2004 camry ABS

I was wondering if anyone could comment on the following problem.

I have 2004 Camry in immaculate condition, bought it with only 8200 miles. The original owner says it has ABS. But the ABS light never comes on. Never at all - not when I turn ignition key to on, not when I start the car or break hard. I do feel pulsation in the break pedal when I break quite often. Especially when I break on slow speeds - 10 to 30 mph, the pedal sometimes vibrates and sometimes doesn't. It never vibrates only slightly. Always with the same force, or doesn't vibrate at all.

Anyone, any suggestions as to why this happens? Is there a test procedure to check if ABS works? Is it easy to replace the indicator lamp? What repair manual whould you recommend for all of the above info?

I have recently bought a repair manual at obsidiancorp.com. It is presumably the original Toyota manual, but it lacks chapters 2, and 3 to 9. It has 1500 pages, and what it has seems to be detailed and descent. Chapter 5 contains ABS and SRS procedures, and is itself 2200 pages, so the manual is not even

50% complete. Does anyone know where I can find those missing chapters from toyota manual, or buy the whole manual on CD? Are Haynes manuals any good? Anyway, they don't have 2004 Camry, AFAIK, so it's not an option. I don't want to pay $300 for paper manuals from the dealer , because 1) I might have cheaper options 2) I want a manual on CD in PDF, so that I can search easily and it doesn't wear and tear, and I can store it withough taking up preciou space on the bookshelves.

Sergiy

Reply to
Sergiy Migdalskiy
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The ABS light should illuminate when you turn the ignition key to the on position without starting the engine.

You may be able to hear the ABS actuator go through the self check under the hood when you start the engine and you let the car roll forward or backwards for about 10 or 20 feet.

If you are familiar with the components under the hood, you should be able to see the ABS actuator under the hood. It will be a metal box about the size of 2 stacked bricks with a bunch of stainless steel brake lines coming out. If there is no ABS actuator, then there is no ABS in the car. If in doubt, take it to a reputable auto technician or Toyota dealer and ask them to point out the ABS actuator to you.

If you look at the front struts in the wheel wells, you should see a couple of wires attached to the struts, ledingn to the wheel speed sensors.

You should not feel the pulsation in the brake pedal under normal circumstances, it almost sounds like you have a warped rotor or brake drum (if you have drum brakes). When ABS is activated, you will feel a rapid vibration or pulsation through the brake pedal, hear a rumbling sound from under the car, and if the radio is not blasting, you should be able to hear a whining noise from the ABS actuator.

If you are able to find a road surface with poor traction, with snow, ice, water, loose sand, or covered with wet leaves, you can drive about 20 MPH and slam on the brakes. If the ABS is working properly, you will stop in a straight line. If the ABS is not working properly or if the car does not have ABS, the tires will skid and the car probably will not stop in a straight line.

I have never used a Haynes manual so I can't say whether they are good or not. You can get access to the factory service manual from techinfo.toyota.com for $10/day.

Reply to
Ray O

This website says V6 and upper trims have standard ABS.

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Pulsation in the brake pedal during normal braking is a sign of rotor problems. At the low miles you have I would take it right back to the dealer and tell them to fix it.

The standard test for checking ABS is to take it on a deserted stree or parking lot and drive up to 30 MPH or so and slam on the brakes -- don't back off the pedal. If you have ABS you will feel the strong pulsation and there will be no doubt in your mind.

Reply to
badgolferman

It appears my car doesn't have ABS. The original owner said it did, and I believed him blindly.. Opinions about how much value I lost (i.e. how much more the same car with ABS would cost?) According to KBB, it's not much (about $160 I think). I don't understand why people don't install it as an option, if it only costs $160 or so.

Anyway, I took my car to the dealer and they said they're going to exchange the master brake cylinder. Supposedly they found it upon my lead about pulsation in the brake pedal.

Thanks, Sergiy

badgolferman wrote:

Reply to
migdalskiy

Hi, Thanks for the great in-depth answer. It appears my car has no ABS, so there's no question anymore.. The dealer says the master brake cylinder tested poorly and they're replacing it tomorrow. Hopefully this'll have the pulsation problem solved.

Any insight about efficiency of the ABS? I don't think it will stop car from skidding in extreme conditions, and the regular brake system shouldn't be too bad, so I assume there's a narrow set of conditions when ABS can really make a difference. Just how narrow is it? I live in Los Angeles, 95% of time it's dry and sunny, and the other 5% it's rainy and there are huge invisible ponds on the freeway..

Thanks aga> >I was wondering if anyone could comment on the following problem. > >

Reply to
migdalskiy

A bad brake master cylinder will not cause pulsation. Pulsation is usually caused by warped brake drums, warped brake rotors, or rotors that are not parallel.

I am not sure what you mean by "efficiency" of ABS. ABS is not intended to keep the car from skidding. ABS will prevent wheel lockup, which is one of the causes of skidding, but if the tires lose traction when the brakes are not applied, the vehicle will still skid.

The set of conditions when ABS can really make a difference is not that narrow. My guess is that over 70% of the drivers in the U.S. do not know how to brake properly, and ABS will help those drivers maintain control any time there is a difference in traction under one or more tires, which is just about all the time. That said, careful, attentive driving can help keep drivers out of situations where the ABS would be activated.

I do not mean to disparage the driving abilities of Californians, but from my experience living in northern California, the effect of the first fall rains in California is the same as the first snow here in the Midwest. The oil that has accumulated on the roadways during the dry season floats on top of the wet roadways during the first rains, making the roads very slippery and I remember seeing a lot of accidents after the first rains in the fall.

I consider modern safety systems like ABS, traction control, stability control, laser cruise control, backup sensors and cameras, and crash pre-tensioners to be an extra margin of safety, not the difference between safe and unsafe. None of those systems is a substitute for safe, attentive driving, and knowledge of basic skills like controlling a skid.

Reply to
Ray O

Thanks for the insightful answer, again.

It seems I should've paid attention to checking if the car has ABS or not. Well, too late for that.

Anyway, I got the car from dealer yesterday, before they installed new master cylinder. The vibration seemed to be drastically reduced (they didn't tell me they did anything). Today, after they changed the master cylinder, the vibration is gone completely and the break pedal feels somewhat tighter. I'm glad I got it to the dealer in time, while the original warranty still applies.

Thanks, Sergiy

Ray O wrote:

Reply to
migdalskiy

Sergiy,

I'm glad the dealer fixed the problem, although I still do not understand how a master cylinder can cause a vibration.

Enjoy the car!

Reply to
Ray O

I've been following this and I too am amazed...they have to be confused about something (or slipping the truth a little)...there's just nothing in the master cylinder workings which could possibly cause the pulsations described...

Reply to
Gord Beaman

I think a more likely explanation is a misunderstanding of brake part nomenclature, but since the car is fixed and the OP is happy, I guess that is the bottom line.

Reply to
Ray O

Yep :)

Reply to
Gord Beaman

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