Noise with ABS light

I have a 2003 Tacoma, 2 wheel drive, 331,000 miles and a 2.4L engine. Yesterday I heard a faint grinding/rattling type noise which seemed to be coming from the front. Today the grinding got worse and the ABS light came on for a few minutes, turned off for a half minute, and then came back on. At the last oil change about 1500 miles ago at the Toyota dealer the printout said the brake linings were good. I know very little about mechanical stuff. Is there anything I can check or do before I have it towed to the repair shop?

Thanks,

Tom

 

If you are pretty sure the brake pads are good, the grinding sound may be something like the actuator pulsing. Is it only when you apply the brake? If not, did you feel any unexpected (no pedal pressure applied) braking action? Have you ever heard the ABS actuator pulse, like when you hit some ice or spin in snow? You could pull the ABS fuse and run without it to see if the sound re-occurs. Maybe a wheel speed sensor is going bad and tricking the ABS into thinking one of the wheels is turning faster than the others.

Could be something simple like the dust shield rubbing. Sorry I can't be more help, but maybe bumping the thread back up, someone will have a better bit of advice.

 

Wsidr1 - Thanks for all the information. I brought it to a repair shop and there was no noise or ABS light during their test ride! They checked all the brakes and they were good. Eventually they noticed a badly rusted shield of some type (probably the dust shield you mentioned) and it was hanging on by one bolt and that was what was making the noise and effecting an ABS sensor if I understood him correctly. They cut out the dangling shield and everything seems fine now. Thanks again.