anti-lock brake problem...

[willy_g77]

when one thing goes wrong. it seems like everything else has to mess up too.. the anti-lock light is on constantly, the brake pedel goes to the floor and makes this air pushing sound, no leaks or nothing though.. i've only done brakes on old cars like what you see in the picture down below.. but this is my sisters truck..(1991 s-10 blazer) and well, i am the one that always has to fix it.. i looked at the brake fluid, and it was almost black, isn't supposed to be almost clear like water? so should i just put new pads on and bleed around all 4 tires? and if so..how are the front pads held on? and how would i go about replacing these? thanks in advacne...

[OverBoardProject]

For the most part treat the ABS brakes the same as normal brakes. The fluid should be clear, clean

I'd recomend pulling the wheel's and doing a brake check for her. Look for any leaks.
Or do like I somethimes do, take it into a brake shop for a free estimate. They tell you exactly what you need. Then I just do the job myself

Then adjust the back brakes if required, and completely bleed the system until the fluid is clear again.

Then tell your sister that she owes you and a friend a nice meal

ABS is really just electronics that work with the rest of the brakes to hopefully stop you from skidding

[willy_g77]

so what does it mean when the light wont go off?
so if this had new pads and calipers and clean fluid.. then would the abs system be ok? or does this seem like the abs system went to $hit?

[OverBoardProject]

Start with the basics, and just do the basic brake job. At this point it should be safe to drive.

If the lights still on you probably have a fried sensor or something simple. Then you'll either have to look into a shop type manual to figure it out. Or take it into a brake shop for a quick checkup.

[NaKeDZX]

With the pedal going all the way to the floor and making that wooshing noise, I'd say the master cylinder is bad. Pulling the tires and doing a full inspection is a real good idea, but from your description I don't think pads and a bleeding are going to do it.

When you do bleed the brakes, suck as much of the old fluid as you can out of the resevoir with a syringe. Then fill it with clean fluid before you begin. No use running all that old fluid through there, it'll just prolong the job.

Edit:I guess you can forget that last part if you replace the master cylinder. But, you will have to bleed the master cylinder itself. They sell pretty cheap kits to do this at the auto store. Might even come with the new master.

Oh, and cool opal.