they flash again, then go off. 4WD does NOT engage -- I flipped the dash switch into 4WD H and 4WD L, nothing happened, truck remained in
2WD.

All fuses look good -- I pulled the fuses, looked at them, then put them back, did not replace any fuses.

I installed my amateur radio transceiver in the car today and these warning lights started after I completed the installation. During the installation I did not touch anything else on the truck -- was very careful to avoid all internal wiring, etc. I did connect my amateur radio directly to the battery -- a pair of #10 wires, fused, connect to the battery -- one to the pos terminal, one to the neg terminal. I loosened the battery cable clamps, one at a time, and inserted the connector on the end of the pos and neg power leads for the raido under the head of the hex bolt that tightens the cable clamps onto the battery terminals. I do not have my antennas installed, so, I have not transmitted with the radio -- I know some vehicles have problems with RF energy from transmitters getting into the computer but that could not be the case here.

I turned the ignition switch on and off several times, no change. Drove the truck a couple of miles, shut down, started, drove back. No change in the warning lights, they still come on. Everything else works fine.

I have noticed, every day, a small wet spot on the ground under the truck -- it's brake fluid -- I stuck my finger in the spot and smelled the stuff. The spot is located under the center of the engine compartment (centered from side to side), just behind the front axle. I have not been able to find the source of this spot. Brake fluid level has not changed in the 10 days I have had the truck.

Usually, when I start the truck, I hear a muffled "clunk" from underneath which I have assumed to be a solenoid in the 4WD system activating. Now I don't hear that sound.

Is it possible that, in loosening the cable clamps on the battery cable, I interrupted the power supply from the battery to the truck's computer or something that would have caused these warning lights to go on?

Reply to
Joe S.
Loading thread data ...

A defective shift motor can cause this and it's a very common problem.

Reply to
JimV

"Shift motor?" This truck has a 5-speed -- I do the shifting :-) !!!

Can I fix it? What is a shift motor?

I should have said that my experience is with old VW Beetles -- damn, but life was simple then.

Reply to
Joe S.

Just returned from the dealer -- they tell me it's a GEM module.

-- ABS light stays on

-- The two 4WD indicator lights on the dash flash six times then go out; wait 4-5 minutes, flash six times then stop; etc., etc.

-- Interior light does not work, either when open the door or flip the switch on the dome.

Also found leaking intake gasket.

Reply to
Joe S.

Why did you run the negative cable to the battery? I'd have run it to the frame.

Reply to
Advocate

The way the power lead from the radio is constructed, the red and black wires are bonded together and there was not enough length on the black wire to get to a place on the frame. HOWEVER -- as soon as the truck is back from the shop, I am going to pull the black lead off the battery, splice on a pigtail, and find a frame ground in the engine compartment. I still need to install antennas -- the antenna mounts will have good frame grounds -- and I still need to ground the radio to the frame with a dedicated lead.

Reply to
Joe S.

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.