abs flashes and light/wipers/and turn signal don't work at together

[customdc]

I have a 96 Ford Windstar 3.8, 160,000 miles- 2 issues.
1st- the abs and brake light flash at any speed over 25mph. I have cleaned the rear sensors, bleed the brakes. Still it flashes? I am not sure how you set the sensor closer- from previous posts. Any suggestions?

2nd- The same time that the abs light started to flash, the headlights, left turn signal, and wipers stopped working. All three work individually, but when any two are turned on, the lights go dim, wippers stop and the blinker goes to the burnt light default (flashes quickly). It seems that there is power to the systems, just not enough.

I have checked every fuse, all look good.
Charged the battery, just to make sure.
Changed the multi fuction switch. Still didn't work

The only thing that I can think of is a relay, but which one?
I do not have an owners manual to determine which relay is which. Haynes and Chilton do not publish the info, and I can't seem to find it on the net.

My wife would love to trade the vehicle in, but I am not ready for the payment, so any help would be greatly appriacted

[phil-l]

Both of these issues might possible have a single source: Poor grounding.

There are numerous ground connections on the van. Start with the obvious: The connections going from the negative battery terminal to the body and engine block should all be clean and tight.

If you have a digital multimeter, and know how to use it, you can use it to help find a ground problem.

I haven't seen grounding problems on my Windstar, so I can't comment on typical problem areas. If you live in a rust/salt state, keeping electrical connections clean is particularly important.

[LeSabre97mint]

Originally Posted by phil-l

Both of these issues might possible have a single source: Poor grounding.

There are numerous ground connections on the van. Start with the obvious: The connections going from the negative battery terminal to the body and engine block should all be clean and tight.

If you have a digital multimeter, and know how to use it, you can use it to help find a ground problem.

I haven't seen grounding problems on my Windstar, so I can't comment on typical problem areas. If you live in a rust/salt state, keeping electrical connections clean is particularly important.

Phil

I agree with you about the ground issue. That is what I first thought of too. I had wierd things happening with my 97 LeSabre....do a search in the buick forum.

Regards

Dan

[customdc]

Originally Posted by phil-l

Both of these issues might possible have a single source: Poor grounding.

There are numerous ground connections on the van. Start with the obvious: The connections going from the negative battery terminal to the body and engine block should all be clean and tight.

If you have a digital multimeter, and know how to use it, you can use it to help find a ground problem.

I haven't seen grounding problems on my Windstar, so I can't comment on typical problem areas. If you live in a rust/salt state, keeping electrical connections clean is particularly important.

Thanks for the great info, I found the ground wire, just below the battery loose. Everything is working properly now due to that one ground wire. The thought of paying the dealer the cost to find the problem was making me sick..

another successful post-thanks

[phil-l]

Good news. Glad to hear it is working well.