Brake lockup fix - The BMW 7 Series (E32) Forum

Some time ago I was experiencing occasional lockup of my left front brake. Initially I blamed a stuck brake piston and eventually discovered it was the ABS having a brain failure and locking the brake on.. (diagnosed by cracking the brake line and seeing the fluid spurt out under pressure) Usually associated with a hard brake pedal that barely moves...

I have decided that I used to be capable of braking without ABS and so I have disabled the ABS. Im of the opinion that BMW were at the leading edge of technology when they fitted so many gadgets to these beasts (mine is an 88 750iL) and some of the stuff they fitted isnt worth the hassle it causes...

For anyone interested in disabling ABS and trusting their braking reflexes like they used to, and for the peace of mind of knowing the ABS isnt the next thing thats going to embarass you on the side of the road in your good clothes, this is what I did.

1. Remove the ABS overvoltage relay
2. Remove the ABS warning light globe from the dashboard. ( I tried disconnecting circuit wires from the ABS control module and fusebox but they all have multi uses and caused some other 'quirk', so simply removing the ABS warning light and overvoltage fuse was the simple fix. I can now enjoy the pleasure of speeding into my slippery garage whenever I feel like it and skidding to stop just like I used to with all of my previous favorite cars....

I intend to continue to disable unreliable gadgetry as it fails, so far the climate control is on a warning not to embarrass me again or it will be the next victim. Already I have inserted a wire with a switch from a fuse to the heater valve connector. For some reason the climate control chooses to occasionally turn on the heater when its 35 degrees celcius outside... Very embarrasing when Im trying to impress guests in my classic german car!!! The wire ensures the heater stays off, I will throw the switch when the weather cools down