Hi everyone,

I've been the proud owner of a 1995 Buick Regal since last week with only 70,000 miles on it and the body in absolute pristine condition. After driving it for a week now, the ABS light came on and stays on, on my dash.

Now this is the model year where Buick was in its transition year from OBD-I to OBD-II. I still have the 12 pin connector plug under the dash, but I believe its referred to as OBD1.5. When looking at the pin layout in the connector, I have only 3 pins available: top right corner, bottom right corner, bottom row 3rd from the right. I believe these are pins A, M and K. I've done a lot of looking around online to find a compatible code reader so I can figure out whats going on with my ABS, but for the life of me I can't find anything.

Does anyone know of a brand name and model OBD reader thats compatible with my Buick and where to buy one? If I need conversion kits or adaptors could you please include those in your recommendations? I would really like to figure out whats going on with the ABS. I've seen examples of Actron CP9145 but apparently they only read check engine codes and not ABS codes.

Thanks so much in advance!

tech 2 software or a clone tech 2 will give you dealer level diagnostics and functionality

Do these need any cartridges or can this be run as software on a laptop? I am not really familiar with this technology. My previous cars were all OBD-II. If it can be run on a laptop and I just need an OBD-I to USB that would be the easiest I guess. Any experience or guidance would be appreciated!

I've never seen a solution for OBD1.x that plugs in USB and/or can be accessed by a laptop. The best reader that I've seen is the Actron CP9145 which is no longer in production, but available used from time to time.

I found that one on Ebay. Considering buying it for check engine lights. Unfortunately the CP9145 does not read ABS codes though. Not sure if there is a solution to get those codes out of the vehicle or if I will be stuck with paying the dealership $200 every time for diagnosis.

Related to this question, I may have found out what is causing the ABS light on my dash to come on.

I have checked brake fluid levels, fuse and relay for the ABS system. All are looking good. Whenever I start the engine of the vehicle, I can see the self-test is passing. The ABS light goes off. I can sit in my car idling for however long I want. The ABS light will not come on. This tells me that the pump or the ABS module itself is not faulty, otherwise the self-test wouldn't pass after engine start.
As soon as I start driving the car I hear a light grinding noise from the front wheels. I think the driver side. The grinding takes only about a second, after which the ABS light turns on immediately, and the grinding stops. I could drive the car for hours on end and the grinding noise does not ever occur again. Only when I shut off the engine, restart the engine and set the car in motion again do I hear the 1 second grinding noise after which the ABS light comes on again. The grinding sounds like a typical scraping noise. Could it be possible that there is simply some debris on the tone ring that the sensor is scraping against?
I am not really sure why the grinding only occurs after first motion when the engine starts and why it goes away after that. But I do recognize a pattern that is 100% the same every time. Start engine -> ABS light goes off -> move the car -> grinding noise for about 1 second -> ABS light comes on -> grinding noise stops.

I'd be scared to take anything that'* out of warranty to a dealership.

A good local shop that understands pre-OBD2 vehicles would be a much better choice.

Interesting, and great observation!

I think you're on the right track. I'd check for debris in all four brakes and check all the sensors. It sounds to me like it sees at least one wheel turning and another supposedly not turning and then activates ABS because it thinks a wheel is locked up.

I was able to find an Actron CP9690. The scanner comes with a bunch of OBD-I adaptors, including the GM ALDL 12-pin connector which is exactly the port in my vehicle. The only thing I couldn't really find about this tool is if it will be able to work with this transitional OBD1.5 system. The user manual of the CP9690 (Manual here) does list the Regal '94-'95 in Appendix C. I'm just a little bit hesitant to shell out the money for it without a 100% guarantee. Do you know if this scanner will work with my vehicle?

Attached it to this post for when the linked .PDF disappears from the link someday.

If it says your exact car then it says your exact car. Beyond that, we'd all be guessing unless anyone else here has any experience with one in a similar circumstance.