Abs, traction control, and wrench light on ? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Abs, traction control, and wrench light on ?

Cumminssladek15

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March 1, 2013
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City, State
St louis
Year, Model & Trim Level
07 explorer xlt
Hey guys just recently purchased an 07 explorer for my wife. It has 62k on it right now. She came home the other day and said the abs light came on, then right after so did the traction control and wrench lights. So I took it for a spin. When I started it up no lights were on but when I got to about 20-30 mph they all popped on so I continued to drive around for a little while and they would randomly go off and on but majority of the time all stayed on. The other thing I noticed was when making even the slightest left turn there is almost a squeaking noise coming from the passenger side. Can't tell front or rear yet though. Since I don't drive the vehicle regularly and she hasn't mentioned it to me I can't determine if these two problems relate to each other but kinda thinking and hoping they do. I'm guessing the noise I'm hearing is a wheel bearing going out but it's weird cause it's not a grinding or really metal on metal noise it's definitely more of a squeak noise and it's definitely something with the spinning of the wheel cause the faster I go the faster the squeak is. But if I turn to the right it doesn't really do it. So my questions are since I'm new to these vehicles and really fords in general, does this sound like a wheel bearing issue, has anyone heard that noise before, would a wheel baring going out cause all the lights to go on and off, or do you think I have two seperate problems right now? Also I read up on the abs rings breaking and I guess that could be a problem but would that cause noises when only turning left? Sorry for the long post guys just tryin to get this figured out for the wife. Thanks
 



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It's the front wheel bearing that houses the ABS sensor, or the ABS ring on the rear shaft. You need to scan it.
 






Hey guys just recently purchased an 07 explorer for my wife. It has 62k on it right now. She came home the other day and said the abs light came on, then right after so did the traction control and wrench lights. So I took it for a spin. When I started it up no lights were on but when I got to about 20-30 mph they all popped on so I continued to drive around for a little while and they would randomly go off and on but majority of the time all stayed on. The other thing I noticed was when making even the slightest left turn there is almost a squeaking noise coming from the passenger side. Can't tell front or rear yet though. Since I don't drive the vehicle regularly and she hasn't mentioned it to me I can't determine if these two problems relate to each other but kinda thinking and hoping they do. I'm guessing the noise I'm hearing is a wheel bearing going out but it's weird cause it's not a grinding or really metal on metal noise it's definitely more of a squeak noise and it's definitely something with the spinning of the wheel cause the faster I go the faster the squeak is. But if I turn to the right it doesn't really do it. So my questions are since I'm new to these vehicles and really fords in general, does this sound like a wheel bearing issue, has anyone heard that noise before, would a wheel baring going out cause all the lights to go on and off, or do you think I have two seperate problems right now? Also I read up on the abs rings breaking and I guess that could be a problem but would that cause noises when only turning left? Sorry for the long post guys just tryin to get this figured out for the wife. Thanks


You seem to have a few problems. A good code reader can not only read the ODB codes but the ABS code as well. I would start with that before chasing things. Most auto parts stores will read them for free for you as long as the lights are on.

As for the squeak I doubt that it is a wheel bearing, these are sealed units and the sort of have a grinding hum to them when they start to go bad.

Have you pulled the wheels and checked the brakes it might be a stuck brake bracket slide causing your squeak. This will also cause a ABS light if it is bad enough. Let us know the codes and we can help from there.
 






Thanks for the quick replies guys. That was gonna be my next question. Would the free auto parts store scan be able to determine where and what the problem is. I guess Ill be heading there after work tonight and I'll post the results when I get them.
 






Some of the AutoZone scanners won't read ABS codes. It all depends on the store.
 






Well heres the update guys. After work I left the house to head to autoparts store to get scanned. Of course on the way there all the lights came on and the squeak was louder than ever and almost sounded more like a growl this time and literally only does it making left turns and a little bit when going straight but goes away completing turning right which made me thing bearing even more. I went to the big three auto parts stores in my area and not one of them had a scanner that scanned abs. Heres the weird thing, by the time I left the second store the squeaking growling noise pretty much completely went away so now im even more confused. Every once in awhile I could faintly here come back then go away but nothing like when I originally left to go to the stores. So I dont know if it was cause of something warming up or maybe just siezed up part breaking free or what. But the plan tomorrow if the weather clears up is to pull every wheel, caliper, pads, rotors, and whatever else off that I can and inspect it and lube it up and see if anythings broke and or siezed up and see if i can figure anything out. If not I guess ill be taking it to a dealer to look at it. Thats the last thing i wanna do though. Anything else I should look at while im in there?
 






