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Cadillac Repair/abs and traction controll

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Expert: - 3/5/2011


Question
I bought a 1999 sls this week and the abs and traction control lights are on . The brakes work fine and I dont really care about the traction control working , will not fixing either give me big or expensive problems later.    Thanks    Ken

Answer
Hello,

Check your owners manual for the location of both fuse boxes. Check the fuses with a cheap test light. Sometimes a bad fuse is not obvious to the eye.

Many of these older cars have slip shod repairs on the brakes. In fact, I bought an Olds Achieva that passed inspection last October, which means he did a crap job on the brakes afterward.
I am sure he pinched the wires on the front caliper, setting off the brake and anti lock light on the dash.

I have run into this many times and you might have the same situation. As for the traction control, might be a fuse, otherwise can't help you.

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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