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HELP! ABS module is dead

23K views 70 replies 27 participants last post by  On650 
#1 ·
I can't depress my rear brake pedal. I had the bike towed to the dealer and they said I need a hydraulic assembly unit 55610-11j01. The they said they could not order it, and it would have cost $1900 for the part and $400 for the installation! Is it worth it to save my beloved V-Strom 650a? I found one on Ebay but it still costs over $1900, and it would take a month to ship it to me. Any ideas where I could get a good used unit? Thanks, bros.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I feel for you. Mine went out, and it took nine months and a bill that was greater than the original cost of the bike to repair it. All I can tell you is not to expect any support from Suzuki. I spent months on the phone and corresponding with corporate. Short version -- they said mine failed in the first place because I used aftermarket brake lines. I could find nothing that supports that theory. Then they had to put in three new ABS systems before they got one that worked. Of course, the labor tab was running. In the end, praise be Heyser Cycle in Laurel Md., which pulled strings to get the bill covered. I have never dealt with a company that offered worse consumer support for a premium product than Suzuki. Having had other unsatisfactory dealings with corporate customer service since then, it is highly unlikely that I would buy another Suzuki product. My suggestion is save yourself a lot of trouble, buy a new bike from a company that supports its product.
 
#37 · (Edited)
I hate to give up my ride, but I wonder what I could get for the bike is its current non-working rear brake condition. 2012 650a. 12k miles. V-Stream windshield, fork brace, peg lowering kit, crash bars, too case, good tires, and center stand. Nary a scratch on it. Pearl white. Flashing headlight and tail light.
 
#38 ·
How does the brake fluid look? Is it clear in the rear? Did you flush it? After flushing did you work it hard by applying the rear brakes multiple times in a safe yet slippery location in an effort to get the abs pump working again?

I have no idea what a 2012 with 12k miles and a non working abs is worth in your area, but I can assure you if it were me I would at a minimum try the above before I gave up on it.
 
#42 ·
Did you ever try opening the bleeder valve for the rear brake? Last time I went to change rear brake pads I couldn't get the piston back in to allow enough room for the new (thicker) pads.

I know different symptoms but worth trying.

..Tom
 
#41 ·
If and when you pick up your bike, question the dealer's tech as to how it was diagnosed as a failed ABS unit. Take notes if you have to.
As for what it is, what it isnt, and what it could be I never bet. I diagnose so I know exactly not only what it is, but what it isnt as well. An educated guess is still a guess.
Again, a second opinion isnt a bad thing. Ive seen cases here an expensive item was ordered and paid for, installed, condition not fixed, the real problem was repaired in the shop by another tech....and the customer was no wiser.
This post isnt meant to upset or scare you. But it's best it's to be fully informed as to the possibilities and procedures involved when it's your bike and money involved. Trust...but verify.
 
#46 · (Edited)
As Loco above says, I replace the brake fluid every year in all my vehicles regardless of mileage.
Some suction out the master cylinder reservoirs and refill...which doesnt accomplish much at all.

There are many different ways. My procedure uses an air-powered suction bleeder at the caliper screws, suction out fluid until the level drops just to the bottom of the reservoir, then refill with fresh fluid. Repeat 2 or 3 times at each caliper. I then apply light lever or pedal pressure and just slightly crack open the banjo bolt at the master cylinder to allow air bubbles to escape, tighten, and repeat at the caliper banjo bolts. If I have access, I use a crowfoot socket wrench to open the lines at the ABS unit and purge air there as well. Then refill the reservoir to the proper level. DONE. Figure about 15-25 minutes tops. I make sure I always have 2 full bottles of brake fluid, DOT4 in my case, on hand.
For the rear I partially reposition the bodywork if need be and take the reservoir loose from the frame of access. To fill the rear I use one of those small makeup funnels my wife gets and a 1' piece of hose to fill.
On bikes like my ZRX1100 and Vstrom1000 with hydraulic clutch actuation, I do the same procedure at the clutch master and slave cylinders.
To avoid rounding off bleeder screws, I use a double end 8mm X 10mm 6-point brake bleeder wrench, and also 90-degree bleeder wrenches in the same sizes.
In addition to possibly saving you from a ABS unit issue, replacing the fluid improves the lever and pedal feel as well.
 