Well heres the update guys. After work I left the house to head to autoparts store to get scanned. Of course on the way there all the lights came on and the squeak was louder than ever and almost sounded more like a growl this time and literally only does it making left turns and a little bit when going straight but goes away completing turning right which made me thing bearing even more. I went to the big three auto parts stores in my area and not one of them had a scanner that scanned abs. Heres the weird thing, by the time I left the second store the squeaking growling noise pretty much completely went away so now im even more confused. Every once in awhile I could faintly here come back then go away but nothing like when I originally left to go to the stores. So I dont know if it was cause of something warming up or maybe just siezed up part breaking free or what. But the plan tomorrow if the weather clears up is to pull every wheel, caliper, pads, rotors, and whatever else off that I can and inspect it and lube it up and see if anythings broke and or siezed up and see if i can figure anything out. If not I guess ill be taking it to a dealer to look at it. Thats the last thing i wanna do though. Anything else I should look at while im in there?


You can test everything itself you don't need the dealer in this case. Did they read the ODB or CEL check engine code? while you where there?

The ABS and the squeaking may be the same problem so when you inspect the front make sure you check the slide on the brackets to ensure they move freely.

Gota love it.
 






update: good news and bads news. Found the driver side rear abs ring is broken so pretty sure thats the problem with the lights on the dash. Bad is that the noise is coming from the passenger side rear so assuming two different problems. Pulled everything apart today and everything seemed good. No seized or stuck parts and everything seemed to be working properly. Slides moved great. So I lubed everything up and put back together and hoped for the best but noise is still there. So that again leads me to the wheel bearing. So tomorrow when im doing the ring gear i think ill just replace both rear wheel bearings. If that doesnt fix, well at least Ill be able to know that its not them and move on to something else. Besides with 62k their probably would be close to due anyway.
 






Rear wheel bearings too!! Gosh, you're a better man than I. I did my fronts and that was enough for me. Let us know how it goes. Yeah, the cracked tone ring is a typical problem with the Gen IV's.
 






update: good news and bads news. Found the driver side rear abs ring is broken so pretty sure thats the problem with the lights on the dash. Bad is that the noise is coming from the passenger side rear so assuming two different problems. Pulled everything apart today and everything seemed good. No seized or stuck parts and everything seemed to be working properly. Slides moved great. So I lubed everything up and put back together and hoped for the best but noise is still there. So that again leads me to the wheel bearing. So tomorrow when im doing the ring gear i think ill just replace both rear wheel bearings. If that doesnt fix, well at least Ill be able to know that its not them and move on to something else. Besides with 62k their probably would be close to due anyway.

Do yourself a favor and replace both Tone Rings......we replaced the passenger side rear tone ring a year ago on my wife's '06 Explorer......and the driver's side this week. The parts are cheap $26 at my Ford dealer, and it sure beats getting your hands dirty twice.
 






Cummins -

I am not sure if you are done with your repairs, but I have gone thru both rear bearings, and one ABS ring.
The noise you are hearing is probably from the rear brakes scratching the rotor; what happened in my case, the rear bearing was shot and so loose that the whole wheel was loose but because the caliper and the bracket does not move with the wheel, it was hitting the brake pads. When you lift rear of the car with the wheels on, try to wibble the wheels ad see if there is any play. 70% of labor in replacing the bearing is same as to replace the ABS ring.
 






Well got the ring and bearings done lastnight and I got the lights fixed on the dash but still not the squeak. So feel a little better but still not happy about the squeak. And I wonder if ford will reimburse me for herniated disc that I got from remove the 3 loctited bolts behind the hub. I've worked on a lot of big and heavy duty vehicles and can't ever remember something that rediculous. I don't think there was any need for that. But either way that part of the job is now done. I would of replaced the other ring gear while I had it apart but finding those gears on a Sunday is next to impossible apparently where I live cause of the dealers being closed. The closest one was an hour away at an oreillys and they only had one so thats all I had to work with. But still need to figure out this squeak or whatever it is. Hard to describe the sound. But here is what I do know about it. It happens mostly and loudestly in the morning when the vehicle is cold and tends to diss appear mostly as the vehicle warms up, it does it the worst on left turns and sometimes going straight but basically goes away when turning right, it's coming from the passenger rear of the vehicle, and a new thing I noticed this morning it only seems to do it when I'm appling the gas, it seems to stop when I let off the gas. O and also it squeaks with the rotation of the wheel meaning the faster or slower I'm going means the faster or slower the squeak is. Any thoughts?
 






