ABS Engaging at Low Speeds (2001 4x4)
 

Can someone please point me in the right direction?

I have a 2001 Ranger XLT 4x4 with 38,000 miles. When I am at very low speeds (like 5 mph) and usually pulling into a parking spot, the ABS kicks on. I've heard it's the "hub" in my wheel but the dealer won't know which one to replace. Dealer said, take your hands off the wheel and see which way the truck pulls when the ABS is kicking on....well at 5 mph it doesn't pull. At $300 just for the part, I need to know which wheel it is!

Also a friend of mine had this happen to his Chevy Silverado and the replacement hub broke again so they just turned off the ABS....Is this OK to do if I don't want to fix this problem? Thanks in advance..Mike

If the dealer thinks it's a "hub" problem, that can only mean that they think that it's a rotor problem.

See: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...00&postcount=1

Changing out the disc brake rotors is something you can do fairly easily yourself for under $50.00

This type of problem can also occur when you have a bad/dirty/corroded front wheel speed sensor. So be sure to clean off the speed sensors while you are in there changing the rotors.

Thanks for the response so quickly. I read the link on your reply and sounds familiar to mine. Although, I changed my rotors and pads about 1 year ago and this problem just started. Should I change them again? If so, what rotors should I buy? I have no way of comparing them to the old ones cause I threw those out. I went with a pretty descent set from Auto Zone. Did all the brake work myself (FYI).

Why did the dealer tell me the part would be around $300? He also said I could live with the problem but, it would get worse and worse over time and eventually it would happen all the time. He rattled all this stuff off immediately...like he knew exactly what the problem was. AND he never mentioned the rotors?

Problem I'm worried about is that when the ABS kicks on and I'm pulling into a parking space, you don't stop where you think you should and the truck travels farther and almost coming in contact with the car in the space in front of me. Thanks again for your help, Mike

of course the dealer isn't going to tell where to look for the problem. thats there job.
i had that same problem but it wasn't a hub or rotor. dirty brake fluid plugged the abs servo up and would cause the servo to engage way early. which is a pain because
it won't let you stop very well. abs should work when your on the pedal hard enough to engage it. you may have a bad speed sensor tho. is the abs light on?

Well I told the dealer that I am no mechanic, but I can follow directions pretty well and I've fixed several things on my vehicles just from forums online. Anywho he said that I could very well fix this hub problem at home and that the part would be around $300. So I don't believe the dealer is wanting me to bring it to them necessarily. Plus I live in a smaller town and the Ford dealer here are super nice guys. Not pushy at all. Always willing to help.

Let me throw this at you guys....I had to change the brakes at 28,000 miles because the left front pad was not being used. The pad was literally not moving in and out. So the right front pad was down to metal because of the only one being used. I never ever felt a pull to the right or anything. First sign of problems was metal on metal. The pad sensor was broken so it never gave me any warning. BUT, when I changed the left pad and rotor even though it literally was never used, the caliper was NOT stuck and moved just fine. Could this be anything related to my ABS problem?

yep,
and never tell any dealer your not a mechanic. and if the servo gets plugged. or you have a rubber hose that collapsed on that corner then that brake won't work. mike just for whatever i guess. try bleeding the brakes at the wheels and you'll find the problem child. specailly if a hose collapsed and won't let any fluid to the caliper then it won't work on that corner. of course it can work in the other direction to but that would lock up the caliper. causing the wheel to drag.

10-4 on the "non" mechanic thing...good advice! OK on bleeding the brakes also. Does this have anything to do with my ABS problem though? And what do I do about the rotors? Change them out even though they are fairly new? Do the "hubs" have anything to do with my ABS? Thanks

yes,
if 1 wheel sensor senses rolling its going to throw the abs in.

ABS Sensor Question...
 

OK so I took all the brake components off to get to my abs sensor and when I unplugged it and took it out it had some sort of jelly substance (vaseline looking) on the end of it. I automatically assumed it was the electrical junk you put on electrical connections to keep water and corrosion out but I'm not sure. So I wiped it off not knowing if it was blocking my sensor and when I was done wiping it the copper coil had come apart and was broken. So now my ABS light is on, which it wasn't before. I guess cause I broke the copper wire.

My questions are....is this vaseline looking gel supposed to be there? AND, could the gel over top the sensor (if it's not supposed to be there) make my ABS kick on at slow speeds? AND, do you just replace the sensor itself? If so, how do you get it out of the black rubber holder without destroying more connections. Thanks in advance! Mike

no mike.....................

i have same problem
 

did you end up finding out problem i have 2001 f250 with same problem thanks

A quick fix!
 

I have this same problem with braking. It is definitely caused by the ABS. I disabled the ABS by removing the fuse for the ABS. On my 2001 Ranger XLT 4WD it was fuse #14, your owners manual should give you the correct fuse. This cured the dangerous low speed braking problem instantly and gave me really nice performing brakes. I suspect my ABS problem may be due to improperly bled brakes. I just bought the truck but noticed that the brake lines at the rear axle had been replaced probably due to rust.
The Ford service manual shows that the brakes must be bled in sequence and the four lines coming out of the ABS module (pump) must be bled first one at a time. Each line must be bled, one by one, by loosening the brake line nut at the module and pumping the brake pedal until no more air bubbles come out. After each of the four lines is bled then bleed the master cylinder at the bleed screw. Next bleed the right rear wheel, next the left rear wheel, the right front wheel and finally the left front wheel.
If proper bleeding doesn't take care of it the problem is probably in the ABS actuator which I had read are no longer being produced and very difficult to obtain and expensive. But removing the ABS fuse works wonders...at least until you can get the ABS system figured out and fixed.

I know this thread is old, but I thought I would ask. Did anyone bother to actually check for play in the wheel bearing? My 2000 F-150 4X4 is now doing the same exact thing, (no light, but kicks in at low speeds) but I noticed that if I roll down the window, I can hear a clicking noise. I jacked it up, and with both hands, one on the top and one on the bottom of the tire, there is play when shaking it up and down. (all the front end parts are new)

Just thought I would let everyone know what I found as a problem, when the A.B.S. kicks in.