Nice packed snow over ice here lately, and low-traffic rural roads, so I've been doing some "panic stops" (4 wheel lock ups). From all I've read and heard, I expected pedal pulsing at least, and maybe weird noises and shuddering .

But lock-up stops at speeds from 30 to 50 mph were silent, except for the sliding noise from 4 studded snows. There was no perceptible Left/Right yaw. Just a nice, controllable drift to the right due, I think, to road camber (the flatter the road, the less the drift).

I love it — whether the ABS works or not.

Any opinions?

Bruce
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Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67

Regardless of what tires you have or what the road surface, slam on your brakes when going over about 25 MPH and you will know if you have ABS. In fact, if you've never driven a car with ABS before, the brake response may surprise you.

The degree of severity of the pedal pulsing is directly related to exactly how slick the surface is. ABS allows for a slight difference between wheels, enough to "sort of" skid the tires, but not actually lock them up. Therefore you might hear what sounds like sliding, but on dry pavement, ABS brakes will still produce a screeching noise from the tires, despite the fact that they aren't exactly skidding.

With 4 studded snow tires, you may never see much ABS activation. In fact, I would doubt it a lot. I can sometimes hear the ABS go off when it is activating only on one wheel and only slightly, but never feel it in the pedal. A slight buzz is all that might notify you.

On really slick ice, though, without studded snows, the ABS function is totally noticeable, and noisy, as it's modulation is stepped up significantly.

The biggest signal is whether or not the ABS lamp functions and if you see it illuminate and then go off, when the car is started. If it never comes on, it may not be a functional system. However the lamp doesn't illuminate when the ABS activates -- only as a test function when the ignition is first keyed to 'on'.

...before THIS post gets misinterpreted with a nice stupid "You're wrong" response...

If the ABS activates only minimally, you may hear a slight buzz from the engine compartment, but hardly feel any action through the pedal.

If your wheels never break traction enough to cause the ABS to operate, IT WILL NOT MAKE ANY NOISE AT ALL.

And if the system is simply nonfunctional, that is another question. You would have to create a situation to test it.

if the ABS were working, you would most definitely feel it in your pedal.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

I recently got a chance to try the ABS in my '93 940. When I hit the brakes while on ice, the brake petal pulsed hard. If you have ABS, it doesn't sound like it was working. Does the ABS warning light come on with the rest of the warning lights when you first turn on the ignition key? Does it then go out when the car starts? The FAQ have info on checking the ABS system.

Sometimes there is not much noise, but the reaction of the pedal is unmistakeable when the ABS activates. If you have any question then it is not working, or you do not have it.

On your car, the ABS module is on the passenger side of the engine compartment. As the other post said, it says ABS on the top.

You can also turn the ignition key to the spot just before it turns the engine, when all the instrument panel lights come on. If you have ABS, and the bulb is not burned out, you will see it lit.

Sounds like the ABS isn't working. Your stopping sounds like my 745NA which doesn't have ABS. My turbo does and you can usually tell when it's working....Like you said, you should be able to feel it in your foot and hear the ABS motor working....But, if there's a problem with your ABS the ABS light should be on...weird.....I was sliding around a bit in the snow in my NA last night, pulling the e-brake and sliding into the driveway and stuff, lol, fun :) I like having a winter Volvo, hehe :)
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Chris. Halifax N.S. '91 745Ti, 287K km and '91 745 NA, 362K km.

Apparently not

Doesn;t sound like it's working, but typically the ABS dummy light would be on ... after 2-3 mph it evaluates the ABS (by sensing wheels rotation) and turns on light if not detected.

Is the ABS module present under the hood? It should be right behind the battery with brake lines in and out of it. Easy to stop, I think it even says "ABS" on the top.

Greg Mustang
Montreal Ottawa
Canada