Here is what I posted two years ago. In response to one post, I wouldn't
call it a replacement if it did not have at least as good specs. There is no
"reverse current" issue involved. I got the replacement relay, tried it to
make sure it worked, but put back the original out of curiosity. It
continued to work for another 20K miles after being banged on. I note that
Mouser now carries the same relay also, any electronics supply place can
probably get it.
RLW
From time to time I have seen postings here about the ABS light coming on
and also an additional symptom, noise from right front corner of car after
you turn it off. If you have not seen it, there is a bulletin from June,
1996, about a replacement relay for at least the years 1991-1996 and models
including at least SVX and Legacy, I am not sure what else. But if you take
the problem to a dealer I hear you get charged an enormous amout if they
recognize the relay problem and maybe they even replace the whole ABS
control unit for $1000 or so if they don't catch it!
The ABS light came on in my 95 Legacy Outback the other day, and there was
the noise from the right front corner. I had not paid attention in the past
and did not know about the sticking relay issue. I unplugged the power
connector from the front of the control box so that at least it would not be
tearing itself apart, so I could have time to look into it, and I found out
about the relay problem. Some had mentioned that hitting the side of the
control unit might fix it at least temporarily. It now becomes clear why. On
the top, front, of the control unit there is a black plastic lid you can
easily remove, except that in my car at least you have to get the air intake
pipe out of the way first. Under the lid are two black plastic relays. In my
unit the one nearer the front of the car, lots of writing on top of it, is
the one that controls the motor. It can be unplugged with a little wiggling
and tugging. I looked up data on the relay. It is very conservatively rated,
no problem there, but I guess it has a design flaw that lets the armature
get stuck in one position: It is not welding the contacts together as an
underrated relay might. But just unplugging it and plugging it back in shook
it around enough to make it work perfectly in my case. So here is my plan:
This car has 108K miles. If the relay goes another 108K
before I have to shake it again, no complaints! If it does stick again and
does not want to unstick so easily, I could drill a small hole in its
plastic case (careful of depth, going more than a sixteenth of an inch with
a drill bit would probably ruin the relay...) and spray in some contact
cleaner/lubricant, then seal the hole with tape or glue. That might fix it,
nothing lost if it does not.
My dealer wants $96.50 for a new relay. But DigiKey and Newark show an Omron
relay, model G8JN-1C7T-DC12, that ought to plug right in: I think DigiKey
wants $5.60 for it. (Same number with 6 unstead of 7 should also work.) It
is slightly larger in one direction than the original but there is room in
the compartment. The next time I order from one of those places I will get a
relay to keep in the car, but since it is working for now there is no need
to make a special order. I hope someone finds this helpful. Note that it
does not pretend to fix all ABS problems, there are lots of things that can
turn on the ABS light, but it does sort of resolve the sticking relay issue.
Bob Wilson
