I have an 95 GXE and I don't know if I have ABS. I have an ABS light, but I know that ABS was not standard on my car. Is there any way to tell? Thanx.

 

If your ABS indicator lights up when you start the car and goes off after about 10 seconds... you have a working ABS system... If the light stays on... You have a nonworking ABS system...

Either way you have ABS...

 

I would just do about 40mph someplace quiet and then slam on the brakes... If your pedal vibrates and hums, and your wheels dont lock up, then you have ABS. I dont have ABS, and if I press my brake pedal even a bit harder than normal, my wheels lock up easily... thats how I found out I didnt have ABS (the first week I had my car...)

 

The ABS light should only stay lighted for about 2 seconds if your ABS system is in proper working order, not ten seconds. Another easy of checking is to open your hood and look for your brake fluid reservior. Its by the firewall on the drivers side. An ABS equiped car will have a metal cylinder on the left of this that has about five lines coming out of it.

 

funny cause, i almost got into a major accident a while back and all my car did was lock up and slide about 50ft to a stop and stalled out
I didnt hit anybody thank god!

 

Did you flat spot the tires? I did that with my old car at about 90 (yeah I know) and had an instant flat spot on my two front tires.

 

I stand corrected... I just meant that it should go out shortly after the engine starts... I'm not lucky enough to have ABS on my car so I wouldn't really know

But anyways... he does have ABS since he has the ABS light...

 

Yup.

 

MEDICSONIC: i had small flat spots that eventrually wore off. I also had some nice burn marks on the rotor where the claipers locked up on. Not to mention my heart was in my throat. Other than that the max was a lil shaken-up but thats it

 

As long as you (and the car) are okay. Tires are tires.

 

Any of these tests should tell the tale...

1) Ask any technician at your local friendly Nissan dealer. He can answer after a three-second look under the hood. He will be looking for the ABS actuator, a sort of hydraulic octopus which is located near the brake master cylinder. If the actuator isn't there, your Maxima doesn't have ABS.

2) Sit in the driver's seat. Turn the ignition "on" but don't start the engine. This performs a dashboard warning lamp test. You should see all sorts of warning lights go on and stay on including those for Engine Oil Pressure, Charge, Door Open, and Service Engine Soon. Some other dashboard warning lights go on momentarily and then go off. The momentary lights include Air Bag and ABS. If you make this lamp test and do not see the ABS light go on momentarily, your Maxima doesn't have ABS.

3) Raise the hood. Just in front of the battery you should see a black plastic relay box. This is relay box #2. Snap off the relay box cover. There are two rows of relay sockets, four in each row. Your relay box may have some blank sockets, depending on which options are installed. Look at the row of relays closest to the battery. The third and fourth from left socket should have relays installed. If those sockets are empty, your Maxima doesn't have ABS.

 

Funny, I said that 7 posts ago.