ABS Light

I recently had a Car alarm/remote start installed in my van and it seems that every now and then my ABS Light and Parking Brake Light come on while driving but if i shut the van off the lights all go out and don't come back on for a few days then it's the same thing....
I also changed the front brakes right before i had the install done so i don't know maybe i did something or maybe it was the shop i am thinking it was the shop as they seemed pretty incompetent and could not to this day (3 weeks/19hrs shop time (8hr+3hr+8hrs)) get the alarm to function right:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::bang head::banghead::banghead::banghead:

Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks From Canada

Get it scanned for codes. It's probably the usual abs ecu glitch though. The timing could just be coincidence.

First top off the fluid in the master cylinder, there is a fluid level switch that will light both lights if the fluid gets low. Mine triggers if you do a quick rolling stop then pull away quickly, Toping the fluid always fixes it till the front pads wear a little and the level drops again.

Fluids are fine i just did the brakes and added when needed but didn't subtract when required. like i said it comes on then if i shut the motor off it id off i am at a loss myself i might look for a cheaper vehicle to run to and from work

You can check the usual suspects:

- Make sure fluid is at the correct level
- Make sure there's no debris on each wheel's speed sensor
- Make sure all ABS electrical connections are clean and tight

...but this sounds like it could be the classic ABS controller failure.

You'll see my comments on this topic elsewhere on the forum, but quickly:

There's a common internal problem, related to board solder joints, that afflicts many controllers. Once it starts failing, it will continue to do so - and will eventually fail all the time.

The problem is in the electronic portion of the ABS controller, which is on the underside of the van, below the driver's seat area.

It is possible to separate the electronic and hydraulic portions of the ABS controller (note that this can be very difficult if there's a lot of corrosion under the van), to have the ABS electronic module portion repaired or replaced. This is important because it means it can be repaired without opening up any brake lines. Note that there are now several services that can repair Windstar ABS modules (to get started, search for "Windstar ABS repair" on eBay).

I replaced the electronic portion of my controller (there were no repair services available at the time) - and my ABS has worked fine since then. This was now nearly 7 years ago.

Pics of my project:

http://s892.photobucket.com/user/e39701/library/Windstar%20ABS%20Module%20Replacement%20Project?so rt=9&page=1

Note: You'll see pictures of a Windstar module completely removed from the van. That's a module I picked up on eBay (it was broken, too). That module more than paid for itself, however: It gave me the confidence to separate the electronic module from the hydraulics on my van - and install a new module.

I actually cut mine open and resoldered it myself. It's held for about 4 years now. I redid all the larger solder joints and coated them with conformal coating. I then epoxied the cover back on.

Note that if you have corrosion, removing just the ecu is impossible. I removed the brake lines and dropped the whole assembly. I then had to cut the top of the studs off with a dremel, separate the ecu, and twist the remainders off with vice grips.

Scubacat -

Yeah, I was fortunate: I had little corrosion under the van when I did this. Even then, 1 of the 4 Torx fasteners broke when I removed the electronic portion of the module. Thankfully, I was able to get the vice grips on the end of the fastener with the hydraulic module still on the van. I replaced that fastener with one from my dead eBay module.

Sadly, the fasteners are practically guaranteed to freeze up over time: The module uses steel fasteners threaded into the aluminum structure of the hydraulics; galvanic corrosion will take its toll. I liberally coated my fasteners in anti-seize compound during reassembly. Thankfully, I haven't had to touch it since then.

I've got good news for you and anyone else with your Windstar's problem. I had the exact same symptoms on my 2003 WS. Your braking system is most likely fine. Believe it or not, it's probably a bad ignition wire that's occasionally arcing to something inside the engine compartment.:eek: A high-energy spark creates an electromagnetic pulse that's picked up by nearby wiring connected to the ECS computer (the wiring acts like an antenna). That pickup creates a voltage pulse that's high enough to trip fault codes and do all kinds of strange stuff. I used to see the same symptoms as you every few days but once I changed my ignition wires five months ago (because #5 cylinder started missing) the ABS & brake light problem went away. I think that's called "serendipity" :smile:

apparently the remote start is to blame for the abs light coming on as the light will go out if the key is in the on position i have had it back to the installer on several occasions due to the alarm going off every 30 minutes but the only conclusion they came up with was that the vehicle sends out a negative pulse when the alarm is activated and then 30 minutes later it sends a positive pulse and so on switches every 30 minutes doesn't make sense to me but i don't know anything about car alarms thats why i pay an installer to do it so i still have an alarm that is non-functional but remote start works fine. just need someone that know what they are doing to recheck the install maybe the installer hooked a wire up wrong... but hey i am thinking about selling it anyways so who knows:sarcasmsign: