New purchase, iabs failure fun

tpmcleod24 said:

I now own a really nice low mileage 2004 rt with a functioning brake system. Went for a 35 mile ride and experienced no issues or lights. Every ride before had a the issue occur within 15 to 20 miles of riding. So far so good.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and support.

For reference, I drained brakes, replaced lines with speigler kit, filled and then bled. The initial drain still showed some dirty fluid, either left from the previous flush or due to the brake lines braking down very badly.

WARNING: Be very careful with the fluid level sensor connectors on the abs unit, the two pins do not favor morons.

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Glad you were able to fix without rebuilding the ABS module, another happy ending. Also, I'm another owner of an '04 RT. It too was a new to me bike. But the previous owner kept meticulous service records, plus routine brake fluid flushes. I'll continue with the flushes on a regular basis and plan of replacing the brake lines soon.

r184 said:

Glad you were able to fix without rebuilding the ABS module, another happy ending. Also, I'm another owner of an '04 RT. It too was a new to me bike. But the previous owner kept meticulous service records, plus routine brake fluid flushes. I'll continue with the flushes on a regular basis and plan of replacing the brake lines soon.

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Beautiful bike. Any mods you would like to share? Also, what tires are you running and would you recommend them?

Thanks!

All, I forgot to mention that I received a response from module masters:

"We've started the early stages of production with this rebuild and are currently working through the waiting list. Rebuild price will be $750 when it becomes available and will include the 5-year warranty"

tpmcleod24 said:

Beautiful bike. Any mods you would like to share? Also, what tires are you running and would you recommend them?

Thanks!

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Sent you a private message, check your notifications tab.

insert failure trombone sound

failed again... anyone have a link to the latest and greatest recommended servoectomy procedure? There are many different threads and links, just want to make sure I am going about it the most direct way. I have seen the bypass connectors and the second life kit as options.

Thanks

tpmcleod24 said:

failed again... anyone have a link to the latest and greatest recommended servoectomy procedure? There are many different threads and links, just want to make sure I am going about it the most direct way. I have seen the bypass connectors and the second life kit as options.

Thanks

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First things first, before condemning anything,
SCAN the bike and report the fault codes.

I bought a new wizzy brake Adventure in 04. I was ignorant at the time and asked for ABS, had I known the non ABS versions do not have servo brakes I would have made that choice. I still have the bike, but it is a seldom ridden garage queen. At the first sign of trouble I will yank the system and do a work around and wont give it a second thought. Super weak link in an otherwise fantastic machine.

I’d flush it again first. Focus on trying to get a good amount of fluid through the module if that makes any sense. Brake fluid is cheap and it just might work. I don’t think it takes much of a rogue bit of line contamination to upset this finicky system.....

scqtt said:

I bought a new wizzy brake Adventure in 04. I was ignorant at the time and asked for ABS, had I known the non ABS versions do not have servo brakes I would have made that choice.... Super weak link in an otherwise fantastic machine.

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Yup, after 15 years with no failure, its a "super weak link".

Update...

Well... I had a few nice rides trouble free before the light came on again. After sitting on it for a few months, I decided to remove the abs module. I used the motorworks kit and took about 4 hours. The rear spiegler line i already retrofitted fit fine after bending the banjo fitting a bit, so no additional rear brake line was needed.

I considered multiple options including the rebuild as well as the bypass kit made by rfelectronics. My thought was to bypass for now, pull the module and possibly have it repaired. After mulling it over I decided to just remove it for good. My reasoning is based upon the assumption that there is no guarantee there will not be another failure after the rebuild. These seem to have too many problems to believe i would get to a fully reliable state. As such, to me, unreliable abs brakes are less safe than no abs. I do not believe I could ever ride without worrying the module is going to fail again and do not want that constant worry/risk.

Looking forward to enjoying the bike absent the worry of abs failure and/or less than ideal brakes.

-tp

Don't forget to call your insurance agent and let them know your bike no longer has ABS. This will affect your coverage and also, if you don't report the change and have a crash the fact that you have removed this important safety feature will give them grounds to deny a claim.

Not sure where you got your data on future failures or the reliabilty of these units but I can tell you that every failure I have read about here has mainly been due to lack of maintenance. They fail because they are not flushed annually and the brake fluid becomes contaminated with water which causes corrosion of very precise parts. Also, the OEM rubber brake lines on earlier bikes with iABS like the 1150 were also caused by brake hose rot. The tiny bits of rubber and rubber crud gets into the iABS and again, the parts in there are very precise and the tolerances do not allow for particulates in the fluid. When cared for properly they work fine.

Thanks. My assumption is based upon the number of failures and issues that I have read about here and other places. The fact that companies make and sell bypass kits/solutions further highlights this for me. Outside of ordering a brand new one, I feel I would be hard pressed to get a unit that I would be confident in.

I am sure there are plenty good ones out there...consider me once bitten twice shy.

If anyone would like a good "how to" pdf doc on flushing the whizzy brakes, PM me and I'll email you a copy
Jeff

Wouldnt fit

Jeff488 said:

If anyone would like a good "how to" pdf doc on flushing the whizzy brakes, PM me and I'll email you a copy
Jeff

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I tried, but it would not fit down the toilet...

Jeff488 said:

If anyone would like a good "how to" pdf doc on flushing the whizzy brakes, PM me and I'll email you a copy
Jeff

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PM inbound!

I bought a new to me 04’ R1100S and promptly threw a iABS failure and suspect it is old brake fluid as has only been ridden 600 miles in the last 4 years with no brake fluid flush. I will be watching this thread closely.

On the Way.
However, this is for the R1150 whizzy brakes. Don't know if they're the same.

valpor1100s said:

PM inbound!

I bought a new to me 04’ R1100S and promptly threw a iABS failure and suspect it is old brake fluid as has only been ridden 600 miles in the last 4 years with no brake fluid flush. I will be watching this thread closely.

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Are original rubber lines in place as well? If not, they really need to be upgraded to Teflon lined SS as they do break down and cause issues. Low voltage at start up from weak battery also will cause failure code.