#47 ·
Reading through this thread with a slight bit of interest due to 1) the ridiculous cost of the ABS unit 2) the recommended "fixes" ......and then I stumble across what could be some of the most ridiculous comments I have EVER read on this otherwise extremely useful forum. Every single one of you LEGAL EXPERTS that have made comments about the insurance company potentially denying a claim because an adjuster notices the ABS being disabled have ZERO idea what you are talking about. And the comments that insurance companies look for ANY reason to deny a claim are even more ridiculous. Sounds like a rerun of Dumb and Dumber, except not near as funny.

Not only am I an attorney, but I am an insurance company professional. I know of which I speak. I only spend the time writing this to correct the misconceptions expressed in some of the prior comments in this thread related to insurance company denials of claims.

First of all, most adjusters don't even have a clue what they are looking at when adjusting a damaged motorcycle, period, much less do they have the ability to recognize a bypassed ABS unit. Besides that, and fortunately for those of you making these comments, insurance companies are in the business of insuring our stupidity. I did not say "ensuring" our stupidity, most people are more than capable of being stupid all by themselves, even me. But insurance companies insure and indemnify you for your negligence. When you file a claim with your own insurance company for the damage to your motorcycle that is a first party claim filled under your Collision or Comprehensive coverage. First party claims are contractual claims and I can assure you, the last thing in the world a big insurance company wants to do is wrongfully deny a claim. Those companies are in a contract with us and that contract requires them to insure our stupidity. Insurance companies will, at times, deny your claim for your purposeful and intended damage, ie; setting your house, car or motorcycle on fire. Even then, the burden is on the insurance company to prove that you INTENTIONALLY caused the damage to your property that they insure before they deny your claim.

As for whether you have a passenger on board that is injured in a crash, or you run into someone, primarily due to the fact you could not stop because you disabled the ABS system, there is no insurance company on the planet that would deny that claim - you still had operable brakes, just not a braking system with ABS. I dare say even if you disabled the entire braking system for whatever stupid reason, they would not deny your claim. In fact, that's not even a claim that you yourself are making, that is a claim being made by the injured party due to your negligence. Actually, in that case, it is the insurance company that is protecting / indemnifying you for your negligence and will even pay for an attorney to defend you in the event you are sued.

As for farkles and modifications, not only do they not deny the claim because of the modifications, they generally pay you for the added value the farkles or modifications created.

I'm not here to argue that insurance companies are puritans. Like most of us, and other companies in all types of industries, insurance companies make mistakes. They are not as pure as the driven snow. But seriously, keep your comments to things you really know about and do not spout crap about things you know nothing about - it only serves to lead people to incorrect conclusions.

Now back to the regularly scheduled programming - did we ever find out what the actual problem is with the original poster's braking issue? It doesn't sound like a faulty ABS unit to me, it sounds like something physically impeding the braking system, from the foot pedal to the caliper/pads.
 
#51 ·
Well, I got my bike back from the dealer after a $138. diagnosis bill. Now the rear brake pedal goes all the way down with no braking action. At least it's moving again. I tried to activate the ABS in the front about 15-20 times on grass, and it works fine, but could not make the back brake work. I took a look at the rear reservoir and it looks as if nothing is in the little box. I'm going to take it to another repair shop and have them bleed the braking system and install new fluid to see if that solves the problem.
 
#52 · (Edited)
FJR, I'm no legal expert--which is why I contacted one to get his professional opinion. But in auto dealership Ive dealt with insurance adjusters in both collision cases and extended service contracts that took a long hard look at all aspects of an, for example an engine failure or for the accident itself. I have no reason to believe an adjuster for a motorcycle would any different.
Even if you are 100% correct,and I dont doubt that you are, why would you as an owner/rider take a chance?
 
