Chrysler PT Cruiser, Service & Repair Manual, Page: 183 / 2078

TIRE NOISE AND MARKS
Although the ABS system prevents complete wheel
lockup, some wheel slip is desired in order to achieve
optimum braking performance. Wheel slip is defined
as follows: 0 percent slip means the wheel is rolling
freely and 100 percent slip means the wheel is fully
locked. During brake pressure modulation, wheel slip
is allowed to reach up to 25–30 percent. This means
that the wheel rolling velocity is 25–30 percent less
than that of a free rolling wheel at a given vehicle
speed. This slip may result in some tire chirping,
depending on the road surface. This sound should not
be interpreted as total wheel lockup.
Complete wheel lockup normally leaves black tire
marks on dry pavement. The ABS will not leave dark
black tire marks since the wheel never reaches a
fully locked condition. However, tire marks may be
noticeable as light patched marks.
START-UP CYCLE
When the ignition is turned on, a popping sound
and a slight brake pedal movement may be noticed.
The ABS warning indicator lamp will also be on for
up to 5 seconds after the ignition is turned on. These
conditions occur as part of an ABS self-diagnosis test
performed by the antilock brake system. The popping
noise is the result of brief activation of the solenoids
inside the integrated control unit (ICU).
DRIVE-OFF CYCLE
When the vehicle is first driven off, a humming
may be heard or felt by the driver at approximately
25–40 km/h (15–25 mph). This is caused by brief acti-
vation of the ABS pump motor on the ICU and is a
normal function of ABS as the system is performing
a diagnosis check.
PREMATURE ABS CYCLING
Symptoms of premature ABS cycling include: click-
ing sounds from the solenoid valves; pump/motor
running; and pulsations in the brake pedal. Prema-
ture ABS cycling can occur at any braking rate of the
vehicle and on any type of road surface.
Premature ABS cycling is a condition that needs to
be correctly assessed when diagnosing problems with
the antilock brake system. It may be necessary to use
a DRBIII
t
scan tool to detect and verify premature
ABS cycling.
Check the following common causes when diagnos-
ing premature ABS cycling: damaged tone wheels;
incorrect tone wheels; damaged steering knuckle
wheel speed sensor mounting bosses; loose wheel
speed sensor mounting bolts; excessive tone wheel
runout; excessively large tone wheel-to-wheel speed
sensor air gap, or a damaged speed sensor head face.
Give special attention to these components when
diagnosing a vehicle exhibiting premature ABS
cycling.
After diagnosing the defective component, repair or
replace it as required. When the component repair or
replacement is completed, test drive the vehicle to
verify that premature ABS cycling has been cor-
rected.
OPERATION - ELECTRONIC VARIABLE BRAKE
PROPORTIONING
Upon entry into EVBP the inlet valve for the rear
brake circuit is switched on so that the fluid supply
from the master cylinder is shut off. In order to
decrease the rear brake pressure, the outlet valve for
the rear brake circuit is pulsed. This allows fluid to
enter the low pressure accumulator (LPA) in the
hydraulic control unit (HCU) resulting in a drop in
fluid pressure to the rear brakes. In order to increase
the rear brake pressure, the outlet valve is switched
off and the inlet valve is pulsed. This increases the
pressure to the rear brakes. This back-and-forth pro-
cess will continue until the required slip difference is
obtained. At the end of EVBP braking (brakes
released) the fluid in the LPA drains back to the
master cylinder by switching on the outlet valve and
draining through the inlet valve check valve. At the
same time the inlet valve is switched on in case of
another brake application.
The EVBP will remain functional during many
ABS fault modes. If both the red BRAKE and amber
ABS warning indicators are illuminated, the EVBP
may not be functioning.
OPERATION - TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The CAB monitors wheel speed. During accelera-
tion, if the CAB detects front (drive) wheel slip and
the brakes are not applied, the CAB enters traction
control mode. Traction control operation proceeds in
the following order:
(1) Close the normally open traction control (TC)
valves.
(2) Start the pump/motor and supply volume and
pressure to the front (drive) hydraulic circuit. (The
pump/motor runs continuously during traction con-
trol operation.)
(3) Open and close the build and decay solenoid
valves to maintain minimum wheel slip and maxi-
mum traction.
The cycling of the build and decay valves during
traction control is similar to that during antilock
braking, except the valves work to control wheel spin
by applying the brakes, whereas the ABS function is
to control wheel skid by releasing the brakes.
Two pressure relief shuttle valves allow pressure
and volume to return to the master cylinder reservoir
when not consumed by the build and decay valves.
PT
BRAKES - ABS 5 - 75
BRAKES - ABS (Continued)