The Teves Mk2 ABS system is found in various configurations on cars from the 80's and early 90's. For VW owners these are the Golf, Corrado and Passat so they are getting on for around 30 years old now. All the parts for them are NLA except for a few fittings. I could only find one company in the UK that would have a look at one that had failed and if they could fix it would charge £275 before p&p and VAT. If you buy a Golf G60 from Switzerland, ABS was an expensive optional extra so some cars just come with standard brake setup :-) Since owning the Golf G60, I am now on my 3rd used ABS unit with failed or stuck parts in the hydraulic unit the likely culprit. If/when this one fails, the choice would be to source another used unit or replace with a booster unit as found on the lesser Corrado and Passat models with hydraulic clutch unit. I'm not sure how that stands at MOT time if an ABS equipped car no longer has this? The one on my car is 535-614-111. It is the larger 20.64mm unit for cars with hydraulic clutch but no EDL. So today I decided to strip down one of the failed units and after a few hours, this is what you get after a bit of cleaning. The hydraulic unit I haven't opened but consists of the master cylinder and brake booster. I did however open the valve unit to check on the solenoids and wiring. They seem to be in good condition and not badly corroded as some forums have shown and the fragile ribbon wiring is intact. Inlet valves are the top ones, outlet the bottom. Damaged ones have been repaired using high temperature silicone wire by some owners. The valves are held in by an o-ring and underneath there is a mesh screen to trap contaminates in the fluid. The electric motor and pump unit that charges the accumulator split apart after removing two bolts and despite the grubby exterior, seemed ok inside. As well as the combined pressure switch, the accumulator is also attached to the pump. After 30 years, the inside looked clean with no debris on the mesh filter and no play on the shaft.
The hydraulic unit comes in two sizes, an early 19.05mm, 191-614-111A & 191-614-111C and later 20.64mm one. The smaller one is found in early models including the Syncro's. The larger one comes in two versions and is found on later cars. Without EDL 535-614-111 and one valve unit. With EDL 357-614-111 and two valve units.
All ABS units use the same pressure accumulator or "bomb" as it is referred to,191-698-304A Rated at 210 bar and 0.25L volume. M14 x 1.5 thread I think.
The pressure warning switch again is the same across all units, 191-927-821. There are three pressure operated switches within the unit. When proper operating pressure is reached, the two switches normally open are closed thus the pump motor stops and the ABS light goes out. Operating range is 140-180 bar. The normally closed switch opens if there is a drop in pressure, about 105 bar. Forums suggest the switch is the same one used in other manufacturers cars but VW ordered them from ATE in gold colour while others were green. Here, the Ford one is the same in length and from the tip to the thread stop. SAAB 8994071 ones are identical. It also has the same connector. There is a VAG 3228 socket for removal but forums suggest a 36mm thin walled socket if access is tight.
The fluid reservoir only has one part number, 191-698-301A, and incorperates a float level warning switch. If the red brake warning light illuminates briefly when cornering, it may be the level has reached the minimum.
The front brakes are operated from the master cylinder whereas the rear brakes are operated from the booster section which incorporates a pressure reducing valve 191-614-163A. The system operates under three conditions: 1 2 3
Bleeding the front brakes is carried out as you would for non ABS cars once the unit has been depressurised as it is off the master cylinder part of the unit. For the rears, as they are off the booster part of the unit, pressure from the accumulator is used to carry this out.
After the 3rd unit has now got issues, I've spent the last week searching for possible companies who actually can refurbish or repair these units rather than chance another used unit with no warranty. 1. BBA Reman in the UK say that if it is repairable, the charge will be £275 before VAT and postage. The website has one for sale for a G60 but the part number is for the smaller 19.05mm one. Company has since stopped trading and link takes you to a new one. http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/catalogue/detailedproduct.aspx?detailedproduct=255 2. Power Brake Exchange Inc in USA do repairs and charge $975 and require a small portion upfront to pay for them to take the unit apart, clean it and do the micrometer work and documentation. This is applied to the building price. The Accumulator, pump motor and pressure switch must be working https://www.powerbrakex-change.com/manufacturer.php?id=3456 3. Technic Zentrum in Portugal do repairs and have been really professional in contact, even phoning me in English today to go through sending the unit to their address using a name rather than business name to speed up travel through customs. Again a 19.05mm one for sale. Now sold. https://techniczentrum.com/en/abs-p...4111a-191614111c-10212201039-10051190281.html
Could you not convert to "normal" brakes?, I suppose MOT would be an issue. BMW Motorcycles suffered with the motors packing up in the ABS units, I'm sure they were Teves / ATE modules. What exact fault do you have with your system?.
Converting to normal brakes would be an option. There are Golf G60's for sale from time to time where the ABS has been removed so it may be down to the tester. The fault with the last two units I had is with brake caliper(s) coming on when the unit is warm when driving. This happens without fault lights showing and all electronics checked from the 35 pin connector in the boot. Once the system is pressurised, I think fluid is getting past components in the unit.
Once you have negotiated Brexit, export charges, rebuild, Brexit and import charges, this is the result from https://techniczentrum.com/en/ in Portugal. Sadly they have put the gold bracket holding the pump motor electric connector and the brake pressure reducing valve upside down. The bottom bolt is tight and the nut has started to round so I will need to address that but all looking good otherwise. The ABS on the car is performing without fault so hopefully I will not have to use this one in the near future.
One where brake calipers were coming on once the ABS accumulator had primed, that's the one just back from refurbishment, and a couple of 2nd hand units that threw up faults when swapped over. The one on the car was advertised as having had a rebuild and luckily has been fault free. When the rear brake caliper stuck on, we assumed it was this unit failing so I sent the original to get overhauled. As it turned out, it was a combination of aftermarket calipers and handbrake cables. As I had a few faulty units lying about, I took them apart to start this topic. Another Ed1 owner got in touch on Facebook asking for some info about these units. His has ABS/ADL and has a pump motor problem. As I had 4 motors around, I offered to send him one so checked them out. 3 were completely seized and one spun by hand and also when powered up. That might explain the 2 ones giving faults straight away. I also have 3 brake pressure reducing/delay valves and opened one up to have a look. The valve should have an o-ring on the outside to cover a small hole in the casing which I think is a weep hole? I think some of these units, when removed from cars, are stored on a garage floor where it can get damp. The motor is on the underneath and the valve is not capped shut so both get damp with moisture. What I've learned is check the motor works before swapping one over then once on the car, ensure the pump doesn't run for long periods of time indicating a tired accumulator as this could eventually burn the motor out.
You seem to have become an expert on these. I have an ed1 g60 with abs that now has the abs light on constantly. The car was parked up in a garage for the last seven years and the abs was fine prior to this. I tried reading the fault code by connecting the wires under the centre console but the abs light is just constantly on. Any ideas what it can be?
Assuming the ABS pump motor runs for less than 60 secs to pressurise the accumulator and the ABS ECU is good, there is a way to check the system if you have a voltmeter, jumper wire and some patience! Checks carried out via the 35 pin connector at the ABS ECU.
Thank you so much for the test procedures. I am hoping it is just the abs relay that is at fault and thus no power it getting to the abs ecu.
good luck with yours. I am on my second pump and the abs light came on Friday and with smoke from the r/h side front caliper. Hopefully a replacement caliper will fix mine.
I took down one of the pump motors to Claremont Electric Motor Repairs in Edinburgh https://www.claremontelectricmotorrepairs.co.uk to see if it was salvageable. Once opened, I think you can see why it's not a good idea to store these ABS units on a floor in damp conditions. This was the better looking of the three so I'm not holding out much hope for the other two.
