I have a 2001 Ranger XLT...4X4..automatic/OD..V6..4.??L..50,000 miles...it's got almost all the bells and whistles you could need or want. I've babied this lil brat since I got it....in Sept of 03. I have kept current on ALL maintenance.. I just added 4 new all terrain tires as per owners manual type thing.

I had trouble with the brakes right after I bought it. The FORD mechanic (where I bought the truck) said I didnt know how to drive with ABS I begged to differ with him......FORD is all I've driven.....FORD Trucks no less!! But it had been awhile since I drove a pickup...so.. Anyway....the brakes failed and I ran a light....a week later I tagged a truck in a parking lot. I had it towed in (where I bought it) and they spent 10 days and put 150 miles on him trying to find out what the prol'lem was. They told me to "drive it some more til it acts up more often" I refused out of fear of totalling the truck or killin somebody. All they could think to do was replace the master cylinder. FIVE HUNDRED dollars later.....and 6 months...lo' and behold.....I run another light because the brakes decided to slow me down but not quite stop me til the last second and then it squawked the tires!!! (I was coasting at the time) This time they wanted 800.00 to replace the vacuum boost behind the master cylinder. I'm scared to death to drive this thing now. I have NO faith in what they've told me. NO One anywhere seems to have ANY idea what the real issue is
Anybody have any ideas? I fear it'll happen again. Thanks in advance

 

I apologize for the above post. I didnt make myself at all clear as to the actual problem.
When I first bought the truck from time to time I would get the sensation that I had NO brakes.......either the brake pedal went way down....or it wouldnt move. The dealer told me I didnt know how to handle the anti-lock system. They drove it around the lot and told me the brakes were fine. I figured I was just nervous driving the truck. Slowly over the next 18 months this same sensation kept happening to the point that I was afraid to drive it. But I was extra careful to allow extra space etc. Then I went to stop at a light in town and the peddle just ever sooooooo slowly kept going down....coasting me to a stop. Another time...the brake pedal set up HARD--gave--got hard...and then squaked the tires at it stopped millimeters from a cement pole. The dealer has NO clue...NONE of the local dealers had a clue so as a last resort they replaced the master cylinder. WOOOOOO my truck is great again!!
Well...til a month ago and I ran another stop light!! This time I was on hyper alert!!
>> The brake pedal was ROCK SOLID...No "give" at all..then it "gave" just a little.....then got rock hard again...THEN it slowly stopped me seconds from tagging another vehicle!! The dealer tells me that acting up like this is nothing to worry about...that I should drive it til it does MORE OFTEN!! I took it elsewhere....4 elsewheres to be precise. A couple of em said it was the vacuum boost...the other 2 had No clue. 800.00 later I have a new vacuum boost Problem being....I'm not confident at all that this is or was the problem..but No one seems to have any other ideas.
Can anyone help?? Please

 

I'm not sure what the problem is, but there surely is a problem. Is the brake fluid reservoir filled all the way? Maybe there is air in the brake lines? You could try bleeding them. Hopefully someone will have a better idea, I'm real curious as to what could be causing this.

 

Sorry to say I don't know what the the problem is either. I would agree with irishguyincc and try bleeding the system for air. I would also hook it up and see what if any fail codes come up. It maybe that the sensor for your ABS is bad but I have never heard of that causing a problem like you have described. Hopefully someone else can help more.

 

Mornin.....

The brakes have been bled numerous times in an effort to find this issue. (AFTER the replaced the master cylinder AND after they replaced the vacuum boost/brake boost/power boost) I've had it back to the dealer where I bought it several times as well and each time they tell me "the brakes need to be inspected, that'll be 20 bucks" LMAO. Even after said inspection NO one knows the real issue but I know I've spent nigh onto TWO GRAND to fix this and I have a horrible feeling it isnt "fixed" yet. All I do know is I no longer enjoy driving my truck and I hate that!! The silly thing has NEVER "acted" up when anyone else drives it which leads these mechanics to accuse me of not knowing how to drive. I venture to say I could drive circles around ANY of em!!!!(long story )

I appreciate your advice Mech63B and IrishGuyInCC

(ps. every fluid level that should be checked has been. NO leaks anywhere have ever been noted and I check often..also NO dash lights come on at anytime throughout these little incidents)

 

Maybe try unplugging your ABS sensor and see if your dash lights up like a Christmas tree. Or better yet, just before you start the truck does your "check engine" light, ABS light, and Brake light come on when you put the key in? I'm just curious because I once bought a used vehicle and someone pulled the old "clip the dummy light wires under the dash trick" so I had no warning lights to speak of. Just a suggestion. Maybe even unhook your negative battery cable for ten minutes or so and let the computer reset the system, then maybe you will get some trouble codes to help isolate the problem.

