Faulty Anti-lock Braking system (ABS)

We are seeing a big rise in ABS failures for the 1988-1994 XJS. Symptoms are usually a pronounced twitch to left or right under moderate to hard braking. While this can be due to other reasons – sticking calliper piston for example – it is most likely the ABS.

We find that the fault often shows up after routine brake bleeding. What seems to be happening is that a greasy sludge slowly builds up over the years, clogging the various filters in the solenoid block and actuator cylinder. Sometimes one or more of the solenoid valves stops working for electrical reasons.

KWE has done a lot of investigative work in this area recently and we conclude that the only remedy is a full strip and clean of the solenoid valve block and the actuator cylinder which is similar in principle to a master cylinder.

We think the problem is so […]