ABS Light Flashing after front Tire Repair

CaST

CaST

My first risers
Joined
Jun 26, 2005
Messages
177
Location
Sonoma, CA
Bike
ST1300A
Long saga regarding flat tire but after the shop technician put the front tire back on and test drove the bike, everything was fine. After I left and was 20 miles from the shop, the ABS light started flashing. I turned the bike off and it went on toward home for a while and then it started flashing again. On the 3rd time I turned the bike off and it hasn't come back on yet but didn't have but maybe 6 miles to go after the last off on. Is there a special thing to reset the ABS that the tech didn't do or is there something else?

Thanks,

Patrick
 
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Shouldn't be. Sounds to me like either the tone wheel isn't right or the connection to the sensor is flaky. If you have a service manual, pull the ABS trouble code and see what it says.

--Mark
 
How do I pull the ABS code? What is the tone wheel? The wheel with teeth? I have ordered a service manual but it hasn't arrived.
 
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I'm with Leo.

Since the only change was a new front tire, then there has to be something up with the front wheel abs sensor, or the sensor ring.
Attached is a picture of the right side of the front wheel. The abs sensor is depicted in the red circle. The sensor ring (with all the teeth on it) is depicted by the red arrow. I just measured the gap between sensor and ring with a feeler gauge. Gap is .035 in.

My guess is either the sensor ring is bent... or heck maybe they put the wheel on backwards and it's on the wrong side :eek: . Or the Gap is too wide.

I'd be taking it back to the place that changed the tire. Make them fix the problem. Let us know what the fix is.
 

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I will take it back but because it was a flat tire when I was out of town, it means I have to take it to Daly City, South of San Francisco which is about 60 miles from me and then deal with some people that obviously don't know anything about ABS. It was a bad sign today when I got the flat, had to have it taken 15 miles on a flat bed truck to the shop, the kid didn't know about the handle on the left side to assist in putting it up on the center stand so I knew right away that he hadn't worked on one and then to top it off I got a speeding ticket trying to get home at 8pm from a day that started at 7:30am. I got the flat at around 1pm. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. :nuts1:
 
I just shined a flashlight between the sensor and the teeth. Is there something that is supposed to stick out from the sensor and nearly touch the teeth, because there isn't anything there? When you said .035 inches, the gap I have is at least .125 if not more between the sensor housing and the teeth.
 
phurley said:
I just shined a flashlight between the sensor and the teeth. Is there something that is supposed to stick out from the sensor and nearly touch the teeth, because there isn't anything there? When you said .035 inches, the gap I have is at least .125 if not more between the sensor housing and the teeth.
Click to expand...

The gap should be clear. Nothing in the gap. The manual says the gap should be .02 - .05 in.

If the gap is greater than that, then either the right caliper isn't installed properly (the abs sensor is ridgedly mounted to the caliper assy), or the sensor ring is bent, or the left and right axel spacers are reversed.
 
He seems to have bent the ring. I rotated the wheel and as it moves, the gap becomes larger until its huge. How do I tell if the left and right axel spaces are reversed? Are they different widths?
 
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phurley said:
He seems to have bent the ring. I rotated the wheel and as it moves, the gap becomes larger until its huge. How do I tell if the left and right axel spaces are reversed? Are they different widths?
Click to expand...

DAMN :(
#1 reason I always do all my own work :D

I must say thou... I've never had a flat whilst out on the road... I'll have it tow'd home before I ever let someone touch my bike.
 
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Hey Leo, how do I tell if the spacers are reversed, are they different widths?
 
pdfruth said:
DAMN :(
#1 reason I always do all my own work :D

I must say thou... I've never had a flat whilst out on the road... I'll have it tow'd home before I ever let someone touch my bike.
Click to expand...

Yeah but I was 60 miles away and HCRA won't tow but to the nearest dealer. That is a whole nother story. DON'T EVER BUY OR USE HONDA OF BERKELEY FOR ANYTHING!!! Sorry for the yelling but the guy, Carl, wouldn't fix my flat even though I was stranded.
 
phurley said:
Hey Leo, how do I tell if the spacers are reversed, are they different widths?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of the exact dimensions of the spacers.... but if you stand in front of the bike, looking at the spacers, the one on the left is visibly wider than the one on the right. Again, this is while your standing in front of the bike, looking dead on at the front wheel.
 
I am confused. Where are the spacers? Can you shoot a pic and circle them like you did with the sensor? Please...
 
I see it. The spacer is huge looking dead on, on the left.
 
phurley said:
I am confused. Where are the spacers? Can you shoot a pic and circle them like you did with the sensor? Please...
Click to expand...

Here's a pic of the left spacer. There's one on the right, albeit smaller.
 

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The service manual is on the way. I ordered it last week. Thanks for the help. I didn't have any wobble on the way home. I was up to about 90 miles an hour but slowed it down just in time to get a ticket going 73mph. :D
 
Not sure just how bad it's bent... but, you may just be able to bend the ring back to it's proper shape. Although, the more it gets (re)bent, the more brittle it'll become. Eventually it'll break. So be carefull. But I bet you can bend it back.

Edit: Naaaaa, never mind.... get a new one (or make the shop get a new one). It's not worth the risk of a future breakage.
 
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Don't know if you got this resolved, but it's very possible the front axle wasn't re-installed correctly positioned. When this happens, and specifically the axle end is not flush with the LH fork outer face, it is possible for the front wheel to drift from side to side on the axle. This could explain your variable air gap without meaning the pulser ring is bent. This would also explain your intermittent fault on the ABS.

See this thread

Regards,
 
I washed the bike over last weekend and the problem went away. Must have been the stuff used when changing the tire that created the problem when smeared everywhere.
 
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phurley said:
Yeah but I was 60 miles away and HCRA won't tow but to the nearest dealer. That is a whole nother story. DON'T EVER BUY OR USE HONDA OF BERKELEY FOR ANYTHING!!! Sorry for the yelling but the guy, Carl, wouldn't fix my flat even though I was stranded.
Click to expand...

My Dealer is in San Mateo and they seem to do a good job for me. You may want to give them a call. I'm sure they'll be very helpful if they can.

Honda/Suzuki

T:650 341 5867

101 East 25th Ave
San Mateo, CA 94403

Ask for Carl. BTW, they're closed Mondays.
 
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