Yamaha XJ6 ABS warning light issue

[Gaarmstrong318]

Hey folks

I have a 2010 XJ6 Div F ABS and in the last two weeks I’ve had a odd issue with the ABS light and system, it started out as the light flashing randomly it would start and stop flashing at random with no discernable pattern to it. After a few days the light would turn solid and only reset if I turned the bike itself off. To note the ABS disables it’s self when the light comes on either flashing or not.

However now the fault occurs whenever the bike goes above 45mph, I took the bike out for over an hour round york (inside the ring road and below 45) and the light didn’t flash or go solid at all, however as within a minute of going over 45 it comes on solid and won’t go off until I turn the bike off. Has anyone had this issue.

I’ve jet washed the bikes brakes to clear off muck and gunk then lubed up the pistons and made sure all 3 (2 front 1 back) sets of pads retract from the disc when you release the brakes and that are all working fine.

Transit sent to think it’s a faulty sensor or faulty abs unit which could be very expensive.

Has anyone got any ideas???

[fastbob]

We'll I don't know anything about ABS or warning lights but I do know that servicing callipers requires more than simply lubricating the pistons and pushing them back in again. I find that removing the pistons and the seals and then thoroughly cleaning out all dirt and mineralisation from the grooves followed by careful reassembly using only brake fluid as a lubricant will produce a massive improvement in performance. We'll worth the extra effort. Out of interest, what exactly is this light designed to be warning you about ?

[Gaarmstrong318]

I didn’t push them or they were in situ but I removed most of the grime on all the calliper not just the pistons

[fastbob]

I didn’t push them or they were in situ but I removed most of the grime on all the calliper not just the pistons

 

Fine , but any grime that is visible is not going to affect the operation of the calliper. It is the hidden grime underneath the seals in their grooves that will make a calliper perform badly.

[Gaarmstrong318]

Ok but this isn’t helping me find out what is wrong with the ABS

[fastbob]

Ok but this isn’t helping me find out what is wrong with the ABS

 

Well hang on , ABS utilises a series of rapid pulses to move the pistons in and out many times per second . If the pistons are being gripped too tightly because dirt and mineralisation has built up behind the seals then surely they won't be able to function as they were designed to do . I would assume that any warning light built into such a system is there to warn you that it isn't working properly. All I'm saying is that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure that the callipers are working efficiently so that you can rule stuck pistons out as a possible cause . For years I thought that removing my callipers , pumping the pistons out a bit and cleaning away any visible dirt was all I needed to do . Then , acting on good advice from this forum , I performed a total strip down ( which takes ages when you have twelve pistons ) and the difference was like night and day. The result was staggering, sharp and efficient finger tip braking with greatly reduced lever travel had returned to my bike . Just trying to help . I notice that you commute through the winter on this bike by the way ....

[Guest]

Errr....what you need to do is look up the ABS fault codes for your bike - they, and they alone, will tell you what is wrong. The fault code may be expressed by the pattern of flashes of the indicator light or you might need a fault code reader that plugs into the EMS via the bike's diagnostic port.. Have you checked the ABS rings and sensors on the wheels? Sometimes these can get crudded up or even dislodged. If the brake is sticking on (unlikely) it will result in hot discs and calliper which should be obvious and in any event is unlikely to result in the differential in wheel rotation that is picked up by the ABS system. You can get fault code readers for about 35 quid up - some will just display a fault code while others, through a laptop, will give more detailed information and allow you to reset the fault light.