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ABS Inop and Spazzing Lights

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Old Feb 25, 2010 | 10:09 PM
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Default ABS Inop and Spazzing Lights

Ok, so I know 2 things, low voltage makes these cars do weird things and my battery is questionable. Now heres whats goin on. I can get the battery charged enough to run the car for a little bit, and it idles as good as ever, but the "ABS INOP" light stays on the whole time, then the battery looses its charge and the car dies.

The next problem is, when I release the E-brake every light in the car (at least every light you can see form the drivers seat) flickers in unison and the BCM clicks with them. I know its the BCM because the dash is outa the car, so I can hold it up to my ear to listen to it. As soon as I reset the brake, it all stops.

So my question is, can all this come from havin a fried battery, or do I have bigger problems?
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 12:22 AM
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sounds like your alternator isn't charging
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 12:27 AM
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Volt meter read high, as if it was charging a low battery.

I started the car with the charger set cranked up to 55 amps, or the jump start option then unhooked it. After that the car would only run for a short time. The alternator is only a year old. The battery is a POS.

Either way, would low voltage cause these two problems? I recall from somewhere that inadequate voltage would cause the ABS system to shut down, but now I cant confirm that.
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 12:37 AM
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yes the abs can set low voltage codes, but im telling you if you have a good voltage source and the vehicle is running, you take that voltage source away and the car dies, it is more than likely your alternator. you could have a shorted battery, but who knows without actually testing it, pull the battery out and go have it tested at autozone or somewhere that tests batteries around you
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 08:30 AM
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I still think you need a good battery even if the alternator is charging otherwise the car would run fine once you disconnected the charger. If I remember correctly the solenoids in the abs draws a fair amount of amperage.

Last edited by mike13; Feb 26, 2010 at 08:36 AM.
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 08:34 AM
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here's a post from 2005.

even if your getting good amperage check them, the first things that lose power are ABS/TCS, so try cleaning the terminals (and/or checking the battery/alternator) and making sure it's just not getting good contact, or your battery/alt are going bad.

awhile back I thought my alternator was going out, because I had the same problem, turns out it was just the terminals were so dirty it was getting rigid contact spikes hehe.

+ make sure your rear harness is plugged in correctly.
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 11:27 AM
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Alrighty, Ill check it out and see what I can find. Thanks guys.
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 05:09 PM
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Could my falshing light problem be caused by a bad BCM? Cuz now, for some reason, when I try to unlock the door with the key FOB the trunk unlatches. Never had any problem like this before. Also, could that be why the car dies after a minute of run time? Because the BCM doesnt recognize the VATS? Thats how I understood they work togather but I many be wrong.
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Old Feb 26, 2010 | 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by mike13
I still think you need a good battery even if the alternator is charging otherwise the car would run fine once you disconnected the charger. If I remember correctly the solenoids in the abs draws a fair amount of amperage.
I would agree. Get a good battery and check out the alternator, look for corrosion on all terminals. If there is a problem with the bat or alt, everything else will be screwed until you get the correct voltage.
You may not have any other problem except bat or alt.
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