I've got the 97 ford ranger with the 4.0. It obviously has 4 wheel abs since it has the sensors up front. I changed the brake pads, both rotors, both outer wheel bearings and the seals for the inner wheel bearing. I also changed the driver side caliper since it was sticking. Now everytime i brake at low speed the abs kicks in making the front brakes go crazy!!!! Is the sensor now magically bad or what? Guess I'll just buy one sensor and try each side? This is the most expensive brake job i have ever done...... and I havent even goten the rears which need changed!!!

 

Is your abs light on?

I would just take it in somewhere and tell them someone did your brakes and now the abs is messing up...

Find out what it is, and fix it yourself..

We deal with that all the time...

 

If your rotors come with exciter rings, they could be bad, there could be a crack in the ring..

You could have messed up a sensor when taking the rotors off...

Or for some weird reason maybe you need to reset your computer, maybe the abs unit is just messing up...

Rocky

 

this abs light comes on after the problem occurs a few times then everything is fine b/c the abs system is disabled. I even took the whole thing apart again and cleaned the sensors, though it seemed a little better at first the problem still keeps occuring. When you say reset the computer you mean the ecu? Not sure resetting anything would help since the light comes on and goes back on when I turn the truck off again. I inspected the rotors before install and compared them with the old ones and they looked fine to me.

 

Your ABS sensor(s) probably took a dump. Does the ABS kick in when you are coming to a stop with the wheel straight or turned slightly like you are about to make a right hand turn?

 

a 97 has 4 wheel abs?

 

The 4 wheel abs was an option purchased for my truck. It does it with the wheel straight , turned whatever. When im on the brakes and its close to slowing down the abs just kicks in. Is the sensor for the front (4wheel) the same sensor as the rear (2 wheel?). It seems nobody in town has this sensor.

 

There is a Sensor in the rear pig for the rear ABS, it sits right on top of the pig held in by a bolt. thake the sensor ou and wipe it off, the sensors build up with metal debris from the rear end and sometimes need to be cleaned.

 

most of the time its a dealer only part.

its different in the front, there is a sensor one per side. the rear is in the center diff

 

The rear sensor you can get at any auto parts store.

 

Did you check the clearance between the sensor and tone ring?

 

I havent checked the gap but measured the new/old rotors to make sure they are identical and they are. The sensor on the driver side looks like it has part of the magnet showing? Im sure thats the damaged side.... I found out the parts are not the same and nobody in town has one. I pulled the abs fuse and seems abs is disabled and im good to go until the sensor arrives (order takes about 2 days). Shouldnt have any problems with the fuse pulled right? The sensor almost looks like something got wedged in it and rubbed soem of the end off.

 

You will have brakes even with the abs fuse pulled. Just remember it's a truck and the rear will lock easy.

 

When you pushed the pistons back into the caliper you didn't replace, did you have the bleeder open? Sometimes pushing the old bf back into the system can mess up the ABS.

 

Bob, I've done a LOT of brake jobs.

Kindly explain how nasty old brake fluid pushed back into a caliper or line affects the frquency (pulse) generated by a magnetic pick-up mounted some distance away?

///goes searching for the BS flag smiley///

 

If the ABS is engaging while going straight then it could be either sensor, or both. Mine was doing the SAME exact thing yours was, but mine would only do it while i had the wheel slightly turned to the right coming to a stop. This was because it was the right (passenger) side sensor that was bad.

I replaced it and have not had a problem since.

 

When you push the pistons back into the caliper, the "nasty old brake fluid" goes back into the system, usually all the way back to the ABS modulator.
This dirty contaminated brake fluid can damage the ABS modulator. Matter of fact, it is recommended that the brake fluid be flushed regularly with ABS to protect components like the modulator. Brake fluid is also very hygroscopic!

 

But it still won't/can't "touch" that speed sensor that obviously got "dinged" by debris.

The abs modulator doesn't come into play until the wheel speed sensor tells it that "impending lock-up" is present. Bob, you're sending him off on a wild goose chase about filthy fluid when he has an electrical problem.

You are correct in what you said, but completely off-base as far as troubleshooting his new ABS problem.


http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...fluid_1a.shtml
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bleeding_abs.shtml


Back to Shawn's original caliper problem: I have seen quite a few "stuck calipers" and "dragging/hot front brake" problems that weren't the caliper itself, but the flexible hose going to it. They tend to deteriorate internally and act like a check valve, by not releasing the pressure when you release the brake.

Get out and touch both front wheels after a few drives (touch by the lug nuts). If one front is hotter than the other (can't hold your hand on there - that hot), suspect that flex line, since you already replaced the one caliper.

 

My post was meant as a tip when replacing the brake pads on a system with ABS.

You are correct about the brake line, I've seen them cause the pressure not to release.

 

I use my uncle who is master mechanic like this. Hook up to his $7000 auto computer get the code and fix it myself saving hundreds, sometimes thousands. Anything you need to do or change is on YouTube also(fixed a dishwasher that was dead watching a video on YouTube, which was a broke wire in a common place on that model of dishwasher 3 years ago and still cleaning my dishes to perfection for an odd of topic example lol)But watch multiple videos of the problem and read comments on each and make educated decision on which "tutorial" to follow. Look for guys that are working in a nice fully
Equipped garage and maybe have multiple videos of different auto repairs. Then rewatch video a couple times to know process by heart. Then go to wrenching with video playing while you work. YouTube is one of the most powerful tools there is if your smart enough to sift through to the legit videos of actual mechanics doing work not just Joe Smoe swapping trannies out behind his house trailer in trailer park lol.

 

And I just replied to a post that's 7 or 8 years old lol. Oh well even if my reply helps one guy sometime in future then I've earned karma. :)