Thread: ABS light, TC light, Brake warning light

the usual cause is is the abs accumulator bulb. they are easy to replace but expensive to buy. with the car as it is, the abs will not work reliably (sometimes the wheels will skid).

Yes it is definitely the accumulator.
Get it replaced as you will be causing the booster pump to run more or less every time you depress the brake pedal.
They are around $250-$300 from memory.

My 2000 HSE had the exact same thing when I bought it. Replace accumulator buld (I paid around $280 at RovaCraft) or it will damage your ABS pump from over running. I did the job, took about 15min in total, pretty easy.

MAKE SURE YOU BLEED THE PRESSURE OUT OF THE SYSTEM FIRST!!! I cannot stress this enough. If you do not, you will be in a world of hurt.

The process was like this for us:
1: Depressurize system (with the ignition off, pump the brake pedal as hard as you can 50 times, I'm scared to death of these things, so it was more like 100 times for me)
2: Remove old accumulator (I used a three jaw filter wrench like this one http://www.amprotools.net/Product_List.aspx?productid=745&partnerid=31&categ oryid=5&mode=show )
3: Screw in new accumulator (I tightened it up with the above tool as well)
4: Start car and hope to god those three lights have gone.

The accumulators come "pre charged" with brake fluid so there should be no need to bleed the brakes afterwards, though it doesn't hurt.

Easy job, cheap tools, expensive part, REALLY expensive if you don't do it soon, new ABS pump are NOT cheap.

Cheers,
Keels.

This forum is so useful and helpful I feel sorry for the mechanics who are missing out on some of the easier jobs due to DIYers and just getting the tough stuff!

I am sourcing a new accumulator, and island4x4 seems to have the cheapest by far at 79pounds, but no postage quote yet.

I do have a question though before I replace it. How does the accumulator fail? If it is a reservoir for high pressure gas/fluid and it was leaking
(causing the ABS pump to overrun), we would see evidence of the leak surely?

The excellent article at ABS Accumulator Replacement on a Range Rover 4.0/4.6/P38 describes the accumulator as bulletproof and so I imagine the normal failure point would be the oring. Is there any test for the accumulator? How about I just replace the oring?

Any discussion what be welcome.

Before you replace the Accumulator check your brake light switch on the brake pedal as they can give you the same faults showing on your dash

Symptoms point to the accumulator all right.
I replaced my accumulator last year on my 95 as preemptive measure when I put the BMR kit through the modulator, hoping that I could get better than 3 applications before the pump started. It is a dead easy job, as long as you don't introduce air and have to go through the brake bleeding rigmorale.
The old accumulator must have been recently installed by the previous owner, as I saw no real improvement.
If you want a good second hand accumulator, I can send it to you for the price of postage. You will need a new seal ring for the thread though.

The ABS fault can be triggered by brake switch failure, but in my experience the TC fault will not. If one of the brake pedal switches is stuck on you will get an ABS fault due to the conflict between the cruise control switch and brake light switch (when brakes are applied, one needs to be normally open, the other normally closed)

TroyN

These three lights come on in my 2000 HSE when I start up, and then go away after about 20 seconds. Is this normal?

Originally Posted by Marshall

These three lights come on in my 2000 HSE when I start up, and then go away after about 20 seconds. Is this normal?

All three lights normally come on when you turn the car on. Once you remove the handbrake, the hand brake light should go off. The TC light should go off after a few seconds (mine is sometimes a couple of seconds, sometimes longer) and the ABS light wont turn off untill you've gone over a set speed, 5kmph or something like that.

If the lights come on when you apply the brake during normal driving, that's when it becomes a problem.

Cheers,
Keels.