Hey all- I drove the truck today getting ready to go on vacation & the abs light came on & stays on - Checked fluid- It's ok- Truck stops good. Can I drive it like this or does this need immediate attention ? Tia, Bill Also three or 4 weeks ago the dash lights were jumping while driving. I pulled & cleaned battery terminals & no problem since. Battery voltage is 14.3 at idle .

 

Check the electrical connections and clean them. There are two under a flap just behind the drivers side headlight and then the one on top of the rear differential.

For the two in the front, I found I could reach one from under the truck and one from the engine bay.

Clean them, check for corrosion and see if the light goes out.

 

You can safely drive.

Does your peddle have any erratic movement when brakes are applied?

Don't tell Mueller, but I've disabled mine for 12 years because I plow, and when I want to stop, I stop. (great here comes the collusion thing).

Stormy daniels pulled the stubs if that matters????!!!

Denny

 

Sous - I checked the connections by ds battery - All looks ok there. I didnt take them apart though.
Diesel Denny - Pedal feels normal. Truck stops good like usual. I'll be pulling the 5er 1500 miles like this though. May see if I can get the codes read tomorrow, maybe something simple (vss). Could old fluid cause this, although I flushed it about 2 years ago & it dont look real dirty? Thanks guys, keep the ideas coming. Much appreciated.

 

Maybe I am way to old school, but are there not sensors (optical) that actually detect the rotor movement? I had a similar situation recently after sitting for for several months. After driving for about 20 miles it cleared up.

 

Hydro, pretty sure everything is electromagnetic.

As far as the ABS.......if all feels good......drive it. The only real advice I can offer without digging in is to drop off both Negs on the batteries. 10 minutes should do a total reset, and see if it pops up again. If you don't have a feedback in your pedal, something electrical for sure. I don't think the sensor on the rear diff is in play. Do you off road at all, and could you have a booger up front on either wheel???

Denny (BTW does your cruise control work correctly?)

 

Denny - No off roading at all. Strictly rv pulling. Could be a front wheel bugger. Gonna call mechanic down the road & see if he has time to check it tomorrow just to play it safe. Had this happen to me years ago on a 99 chevy. Drove it all the way home with no problem, about 350 miles pulling rv also. Wound up being control module circuit board, If memory serves. If it was me alone I would just roll with it but the wife knows about it & she's ready to cancel the trip,lol

 

Thanks again guys - This site & everybody here is the best

 

I had a 2WD F250 about 16 to 18 years ago. It had issues with the ABS light that had parts thrown at it out of the ying yang by a Ford mechanic while it was still under warranty even though the codes showed DS and PS wheel sensor.

I finally gave up on Ford and decided to give it a go myself after the truck had been at the dealership a sum total of 2 weeks. Long story short: check the tightness on the spindle nuts. The ones on that truck left the factory under-torqued and evidently it was just enough that the Hall Effect sensors were having intermittent connection/signal issues. I tightened them to spec and the problem was solved. IIRC it drove a bit straighter with less wander as well.

Once you get the codes, please let us know what was found.

 

When the ABS Lamp Illuminates constantly, the ABS is disabled. Meaning, you have no ABS. You can drive it with absolutely no issues whatsoever. Just remember, you do not have ABS. That's it.

You need to retrieve the Stored DTC's from the ECM which will identify what issue is causing the Module to fail it's self-check procedure at start up. The, begin the troubleshooting process. It could be an open-circuit, defective Tone-Ring or similar. Most often, easily corrected.

 

Jhl1- I did the front brakes, pads ,rotors complete a couple years ago & repacked front bearings. Pretty sure all is tight but I will check in the am for sure. I will let you all know what it is when I get it squared away.
Pirshwagon- If mechanic cant check codes for me tomorrow gonna probly just head south & take it easy.

 

Drove mine quite a while with the light on. Never any issues. I did have mine scanned when the light stayed on and the diagnosis was left front sensor. Also, I pulled the sensor and tested it with a meter. It did test faulty. When I replaced the hub assembly it had a new sensor on it. Light went out after that.

 

I know this isn't going to help fix your ABS but...
i grew up driving before ABS was heard of. While it may be a nice safety feature to have, nothing beats learning proper skid control.
ABS light just means it is not active and you'll have to use your skid control skills if there is an emergency.

 

HD Rider - I here you about before abs. My 63 Olds 98 or my 66 Impala did'nt have abs. They stopped fine. Did have it scanned this am- -He said pass. front sensor bad. He did'nt have time to mess with it so we are gonna go ahead & roll. Funny part is the light was off this morning when I started her up to head to the shop.

 

My ABS light has been on ever since I replaced both of my front rotors several years ago. I believe that the reluctor rings on my new rotors was probably pressed in too far when they were installed because I'm getting error codes for each of the front wheels. Regardless, the light drove me nuts for a while, and it still bothers me, but the truck brakes were just fine. What I've learned though is that as long as your light is on, you no longer have ABS functionality, and that just means that you can lock 'em up in a hard stop.