About one minute after I start up my 1993 Bonneville SE (165,000 mi.), the abs and the traction off lights come on and stay on. After shutting off the engine and then restarting they come back on after one minute. Does anyone know what the lights are trying to tell me?

The most common cause of what you are experiencing is loss of signal from one of the front wheel speed sensors. The sensors are part of the wheel bearing/hub assembly. If you pull a front tire off and examine the wheel hub behind the rotor you will see a wire going to an electrical connector on the hub assembly. This wire carries the signal from the WSS. Check the wire for damage, clean the connector, apply some dielectric grease and put it back together. You might get lucky.

If the easy fix doesn't get it, you will have to get full scan done by someone with a Tech 2 scanner, which pretty much means you have to go to a dealer. The diagnostic trouble codes you are looking for are not detected by most scanners. Your problem can actually be coming from one (or more) of a number of sources including wheel sensors, steering wheel position sensor, accelerometer, or yaw sensors. The best, cheapest, and most effective way to narrow it down to the source is to get the Tech 2 scan. The DTC will point the way to the fix.

Keep us in the loop as you progress with this and we can walk you through it.

Sounds like a bad WSS. Check the plugs for corrosion. Pull the wheel, then unplug, and check, clean if needed and use dielectric grease.

Roy and Dan,

Thank you both for your input. Roy, I will go to the auto parts store for some dielectric grease, and I will post my repils and comments right here on the forum. I still have a little trouble finding some things, as evidenced by posting my original problem in the wrong thread. You are a big help. Thanx

Rudy
1993 Bonneville SE

Not to worry Rudy. We are here to help you navigate through the forum.