Congrats on the successful work you've already done, but it sound like the CV joint back there. On the plus side, you've already busted everything loose, you know your way around there, and the entire half shaft is only $75.00.
 






Thanks for the post, I have a 07 and my ABS lights just came on with the traction control and tool light. I am going to break into the tone rings this week.
 






2006 Explorer ABS Traction lights on Fix.

For those who are having problems with their ABS and Traction light coming on especially when turning left or right. I Want to offer this:

First of all both my ABS and TC lights came on when I was sitting still engine on, in Park and would turn slightly left past center position of the wheel. Turning right caused no problem. This can mean only one thing to me. There has to be a broken wire or loose/poor connection.
After all, the wheels are not rolling so neither the ABS or Traction control would get a signal while sitting still. Also in my case the ABS light never went out only the TC when I started the car. That tells me one of the wheel sensors are bad or not connected.

So, I took my Digital multimeter and some small jumper leads with alligator clips on each end and carefully connected one to each of the pins in the sensor lead, the end coming up from the sensor of each front wheel. The connector is located under the hood on the fender well.

The resistance was about 2.7 megohms. (The sensor is polarity sensitive be sure to check by switching leads of your meter! Otherwise it will show open!)

This (resistance) is not important but it tells you if there is continuity there. If you get no reading (remember to swap leads and try twice) you have a broken wire most likely. At this point the best is to simply and carefully remove the insulation from the sensor lead close to the sensor itself. You will find a black and a white wire inside. Take one lead of the DMM from the connector and pierce the insulation of the first wire. Then move the lead at the connector to the other pin and check the black/white wires again. If one shows no continuity you now need to find the break. I do this by tugging on the wire to see if the insulation stretches at all. If so the wire is broken right there. It may be, like in my case, broken where it entered one of the moulded grommets on the sensor wire. Tug on where the wire enters the moulded grommet if broken there it will likely pull out easily. Cut off the grommet and repair the wire.

If both sensors show continuity as in my case. Hook the DMM to each sensor lead as before and set the meter where you can see it and slowly turn the steering wheel both directions. If you loose continuity you found the right sensor. If not check the other. In my case as I said every time I turned left the sensor lead showed an open connection (no continuty).

I hope this helps someone. The sensors are about $180 each. In this economy I have not the resources.

However, I always say... "If I can't fix it......it ain't broke"! I probably will not be back here until another problem occurs (knock on wood) but feel free to email me if you like. hlbullis@gmail.com Put help me with ABS etc in subj. line.
 






ABS, Traction Control, Power Train (Wrench)...and locking brakes!

I had all of these happen at the same time.
I took my truck to the Ford Dealership in West Bend, WI (where I bought the truck) and they "FIXED" the problem at the tune of nearly $800.00 by replacing the drivers side hub...ONLY!
The noise continued.
I went back...took the mechanic for a test drive. He heard the grinding too and the ABS issues. I was told there was nothing else they could do about the noise.
I demanded to see a supervisor.
Told it was my brakes...I had new brake pads AND rotors.....then it was my tires. The tires were 6 months old.
I was offered a FREE doughnut and a 10% off coupon for my next service.
I continued to drive with the HOWLING noise, ABS-Traction Control-and Power train (WRENCH) lights lit.
After 6 months...I finally had enough. . I replaced the passenger side hub assembly---myself---for $205.00. The bad hub was nearly falling apart.
Now....
No noise, no lights...no locking ABS.
There is a FANTASTIC video on youtube (Ford Explorer 4X4 Front Hub & Bearing Repair by FordTechMakuloco) showing you how to do it yourself.
If you have this series of 3 lights (ABS, Traction Control, and WRENCH -Power train) Save yourself $600.00...watch the video...buy the hub assembly...do it yourself.
You'll be glad that you did!
 






I've got the ABS, Traction control and wrench light on my 2007 explorer with 83,000 miles. I haven't yet found a place that can read abs codes.

I checked the rear tone rings and they look fine.

I jacked the car up and wiggled the front wheels and they both seem fine. when I spun the front tires while jacked up the passenger side would bind when it got to the same spot.

Has anyone experienced this before?
 






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