RE: re: brake light coming on
 

zinzin,

did you see this part?

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

There have been many postings! The last indicationg normal op.
But I don't believe there can be a message "anti loc OK." I have never seen this on my 87 and I believe the new owner just did not see the statement "antiloc OK," just "All systems normal" and interpreted that this meant anti loc OK. (as it does)
I believe he was reading "all systems normal" which would be normal after the initial check. I still believe his system is operating normally but the brake flush can't do any harm . We all know that when we have the initial red light indication as the system is ac***ulating pressure we also have the anti loc inop displayed on the DIC. They all disappear as soon as the pressure has built up in the system.and as soon as that happens the red light goes out and the anti loc inop dissappears from the DIC.
The fellow doing the brake flushingwill be surprised after flushing the system just how long it's going to take to get all the air out. We had to bleed the system at least five times all around.
His last posting was what I have been observing for five years and until he has that "master red" and "anti loc" on continuously he has a normal system.
One of the postings indicated the red light was illuminating when brakes were applied and that would have indicated loss of ac***ulator pressure but that seems to have corrected "itself" and later postings indicate normal operation. We all know how quirky we felt these cars were the first six months of ownership, and we all seem to be waiting for something to happen.
It is unfortunate that the Bosch system in the Allante has but one "master red" warning system which remains on constantly when both the hydraulic pump and ac***ulater fail together. Then things happen fast. The Bosch identical system in the Prius has a master red light warning if the ac***ulator fails and a separate master red light warning if the pump fails giving you plenty of warning and plenty of time to driveto some place safely for service.

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

after reading all his postings, i'm starting to think .. "This is a TEST"


also, what you said about the RED Light is a "me too". Add to your list, the ebrake on, RED light on.
I guess we should be happy that the eng dept didnt use that same RED light for "fuel is low" and battery "charging."
was the GM eng dept conserving on light bulbs?

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

There you go! I believe jono06406 is just a new owner who hasn't quite yet figured out what occurs with the brake system and is coming up with different interpretations from what he is seeing on the DIC. That start-up Red with the anti-loc inop coming on at most starts gets hard to get used to. My first months I got in the habit of turning key, waiting for all the lights and message to go off, (even sometimes watching for the 32 seconds allowed by Dick Hussey) then turning key off and then going thru the complete engine start up with "NO" lights before driving off. Now I know what "all systems normal" means.

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

hmmm .. i thought i was the only one that did that - AFTER I knew what all that messaging was about.

BTW, when i first got my car the Brake RED Light was on all the time, I had no clue what that was about, thinking it was some engine related issue. Eventually the RED Light just went OFF, two or three weeks later. After I found about the possibility of a total brake failure, it dawned on me what could have happened.

What I know is that the car had just gotten new pads, new tires and the dealer thought it nice to spray the whole engine compartment with WD40 to make it shine. They did all that after i had agreed to buy the car, at no extra cost so i had nothing to complain about. The sales lady wanted to also have the leather sprayed (color) and she gave me a coupon for me to take it in. Since the seats needed re-stitching, i never took it in.

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

hi guys, i know i am new and the operations and messages from the dic are messing me up but now i think i have found the answer to my problem. today i took the beast to work.it is about a 6 mile one way trip.during that trip my brake light came on 3 times. all 3 times i pulled over and restarted the beast and the red brake light cleared.coming home was about the same but this time my radiowas off and i noticed that every time i stepped on the brakes i could hear a quiet motor cycling.it would run about 3 seconds everytime i stepped on the brake petal( i counted ). when i arrived home i opened my hood and ihad my daughter step on the brake petal and everytime she did i could hear a motor running for about 3 seconds. it wasthe black cylinercal motor just in front of the master culinder just under the duct of the intake.might that be the ac***ulator and why does it cycle everytime i step on the brake.is it going bad.inow know is what is making myred brake brake light on? somebody tell me i'm wrong!!!

