Not for a C-body, but a brake question nonetheless.

celticwarlock

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Hello all. I asked this question a little over a year ago and wasn't able to get an answer, so I'm asking it again in the hopes of figuring this out.

I have a 2000 Dodge van (5.9, rear wheel ABS) that has the ABS and BRAKE lights on. A hard stop caused the lights to come on about a year and a half ago. I chased this problem for a few weeks, and after replacing the sensor in the differential, checking the tone ring, checking the wiring, and replacing the ABS module, the lights still persisted. I gave up on it, as I didn't know where to go next.

Yesterday, I had to perform another (semi) hard stop, whereupon the lights then went out. They stayed off for a couple of hours of city driving, and then came back on again. It seems that whatever fault is causing the warning lights to come on is hydraulic in nature, and not electrical. There is no air in the system, and the brakes seem to function perfectly.

I've heard that there is a component inside the metering valve which will cause the lights to come on if it's not centered. Could this be the source of my problem? If so, which of the two blocks beneath my master cylinder contains the component in question? There are two....one with an electrical connection (3 or 4 wires, I believe), one with no electrical connection, and both with hydraulic lines attached to them. Could this be due to contamination if some kind? Would bleeding the system help somehow, even if there's no air in there?

I thank you in advance for your sage advice.
 
Brake fluid should be flushed/changed every couple years, I know that I do and have not had a major component failure since I started doing that a decade ago. ;)

I think back above the axle there might be a ABS relay that does have a bleeder on it, most people forget to bleed that unit thinking only of the rear wheel cylinder/caliper and front calipers, and that can cause all kinds of issues.
 
When mine did thaton the 03 Ram I had ableaking line near the front caliper. Of course I think thats because of being low on fluid.
 
I agree with the guys above. It's likely low on fluid for some reason. I had a late '90s Honda that had a similar problem. The ABS system turned out to be low on brake fluid. Filled the system (you can fill those systems) and everything was fine until the leak got worse. Found and fixed the leak and everything was fine.
 
The system neither leaks nor is it low on fluid. Honestly, that was the first thing I checked. I thought the panic stop might have compromised one of the wheel cylinders or some other component and caused the system to spring a leak, but that was not the case.
 
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