#54 ·
Fly, I'm no legal expert--which is why I contacted one to get his professional opinion. But in auto dealership Ive dealt with insurance adjusters in both collision cases and extended service contracts that took a long hard look at all aspects of an, for example an engine failure or for the accident itself. I have no reason to believe an adjuster for a motorcycle would any different.
Even if you are 100% correct,and I dont doubt that you are, why would you an an owner/rider take a chance?

Insurance agents don't know diddly squat about motorcycles, which is why I would bet that we have nothing to worry about with "most" modifications. You are most certainly a "better safe than sorry" kind of guy, and I respect that........
 
#55 ·
Big B, I base my statements on personal experiences gathered during my professional career. And I repaired motorcycles for a good part of that time. Theory and risk can be debated, not what Ive been involved with while on the job. As I stated, I consulted with an insurance person who was was one of the higher-ups in Metropolitan Life in my area for answers.
What an adjuster knows or doesnt know is of no concern to me. I wont lay myself out for liability on my own motorcycles, much less anybody else's. "Better safe than sorry" doesnt cover half of it.

Here are but 2 examples, one of collision, and one of mechanical repair where an adjuster was involved. I was the technician that diagnosed and repaired both. Thankfully no one got hurt.
1) '06 Mazda3. Complaint was intermittent loss of power steering assist. Customer stated that the car was under warranty. A warranty inquiry was printed out with the characters "W1" mid-page, which means the vehicle had been listed as a total loss. No warranty. Evidently the customer knew it was totalled, got some shop to half-ass fix it, and then showed up on our doorstep for the power steering repair. All hell broke loose between the body shop, the insurance company, and the customer-and the adjuster who came out to the shop to see what I had found. SOMEBODY paid big time but it wasnt the insurance company. It was a broken wire in the harness at the P/S control unit that had been taped together and corroded from water intrusion.
2) '11 Mazda V6,8K mies, car out of state, wouldnt start. Towed to the shop. I diagnosed it as no compression on 4 cylinders. Leakdown showed total leakage past intake valves. Cam timing marks out of alignment. Bent valves. Caused by...Hardware store bolt was used to replace the Mazda bolt which, according to the warranty inquiry, was was changed during a recall for variable valve timing pulleys. The bolt was finger tight when I went to remove it. Which allowed the crank pulley to wobble back and forth and shear off the timing chain locating pin in the crankshaft. The Mazda rep--an adjuster--came out to inspect what I had found. Mazda debited dealer that did the work $8800 + the cost of the new engine and my labor.
These days every time you lay a wrench on something you take a chance. That doesnt prevent me from doing so, but I wont schlock something together just to avoid an expense. It just isnt worth it to me, I have too much to lose.
But, as always, do what youre comfortable with.
 
#56 · (Edited)
This is why I don't have ABS bikes! Ive had them in the past but sold my last Beemer way back when. A friend who had the same bike as me went through this ABS headache. Cost him a TON too!!! I can modulate my own brakes after 50 years of riding. Even without ABS i change my fluid every 4 years. I DO use Lucas synthetic also. Suzuki recommends that you, also, change your brake lines every 4 years. Thats why I went with steel braided lines the last time I did my flush refill. Iuse a mighty vac and suck it from the nipple! YES I said I suck it from the nipple!>:)
 
