Abs Light In Dash 2000 Corrolla - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

Guest CraigO

My 2000 corolla ABS dash light comes on and off. It seems the ABS system is getting intermittent info? It comes on after hard application of brakes, then it may just go off or it goes off when engine is stopped restarted. Sometimes it stays on when engine restarts but then "down the road" I notice it is off. Something is up, not a real car guy but would like to know if anyone has a thought on this. (Brakes good - new rotors & pads, drums turned and new rear shoes) Two brake shops have told me "they can not read the codes". Are Toyota brake codes secret? Is their something about a Toyota system that mandates that a Toyota shop needs to "read" the system. I just hate going to dealerships, so darned expensive and two shops have been unable to help. Is 2000 the first year for corrolla ABS?

Hello and Welcome to the forum.

Nothing special about the Toyota codes - I would find aother brake shop though. The Toyota ABS has its own ECM that has to be properly queried by entering a diagnostic mode. Then it is a matter of reading the code (either through the handscanner or some models will flash the ABS lamp with the code). I had a writeup somewhere that explained it in detail - I'll try and find it.

Could be anything from a bad speed sensor to low brake fluid. So the first thing I would check, is to make sure there is enough brake fluid (DOT 3 or better) in the reservoir. As for ABS, been available in previous model years and even previous generations of Corolla - so there is nothing new with the system that should confuse the two brake shops.

is the ABS light the same as the handbrake indicator? My handbrake indicator light comes and goes intermittently. engaging and disengaging the handbrake has no effect. Often, I'll accelerate up to about 40 or 45mph and then keep the speed around there and about half the time, the light goes out the second I let up on the gas.

I checked the brake fluid and it is JUST at that line for min. so I might add some (is that safe to do? add new brake fluid to existing?).

Any ideas? does anything else use the brake indicator light, or only the handbrake?

BTW, 2000 corolla automatic with vvt, ~180k mi

If the car doesn't have ABS - you'll only have that BRAKE indicator lamp come on for brake system issues. If it comes on/off like that - most likely it is a low fluid level in the brake reservoir. It is OK to add new to old, as long as they are compatible fluids (DOT 3 or higher mineral-based fluids - do NOT use DOT 5 silicon-based fluid).

If the level is fine or adding fluid doesn't help - then you could have an electrical issue or potentially safety related issue with the brakes (bad master cylinder, worn lines, brake booster issue, etc.)

I am 99% sure my car has ABS. It has been making a funny noise lately too now. It is a high-pitched chirping coming from the right side probably near the front. I tried to figure out where it was coming from but it wasn't doing it this morning. The noise is only there when the car is in gear and moving at a slow speed. Last night it was still chirping while I was stopped but still in Drive.

Anything I could look at? I also want to see where my brakes are at, but do I need to actually remove them to see the pads or is there a way to see them from a certain angle easily?

For the front brakes - easiest to pull the wheels off and then you can look directly through the caliper opening to gauge pad thickness. Could be a number of things causing that high pitched noise - brake, suspension, wheel bearing, physical contact, could be the serpentine belt / belt tensioner, slipping pulleys, etc.

Not understanding "it was still chirping while I was stopped but still in Drive" part of your post. You got that sound when the car wasn't moving at all? If that is the case, probably not brake related.

For the front brakes - easiest to pull the wheels off and then you can look directly through the caliper opening to gauge pad thickness. Could be a number of things causing that high pitched noise - brake, suspension, wheel bearing, physical contact, could be the serpentine belt / belt tensioner, slipping pulleys, etc.

Not understanding "it was still chirping while I was stopped but still in Drive" part of your post. You got that sound when the car wasn't moving at all? If that is the case, probably not brake related.

Yes, Car was in drive but I had my foot on the brake to keep the car from moving. Oddly enough, I topped off my brake fluid and the chirping stopped. I doubt I am competant enough to take a wheel off and put it back on w/o messing up the balance or something like that. Is there any particular torque to use on lug nts or just tighten them as tight as I can? I really am a noob when it comes to cars, but I need to learn since I can't really afford to take it to a shop for them to tell me "your brakes are fine. $200 please"

Edit: as long as removing the wheel is all, no removing brakes or anything, and as long as a monkey, well, a strong monkey, perhaps a young gorilla. Although my hands are smaller than a gorilla hand... perhaps more like a strong chimp.. yeah, a chimp that works out. As long as a chimp who works out can do it, I should be able to. *rereads post* ok, so all I need to do is take the wheel off to be able to see brake pads? How do I tell if they need replacing? just when the pad part is getting thin, or is there some indicator built into the pads?

Lugs should be torqued on about 76 ft.lbs. - tightened in a cross pattern to avoid getting them too tight or too loose. Pretty easy to remove and reinstall the tire/wheels - just make sure you have the car well supported and have the right tools before you attempt this. Good idea to invent in a 4-way star lug wrench vs. using the OEM joke of a lug wrench. OK for emergencies - but you have a much greater chance to snap off a lug by using that wrench. Need a good jack and jackstands for safety - those can be purchased inexpensively, or sometimes rented. Easier to "break" the lugs loose with the car on the ground first, then jack it up and remove the lugs the rest of the way.

Lugs should be torqued on about 76 ft.lbs. - tightened in a cross pattern to avoid getting them too tight or too loose. Pretty easy to remove and reinstall the tire/wheels - just make sure you have the car well supported and have the right tools before you attempt this. Good idea to invent in a 4-way star lug wrench vs. using the OEM joke of a lug wrench. OK for emergencies - but you have a much greater chance to snap off a lug by using that wrench. Need a good jack and jackstands for safety - those can be purchased inexpensively, or sometimes rented. Easier to "break" the lugs loose with the car on the ground first, then jack it up and remove the lugs the rest of the way.

I may have a way to borrow tools for my brake job (replied to a topic about replacing brakes in a 2004 corolla).

Implements I would need:

torque wrench

c-clamp or brake tool thingy

sockets

fishexpo

screwdrivers

way to lift car (Thinking jack up to cinder blocks, is this ok? I'm very close to broke)

I also have added that link to my favorites, the one that shows step by step brake job for 2004 (mine is 2000, though)

After looking at that link and talking to several people, I've decided I can do a better job than the monkeys who did my last brake job (won't name stores, but the brakes lasted about a year, and could have gone about another 6 months, but one of my pads started crumbling or something, it's scoring the heck out of my rotor and it sounds awful. But I digress) Any other things to look out for, stuff to have handy, etc?

I'm also open to suggestions for "good enough" "tried and true" parts that aren't terribly expensive. I will need new rotors and pads (unless they can grind down about 2mm off of the rotor and smooth it out, but 2mm is a lot, isn't it?) but I also need to buy school books. I can't mess up this time, but all this crap started going wrong right when school started. Now I'm left with having to get cheap parts again. But again, I'm veering way off topic. Kinda scatterbrained today.

So yeah, summary: some good tools to have on hand? how about suggestions for good enough/tried and true budget rotors and pads? (I should have just said that instead of writing this 200 word essay)