Traction Control Off Light Stays On

[miklar]

I have a 1995 Aurora and I've owned it since it was new. Fortunately I've had almost no problems with it outside of warranty work. It has just over 90,000 (mostly highway) miles on it. Here's the problem:

Last week I had new brakes put on front and back. This included new pads, rotors turned and re-surface front rotors. All done at my local neighborhood garage where I have it serviced. Since having the brakes done the "Traction Off" light comes on and stays on within minutes after driving. I have not turned it off manually. I read the manual and it states one possibilty for this could be related to the brake system. I'm thinking it might be, and if not it's a wierd coincidence. Of course, the manual also says to have the car serviced. Any suggestions? Has anyone else had this problem, and how serious is it? I stopped by the garage after work just before they closed for the day and they said ot bring it in on Monday. Could this be an expensive, non-braking system related problem? And would the dealership be better suited to fix it? The car seems to brake and handle just fine, but that idiot light drives me crazy and I don't want to drive the car if I am risking further damage. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome. Thanks.TEXT

[stevensolds]

well, most people ask me if mine is stuck off since i always drive without it, but its not lol. i just like to squeal tires. anyhow, you should probably take it to the Olds dealer because they know the Auroras best and im not saying this just because the manual says it. People at other shops near me wouldnt work on my car. usually olds charges more to fix crap but just give them a hard time and they will go with you.

[Isnibs]

On my 1996 the Traction Control Module is ...L.H. rear of engine compartment, attached to the strut tower.
Did you try turning it back on manually.
Here endeth my knowledge of traction control.

[Aurora40]

Sounds like a bad wheel sensor to me. Especially since it doesn't come on right away. Could they have knocked a wire or something off? Might be worth a visual inspection.

[gfulton]

I'm going to add this to the other responses, since it is a possibility. On cars with traction control, the ABS system is also used during traction control to selectively apply braking to the front wheel that's spinning with commands from the trac. control circuitry. That ABS valving module, (I believe it's located close to the master cylinder, I'm away and don't have my Aurora to look at), has very small orifices that can be plugged easily. If the guys that did the brake job pushed the caliper pistons back in with pliers or a C-clamp and pushed rusty and contaminated fluid back up into the master cylinder it could have gotten into that ABS valving and plugged those small orifices. On a car with ABS, you should crack the bleeder fitting to let the excess fluid out at the caliper when pushing in the pistons during a brake job. I found this out in Motor magazine, which is a trade journal for auto mechanics. Does your ABS work when you really slam on the brakes? If so, then I'm probably wrong. According to the article in Motor magazine, there's no way to clean these tiny orifices in the ABS valving and it has to be replaced. They strongly advised against pushing fluid from the calipers back up towards the master cylinder during a break job. I hope this is not your problem.

[erw38]

I second an electrical connection. Just an educated guess though!

[omegaic]

They just forgot to plug one or more wheel speed sensors in.

[alijonny]

hook up to a techII or MAC Mentor it will tell you exactly whats going on. i have both abs and trac off lights on, i checked the codes and it told me that my rear left wheel speed sensor is open or shorted- it pinpointed my problem real quick! it also has the option of doing ABS testing while the car is just parked there, sensor testing...man! techII's and MAC Mentors are the bombshizzle