Abs

I have a 1995 ford windstar. this is the first vehicle I have ever owned with abs. I notice that the abs light was on, jiggled the fuse and it went out. now I find that when I drive sometimes when I stop i get alot of pulsing in my brake peddal plus a grinding sound. I know it's not that I have damaged rotors or pads as I just did them with premium parts. so I am now assuming that my abs computer my be dead... is it most likly the computer or the pump 'cause my buddy said it probably the pump... but I have no clue... but like I said it brakes perfectly when I pull the main ABS fuse in the engine compartment...


Also if anyone has a copy of the Factory Service Manual for this van (1995 windstar LX) and wanted to e-mail it I surtainly would not complaign.

Helminc.com

I have a 1995 ford windstar. this is the first vehicle I have ever owned with abs. I notice that the abs light was on, jiggled the fuse and it went out. now I find that when I drive sometimes when I stop i get alot of pulsing in my brake peddal plus a grinding sound. I know it's not that I have damaged rotors or pads as I just did them with premium parts. so I am now assuming that my abs computer my be dead... is it most likly the computer or the pump 'cause my buddy said it probably the pump... but I have no clue... but like I said it brakes perfectly when I pull the main ABS fuse in the engine compartment...


Also if anyone has a copy of the Factory Service Manual for this van (1995 windstar LX) and wanted to e-mail it I surtainly would not complaign.
man if I were you I would leave the ABS unplugged. thats what causes the pulsating in the brakes is the ABS sensors. You don't have to run the ABS as far as I know.
If you need a manual I would check out E-bay you can usually find what you need :-)

man if I were you I would leave the ABS unplugged. thats what causes the pulsating in the brakes is the ABS sensors. You don't have to run the ABS as far as I know.
If you need a manual I would check out E-bay you can usually find what you need :-)

I dun understand if it was the abs sensor that is acting up woudl that not trigger the abs light when I have the system powered up? and if so is the sensors not cheep... my problem is I have to safet the vehicle and I live in Ontario canada and as far as I know according to our law if a vehicle is equipt with ABS it has to be functional to pass a certification.

so is it the abs sensor, computer, or pump? any clue? and I know I can get the FSM at e-bay but I was hoping someone might have a digital copy and want to share....

I live in Ontario too. How will they know if the ABS is operational? I don't think they scan for codes not do they road test the vehicle. I think if you can get the light off it should be okay.

The problem is the only way to get the light off is to install the fuse... if I pull the fuse and disable the light bulb then if the check they will notice a fuse missing.... Realisticly I would just like to fix it right....

I would ensure that ABS operation is a requirement. I don't recall seeing it on the checklist.

I can appreciate that you want it foixed but I would not let that stop the certification (if it is not a requirement). Your standard brake system is not affect by the ABS so your vehicle is presumably still safe without it.

actually according to at least Ontario law "if a vehicle is equipt with ABS braking system it must be fully funtional"

You should get the codes read to point you to the source of your problem.
The codes will tell you if it is a wheel sensor.....or a bunch of ther issues. There are a bunch of codes for just the wheel sensors......that will get it down to which wheel....and what the problem is. Broken wire, sensor too far from the gear that is mounted on the wheel....etc. But....no code relative to wheel sensor....then they are fine.

You can get some online information at www.autozone.com Look under vehicle repair guides....the information is free.
They also have a link to www.alldatadiy.com which is a subscription based manual that will have more information, including, TSB's for your car.

To track down your pulsing and grinding sound, you can disable the ABS....and see if the problem goes away. If it does....then it is your ABS.....If not, then it is not your ABS.

Take note of the fact that the ABS light comes on if the brake fluid is even slightly low in the master cylinder.

Also, flushing the brake fluid by bleeding it out at each wheel will flush out the most dirty fluid in the system. The factory instructions for replacing disk brake pads say to remove brake fluid from the master cylinder, then compress the caliper piston....pushing the fluid back up toward the master cylinder. The problem with this is that the most dirty fluid is at each wheel.....and goes to the ABS unit before getting to the master cylinder. The crud in the fluid can cause problems with the ABS.

I seem to remember someone posting that the '95 windstar was OBDII complient. But I do not know for sure....but I'll bet it is.