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2001 Toyota Sienna

Question: abs problems

Question

chele4him, 3.0L V6, Montgomery, AL, June 11, 2010, 09:10
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 Rookie

Husband was driving and had to brake very hard, said there was a little sand/dirt on the road and the front brakes locked up. Had it towed to shop. They said the caliper on the front right brake was completely locked and were having trouble getting it unlocked.Then said the abs system was damaged and they couldn't fix it we needed to take it to a dealership. The dealership said the abs needed to be replaced (the part $1800) but the master cylindar was also damaged(which the other mechanic didn't mention had a problem so I am a little doubtful) The bottom line it that the repair is approx $3500 which is about what we paid for this vehicle(did I mention we just paid the last payment on it) Can we just disable the abs system

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  • Answer #1

    dandd June 11, 2010, 10:56
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    I would get another opinion about this repair. Just because there was a panic stop on a sandy road, should not have hurt your braking system. A stuck Caliper could have been caused by the pads being worn and the piston over extended, but that is not $3500 repair.
    I don't understand how the Master Cylinder was hurt by this, that is very unusual. The ABS system is designed to be applied hundreds if not thousands of times with out any problems. Something about this Diagnosis does not feel right by either shop, it sounds like they are guessing.

    here are some other shops to call, they should be able to inspect your Brakes for about 1 hour of Diagnosis time.

    http://repairpal.com/directory?address=36109&car_brand_na...

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    Visitor, June 11, 2010, 15:35

    funny you should say that.the brakes were worn but we were told they still had some wear and we postponed replacement for a few weeks. And my husband said exactly what you said about the piston having to over extend because of the worn brakes causing the caliper to lock. I wonder if we could fix our whole problem by just replacing the brakes.And that the first mechanic didn't have a good explanation as to why they locked up and said it must be the abs and we don't work on that. I'm not trying to short cut anything but I don't have money to throw in the air either. What do you think?

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    Visitor, July 20, 2010, 10:59

    I had sort of the same problem happen to me in my 1998 Sienna (165,000 miles). I was in reverse and had to slam on brakes. Fronts locked. I disconnected battery and tapped on master cylinder and proportioning valve. Thinking something may have stuck. Reconnected battery and fronts were not locked. But, it seems that the brakes stay on for a split second too long when applied now. I pulled both calipers to ensure they are not stuck. Seem to be ok. I have been reading lots of posts hoping it is the master cyclinder (cheaper than ABS or proportioning valve).

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