ABS and Slip Diff

[Jim Bowen 1]

"Electronic Limited Slip Differential (through ABS sensors) below 15mph"

 

read this and forgive my dumbness but what does it do?

 

the reason i ask is that i noticed the lead on top of brake fluid thingy is unplugged.

 

asked the previous owner why and he said ABS light kept coming on even tho fluid was fine? so he disconnected the plug/lead

 

now i'm not sure if my ABS works, i guess i just need to slam brakes on?

 

What should the diff do? as i have trouble with wheelspin in the wet when trying to pull away quickly

[steve @ 0]

Its a very basic traction control. I would get the abs looked into though need to scan with vagcom, might be a faulty sensor.

[dr_mat 0]

If your ABS light comes on for the two-second self-test at ignition-on and then goes off, and stays off until you turn the engine off, it is working fine.

You *only* have an ABS problem if the light *never* comes on or if it stays on or comes on while you're driving.

[Roger Blassberg 0]

The electrical connector on top of the fluid reservoir connects to the low fluid/handbrake warning red light on the dashboard and is nothing to do with the ABS system and should not effect the operation of the amber ABS warning light. If the reservoir warning light is coming on then the fluid is low, the float switch in the reservoir is faulty, the wiring is faulty or the position microswitch on the handbrake is faulty.

 

The limited slip diff senses if one wheel is rotating faster than the other, for instance if one wheel is on a patch of ice and the other isn't. It uses the ABS system to do this at low speed, and applies the brake to the spinning wheel.

 

But it won't prevent both wheels spinning if you accelerate too sharply - it only works as an LSD, not a traction control system.

 

Best wishes

 

RB