#59 ·
I've just recently rejoined the forum after a long absence. This thread immediately caught my interest as I just recently had the same problem with my 2012. Back in February, my rear pedal seized up while riding. The front brakes worked normally. I did a lot of troubleshooting on the system. When I opened the rear caliper bleeder there was no change, so no fluid pressure seemed to be getting there. When I cracked open the discharge of the master cylinder, fluid came out and the pedal could be pushed down easily. This told me the master cylinder was working. I decided that the ABS hydraulic unit was plugged somewhere in the rear brake system passages. Like others, I went into shock when I saw the price of a new unit!!! I began searching the web for a used unit from a wrecked bike. A couple of weeks later, I saw one for sale from a 2013 DL650 that was wrecked on the front end. The seller wanted approx. $400 for it but also had a "make offer" choice. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to score the unit for less than $150 shipped to my home. Life got busy for a while, so my poor Strom sat idle for about 4 months. This week, I finally dove in and replaced the original unit with the salvage part. It took a little effort, but is do-able by someone with basic understanding of brakes and tools. After a LOT of pumping and bleeding, the brakes felt good enough for a test ride. Success! My bike has been reborn with like-new brakes. I replaced all the pads while I was at it. Now I'm doing some other service work on the machine to get it ready for a ride to the Colorado Rocky Mountains in a couple of weeks. Woohoo! My recommendation for others who might run into this problem is to do the same. Find a wrecked bike and negotiate a deal on the ABS unit from it. The price of the unit is highway robbery! FWIW, I had previously freshened the brake fluid on the bike 3 or 4 times over the years. If it ever happens again, I will probably have new lines fabbed up to bypass the ABS function.
 
#60 · (Edited)
Thanks to all for sharing all these good ideas. I shopped around for a repair facility, and found a small shop that would charge me only $150. to replace the ABS unit. I did find a new one, in Germany, on Ebay, and they were asking $850. for it. But I kept looking on Ebay for a used unit and found one for $175! I jumped on it and had it installed, and VOILA! got my brakes back to normal. So instead of a $2400 bill from a Suzuki dealer, I got it done locally for $325! They don't know why it failed, but I did not ever have the brake fluid flushed, so maybe gunk built up inside the unit and clogged something. I am extremely happy to get my white steed back on the road.
 
#61 ·
Sorry, I just saw this post, and I did get the problem fixed. It was the ABS unit: I shopped around for a repair facility, and found a small shop that would charge me only $150. to replace the ABS unit. I did find a new one, in Germany, on Ebay, and they were asking $850. for it. But I kept looking on Ebay for a used unit and found one for $175! I jumped on it and had it installed, and VOILA! got my brakes back to normal. So instead of a $2400 bill from a Suzuki dealer, I got it done locally for $325! They don't know why it failed, but I did not ever have the brake fluid flushed, so maybe gunk built up inside the unit and clogged something. I am extremely happy to get my white steed back on the road.
 
#63 ·
Hopefully some of you are still following.
I had the same problems. Here is what I did.
I tried to back flush bleed and that didn't work. Then tried to bleed one line at a time starting after the master. Master was doing its job until I got to the ABS unit. No pressure after the ABS unit. Took off ABS module and inspected holes for any debris. Everything looked clean. Then I ran some air on the front brake input and output and air ran both ways no problems and no obstruction. Then did the same to the back brake input and output and found air would only flow in one direction, from output to input. Bingo, my ABS module is bad. I figure the solenoid must be stuck somehow. Looked up part $1900.00. Holly cow! I don't think my strom is worth that much!! Thinking caps on boys. How do I by-pass this system? Should I bypass both front and back? Can I just buy a shorter hose? What are the implications if I put it back together with the front running through the ABS, the rear brake holes plugged on the ABS, and just live with it?

Or should I just park her and keep looking on Ebay. There is one there right now for $599 which is still to rich for me.

Thanks for the input.
Anson
 
#64 ·
Do a search for "ABS Module Repair Service" which are typically for cars but maybe someone does motorcycles as well. You'll probably need know the brand and version of the ABS unit, I think its Bosch but I am not certain about that, but search the site as I think it has been discussed here in the past or maybe the info is the service manual.

You can bypass the ABS Module with short brake lines to continue the circuit for F/R and the brakes should work fine without ABS. If you pull the ABS module for service with the lines bypassed the ABS warning light would probably be on all the time.
 
#66 ·
Cutting wires for abs light or other problems is not a good idea. When they inspect a vehicle they turn the key on and all the failure lights should come on and then go out. This is to test and be sure that the failure lights CAN come on and then go off if there is no problem.

Cheers

RLBranson
 
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