ABS Questions

[spydergear]

Hi All, I have a '90 SPG that I have owned less than a year. I haven't done much too it, but I have already started to acquire parts for a few small jobs. One issue I'm having is that the ABS reservoir appears to be leaking at the grommets. I don't currently have access to the EPC, so I'm not sure how it is removed. Just give it a good yank? Or are there roll pins like the earlier master cylinders?

Second, I think I may need a new accumulator as the ABS light and the brake fluid light flash on intermittently when I press the brake. The pump does appear to work as I can hear it when I start the car. Does anyone know where to get the supposedly cheaper GM part?

Third, not having driven another ABS-equipped 900, I don't know if this unit behaves normally. The pedal effort is much higher than my '85. Is that normal? It does seem to stop OK.

Thanks, I appreciate your opinions.

[B202NUT]

Whats up Spydergear,

let me see if I can help


1. The Brake fluid res is secured with a metal clip kinda thing and a torque screw,,, Don't yank anything! You need to look underneath the res and you will see the mounting armature and the torque screw that holds it

2.if you ABS light is flashing within 19 depression then your black bomb is likely toast. They are hard to come by; I recently redid my whole ABS system, pump, MC, ECM, and res,. My best option was to find a good donor and I removed the complete unit and swapped it over. So for your accumulator, its gunna be a bit of a chore finding one for sale... good luck

3. if the ABS light is not full on the pump should be working properly; however, if you don't fix the accumulator sooner than later, you can kill the pump....



Hope that helps.

Cheers,

[spydergear]

Thanks, B202NUT, I will use my mirror and look for those fasteners. I will have to spend the money on a new accumulator, so it seems. I'm just afraid there will be more problems with it once replaced or down the road. One of the best features of my '85 are the brakes - they have always stopped well with little pedal effort. Also, I like the emergency brake on the front rotors. Obviously, I can't backdate the whole system as the wheel lug-pattern is different, but I have considered changing most of it and using a conventional master-cylinder.

Thanks, you have saved me from potentially ruining my reservoir.

Glad I have two SAABs, saves car rental fees!

[YellowBird]

I will have to spend the money on a new accumulator, so it seems.

Try going to your local boneyard, although, those accumulators can be hard to come by. Also try sourcing GM/SAAB #4002267, Jag #JLM 1907, AC Delco #25528382 or ATE #10.0514-9003.1.

If you cannot find one, let me know.

[spydergear]

Thanks SPG9, the numbers will make my search easier. I may try a used one first, it's worth a try.

Since you own both ABS and non-ABS SAABs, would you say that a fully-functioning ABS system has similar pedal pressure to the earlier system? I have a sensitive knee.

[YellowBird]

Thanks SPG9, the numbers will make my search easier. I may try a used one first, it's worth a try.

Since you own both ABS and non-ABS SAABs, would you say that a fully-functioning ABS system has similar pedal pressure to the earlier system? I have a sensitive knee.

It is definitely worth it, to try and find a used accumulator first.

My preference is a non-ABS system. The "pedal pressure", in my opinion, is noticeably different. That being said, I have made significant changes to the suspensions and braking systems on my non-ABS SAABs which allows them to outperform my ABS SAABs.

I love to get out on the track regularly and I think, the most bang for the buck you can get is to replace your old brake lines with stainless steel ones.

If your objective, in a "fully functioning" ABS system, coupled with a "sensitive knee" -- is to reduce the "pedal effort" and improve the braking efficiency, consider changing the brake lines over while you are addressing your leak and accumulator issues -- I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

[spydergear]

Thanks SPG9 for the tip. That does sound like a good idea especially since the rubber lines are now 25 years old. In fact, I have yet to take the wheels off. I've only really looked at the brakes up on a rack when I bought the car. So yeah, a whole system evaluation is in order.

BTW, that is an impressive list of SAABs that you own. The '86 SPG is one of my favorite SAAB models...

[YellowBird]

Thanks SPG9 for the tip. That does sound like a good idea especially since the rubber lines are now 25 years old. In fact, I have yet to take the wheels off. I've only really looked at the brakes up on a rack when I bought the car. So yeah, a whole system evaluation is in order.

BTW, that is an impressive list of SAABs that you own. The '86 SPG is one of my favorite SAAB models...

Good luck getting everything sorted! Keep us posted on your progress and results.

[spydergear]

Yes, I will keep you all updated. It may be a couple of weeks before I can start on the SPG as I am currently prepping the '85 for a smog test. In the meantime, here is a picture of the tool I adapted to remove the brake fluid from the reservoir. I was looking for a turkey baster, but found this "flavor injector" a device normally used to inject butter into turkeys, that I hope will work even better. I added a piece of aquarium tubing to the end, which should allow me to get most of the brake fluid out. The rubber grommets are Mercedes-Benz part numbers.

[spydergear]

I finally got to the reservoir seals. I would have liked to start with a clean engine compartment, but I'm leery of getting the wiring wet after my experiences with replacing much of my '85s engine wiring.

Anyone have a good method of cleaning the grime without damaging any of the wiring?

I had to move the coolant reservoir out of the way to get at the bolt that holds the brake fluid reservoir on.

Both rubber seals were pretty mushy and were leaking $12 a can Pentosin enough to clean out Pep Boys stock of the stuff.

The fastener holding the reservoir on my car was a 5mm head Allen bolt. Fortunately, I had the tool for this.