Bleeding the ABS Block
 

Ok guys, my son has rebuilt my brake system on my 1998 NASCAR Special Edition. New everything. Master cylinder, front calipers, rear wheel cylinders, pads & shoes, ALL new hardware (Springs, cables, adjusters, bolts ect.) and new hoses front & rear.

Problem is, now the pedal is low and mushy. http://www.fordf150.net/forums/image...on_redface.gif

We have bled 5+ quarts of fluid thru the system with no air and no better pedal. I have a Phoenix reverse bleeder and have used it, have vacuum bled it, and tried the old pump it up and bleed it standby method.

A mechanic friend says the there is air in the ABS block (Rear Wheel only) and you either have to get it to activate a few times while standing on the brakes (The front wheels ALWAYS lock up before the ABS comes into play), or take it to Ford so they can bleed it by opening the solenoids on the ABS block.

Anyone here know of a good way to activate the ABS to bleed it without spending a lot of $$? The tool mentioned in the factory manual is well over $750. I just hate to do a job and take it to someone else to finish.

If not, I guess that I'll end up taking to to Ford to bleed the system (I REALLY HATE to do that...).

If this is the standard Ford RABS (not 4 wheel ABS) then there is a bleed screw on the RABS module. The brakes should be bled in sequence, right rear, left rear, RABS module, right front, left front.

Thanks for the reply, but there is no bleeder of any kind that I can find on this block.

It has a line in, a line out, a spring loaded cup behind a cover, and the solenoids. If I knew what voltage the solenoids are, I'd just hook an external regulated DC power supply up to them and open them up myself. Any ideas?

Cardone Reman/ABS Hydraulic Unit (12-2060) | 1998 Ford F250 3/4 ton P/U 4WD 8 Cylinders L 5.4L EFI | AutoZone.com This is what it should look like. You can see the bleed screw on it.
Not sure what the stock voltage for the solenoids is but I have applied 12v to them in the past (to test them) without any problems.

Mine looks nothing like that. It is literally a block bolted under the master cylinder on a stamped bracket.

To tell the truth it looks more like a proportioning valve than anything else, but it is the ONLY thing in any of the brake lines.

I have a factory manual for this truck on CD, and this unit is never shown or illustrated anywhere that I have found. As for the bleeding, it say to bleed the system as you would without ABS, only the four wheel is a covered for bleeding.

The one in the pic is the same as that used on the `87-`96 trucks. It is listed for the `98 F250 but not the F150 which seems only to have full ABS.
If the "block" you have has solenoids then it must be an updated RABS module.
Your suggestion of cycling the solenoids may help with bleeding and might be worth trying.
Another thing you could do is to back off the outlet pipe nut a turn or so and leave it to gravity bleed. Check every few hours that the resevoir still has fluid in it.