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I've had this happen to me four or five times now. It only happens at highways speeds after 60+ minutes of driving time.
The ABS and Traction Control dash lights will illuminate (light blue circles - not my dash, internet image):
I have an older Scan Gauge in my Ranger and the last time this occurred my wife happened to be riding along with me. I had her scan for codes while the lights were on (and I was driving). No codes were found. Also, sometimes the dash lights will go out, on their own, while I'm still at speed on the highway. Other times, they will go out after I cycle the ignition (like, if I stop for gas). I've never had this occur while driving locally (below 60 MPH) or highway driving for a short period of time (say, less than an hour).
I've done a little research (including searching this site) and the dash lights seem to indicate that an ABS sensor is going bad.
Is there any way to tell which sensor is the one triggering the dash lights?
The sensors are not terribly expensive but I would prefer to replace the problem one as opposed to replacing all three.
I've done a little research (including searching this site) and the dash lights seem to indicate that an ABS sensor is going bad.
Is there any way to tell which sensor is the one triggering the dash lights?
The sensors are not terribly expensive but I would prefer to replace the problem one as opposed to replacing all three.
I don't own one, but I'm somewhat familiar with the ScanGauge devices and know that they have some very useful capabilities. But I don't believe that it's designed to issue the necessary commands to query for non-emission-related codes, which is what you need your hardware/software to do when you have ABS DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Codes).
By the way, it looks like a 2011 Ranger has 4 wheel speed sensors, not 3. Of course, that's all the more reason for you to carefully diagnose before "firing the (ABS) parts cannon".
In theory, you could take the truck to a local auto parts store and have them scan for DTCs. But there are 2 potential problems with this idea. (1) I've heard that the scantools used by a lot of stores don't have the necessary capabilities to scan for non-emission-related DTCs. (2) Sometimes, an ABS code for a faulty wheel speed sensor can disappear when the ABS power is cycled, which happens every time you start the vehicle, of course. This might mean that to actually see the DTC, you'd need to have it scanned before shutting the vehicle off.
Therefore, IMHO, your best bet is to find a way to run FORScan:
It runs on Windows PCs (e.g. a laptop) and on mobile devices (tablet/smartphone). FORScan has the necessary "smarts" to query the ABS for non-emission-related codes and will very likely point you quickly to the specific wheel speed sensor that is (very likely) the cause of your dashboard warning lights.
But you'll need a scantool to use with FORScan.
This diagram shows that the ABS module is on the HS-CAN bus on a 2011 Ranger. So you should be able to get by with an inexpensive scantool. If you're going to be using an Android device (which typically has Bluetooth capability), a Veepeak 'OBDCheck VP11' device should suffice. They go for about $14 on Amazon -- it's the one in the blue translucent housing. I own one and it works fine.
Thanks for the insight! I'll see what I can figure out. The Ranger doesn't get used much and even fewer of those trips are long distance & highways speeds. Appreciate the help!