RE: re: brake light coming on
 

You are describing a failing ac***ulator. The bright small metal canister just above and to the rear of the electric pump you have identified. Dick Hussey sells rebuilts at a very reasonable price. He will recommend changing the brake pump relay at the same time.
Just to give you a picture of the brake ac***ulator (and they are used in many car and aircraft braking systems) Picture a ball with a stretchable membrane deviding it in the center. On one side of the membrane is an inert gas, and on the otherside your hydraulic fluid. When an electric pump forces pressure into one side of the ac***ulator the membrane is pushed back in the ball until it reachesthe extremity that the gas allows (say a pressure of 3,000 pounds.) At this figure the pump will shut off. Now when you need pressure in the system (for brake applications) the gas pressure in the ac***ulator supplys it. (No sound) After about a dozen brake applications the ac***ulator pressure bleeds down to say 2200 pounds. The electric hydraulic pump now comes on and in several seconds builds the pressure back up to the 3,000 pounds. With this system you can see that the pump has to run veryshortly after the original start up. That's why in the Allante's system you should always get a red brake light on "start-up" as the pump runs just long enough to pressurize the ac***ulator. That's why we use Dick Hussey's formula (in Allante source) counting seconds after an all night shut-off to determine how long it takes for the red light to turn off and system pressure is fully built up.
Now if you are hearing the pump come on at brake applications it indicates the ac***ulator has failed. It is one of the simplest and inexpensive parts in the system that can fail. Most people change out both the ac***ulator and master cylinder with new relay at the same time. Dick has rebuilt units as one package I believe.
Hey, you haven't purchased a "lemon." Just about everyone with an Allante with over 80,000 miles has gone through this problem and that's why Dick has gone to the trouble of having rebuilt the units. Cadillac only deals through new parts and that can be several thousand dollars. Allante source keeps these things "on the road." Your ok driving without a constant red light. Just remember if the pump burns up from constant running and the red light stays on constantly you have less than a half dozen brake applications before "ZERO" braking.
What's happening to you is that there is zero pressure in the ac***ulator and so when the brakes need pressure the pump only is supplying it. Personally until I get the parts I would drive the six miles to work and enjoy the car but by using the brakes very sparingly. I don't beleve stopping and starting constantly does any more good eliminating the light than just not using the brakes for a minute or two would do. Of course you will get a lot of opinions about this from folks that would cringe at any "red" light and that is reasonable but as long as you know exactly what is going on, you can make up your own mind.

Cadillac Allante ABS flush accumulator relay pump light manual
 

What hyperion said is pretty close but before you half cocked on the other sites, let me point out that the ABS PUMP runs some of the time, after you use the brakes. It is normal as its job is to "TOP OFF" the ac***ulator when the pressure gets low - as the ac***ulator ages, the need to top off is more frequent. The ABS PUMP RELAY controls this operation. Depending on the condition of the ac***ulator, the ABS Pump can come on every 10 applications (great condition ac***ulator) or every time (ac***ulator has seen bettter days).

It is the AC***ULATOR that provides stopping power with its 2500 psi or so of fluid pressure. That little bitty canister perfectly stops the moving 4,000 lbs of Allante from 140 mph, every time - if it is in good condition. Eventually, it wears out.

Your last description, certainly describes a failing ac***ulator and an overworked or even failing ABS Pump. allantesource has the "rem ac***ulator" for around $300. Should you decide to go without it, expect to also later add the ABS Pump and ABS Relay as they get overworked. If you are driving, touch the brakes and the light comes on, it means the ac***ulator pressure dropped below minimal. If it then goes OFF, you are OK on your next stop. When it fails to go OFF, PARK IT and PARK IT NOW as you will get maybe two applications of the brakes before you go roller-coasting down the street.

allantesource has a diagnostics procedure that will determione the health of the ac***lator, the pump, the Master Cyl, etc .. use it, understand it, and heed his advice .. Dick really knows the ABS.

The ABS PUMP RELAY does wear out, just like tires and brakes. Problem is, as I write this, there are NONE available that can be found. Then again, I have not bothered to personally search for them.

The brake pads are pretty simple to diag. You MEASURE them by standard practices.
The FLUSH, you better understand it. The FLUSH is the key to survival of your ABS.
This is the Allante ABS FLUSH thread I posted.
https://www.cadillacforum.com/m_7084/tm.htm

I highly suggest you do a SEARCH on our Allante section, read and learn. You will find material here that you can NOT find elsewhere, either because it is buried, fragmented over 50 different threads, got deleted, or simply "restricted" by the other sites. We, at CadillacForuM, simply have got the cleanest FAQ on the Allante. I dont have the time to update on all the sites or to repost the deletions by moderators on other sites.

If you haven't got BOTH a "Owner's Manual" and a "FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL" by now, I highly suggest that you quickly find some fast and acquire this weekend.

I am trying to spare you from getting flamed elsewhere. You have got to start reading what we have.

Failing any of that, you will find pretty clear instructions in MY PROFILE of this site, on how to make contact with me.

RE: Cadillac Allante ABS flush accumulator relay pump light manual
 

There ya go Jon. It don't get any better then that!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Cadillac Allante ABS flush accumulator relay pump light manual
 

i agree, i got it good and straight.i think i have finally after 2 weeks come to the conclusion that i have a failing ac***ulator.i will order a recharged one and see what happens.by the way i don't care if i get flame!!! andhappy holidays to all.