 

Wresleu........all the lights on the dash light up on start up..always have. As for the rest of this, I will certainly have it checked out. I'm good with my truck.....but mechanically inclined I'm not

I so appreciate the response ....thank you

 

We had the same problem with a 98 E350 Econoline Ambulance. Our local Ford shop had it 10 different times and either could not find the problem, or replaced something jsut "guessing" at the problem...never did fix it...

Took to a different Ford dealer in the next state (only 10 miles away), and they immediately found the problem. The ABS module was acting up. It was not letting the pads release all the way, and holding just enough pressure to get the pads hot and soft. Sometimes it worked fine, sometimes we had no brakes at all b/c they were so hot and soft.

Our ABS light never came on during the whole episode. Havent had any problems since replacing the ABS module.

 

Thanks MD.......I cant imagine how costly that'll be on top of everything else they've already replaced. I'll have to give a couple dealers a call and see what they say. Have you got any ideas on cost so I know if these guys are bs-in me? thanks

 

Yea....are you sitting down???

$1800!!! That included replacing front brake lines too, though...

Could be so high because its such a big truck...may be cheaper for a Ranger...

 

I admit I do not know much about ABS systems. In fact I've only been driving a vehicle with ABS for a year now, my wife's 2001 Ford Taurus. The brake pedal on her car seems to take a lot of effort to stop the car, it kind of feels like it doesn't want to stop the more I think about it. Is this just how ABS systems are, do they have more pedal play than a regular old brake system. The brakes on my '87 are good and stiff, without much pedal slack. I push the pedal a bit and the brakes work. On the '01 Taurus it feels like I have to push the brake pedal a good deal more than on my truck to stop the sucker. It has a lot more slack in the brake pedal than my old truck does.

 

hey resty i agree with MD. Thats the only thing they have'nt replaced . Let us know what happens i have the same truck. I will never take my truck to the dealer.Unless it is under warranty. It seems there more concerned with soaking you for every penny. Than keeping you as a customer.Yes i know there are some very honest dealers out there I just have'nt found any

 

Resty,
my wifes neon has similar problems on slippery surfaces; snow, loose gravel, etc... The abs would kick in(you could hear it) and the car would stop terribly. I literally jammed the breaks as hard as I could with no improvement. I know that's the idea behind abs, but I still wasn't happy with it.

I tried a little experiment last winter; I drove down an empty rural road just after a snowfall. I jammed on the breaks and tried to stop a couple times- the abs would kick in and the breaking sucked. I pulled the 40 AMP ABS maxi fuse and tried it a couple more times. The stopping ability was greatly improved!! Pressing the breaks hard caused the tires to skid. I was able to use just enough brake pressure to stop as quickly as possible with minimal skidding. My stopping distance and ability was greatly improved without abs.

my point- maybe you could try something like that yourself. If you disable your abs( i would suggest first try on a quiet road) and the problem goes away, it would suggest their might be a problem with your abs.If the prob still exists, its probably not your abs.

By the way neons SUCK!! Grand Caravans are pretty nice when you're travelling with a wife and two kids. My ranger is too small!!

food for thought, good luck, jim

 

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK I dont DO NOT NOT NOT wanna hear this MD!!! I swear Ima gunna trade this lil dude in on an ol yeller dog and then shoot the dog!!!!!! Grrrrrrrr I'm tired of the issues I'm having with this. It seems to me that since I've had trouble with the brakes since I bought it...that the dealer would stand behind it!! I know......it's wishful thinking on my part. I've even filed complaints with FORD Motor Co over the hoooooey this dealer has been pulling.......so far it hasnt done me any good other than to know I DID rattle some cages.

Seriously though......I appreciate all this advice and will be trying each and everything y'all have offered. NO ONE around here has even bothered to OFFER ANY ADVICE.....~sigh~

Thanks again
"Resty"

 

Jim.......I hate to admit this.....but a huge part of my prol'lem is I have NO one to do any of this for me.....everyone is busy yada yada yada....and I soooo hate asking for help yanno. So I must come up with things I can do on my own.....or pay to have it done and I aint in any shape to hack up another grand at this point...esp when "they" dont know what it is and dont bother looking. ~sigh~

I dont get any "feel" for the way people say ABS kicks in.....I've never put it in that position. Its a spur of the moment "OMG it aint gunna stop" thing. I get about 10 seconds to realize I have "Manual or standard" brakes versus "power brakes". It will stop me......just not right away (LMAO..I hafta laff or I'ma gunna hurt someone) Now that I have a clearer picture of the whole thing I tend to allow even more room for stopping so I can "stand on it" if I have to.

This whole mess has just taken all the fun and enjoyment outta driving "him". Sad too...cuz "He" can really kick when needed I'm not real shy about who or what I'll "pit" him against yanno

Anyway.......thanks again for the advice...I will be checkin into it
"Resty"