p38 warning lights on

hi, im new and this is the first time i have posted anything. i was just wondering if anyone knew why, when i start my p38 up, the abs light and the handbrake warning light have suddenly started staying on? the brake pedal has gone very soft, almost like the feeling of when your bleeding a set of brakes. i have opened the relay casing up and if i touch the contacts together, the pump comes to life. after a few seconds the handbrake warning light will go out and then after, every time i touch the brake pedal, the relay comes in, stays on for a second or 2, the warning light stays off, but after leaving the vehicle for 5 mins not running, start it back up and the light comes back on. the only way to make it go out, is to manually operate the relay. has anyone had this? is it the abs pump failing? i would be very grateful of anyones ideas and advise. thanks james

It could well be the pump. The only way of checking is by hooking kit up to it and see what faults are in the system.
The Pressure switch on the side of the pump controls the relay you are bridging. It may be worth checking the connector plug to make sure the terminals are ok and making good contact. Pin 85 Relay 17 goes to Pin 4 Black and yellow wire on Pressure switch. Put Pin 4 on the pressure switch to ground and see if the pump runs. This will check all the wiring back to the fuse box and will ensure the relay is working correctly.
Also check Pins 1 and 5 black wires. Both pins should have a good earth. If the earth connection is faulty then the switch can’t put the relay to earth.