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02 Sports Trac needing some advice

mmaraya89

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July 25, 2012
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Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Sport Trac
Hello Everyone I'm not really car savvy but I will try to explain my issues the best I can.

First the car has about 110k miles on it but lately it performs like it's struggling to live. About maybe a month ago I had my ABS light go on and off but didn't notice anything relatively wrong til about a week ago. It was hard to brake sometimes and at low speeds the ABS would seem to be kicking in for no reason and it vibrates the brake pedal. At first it wasn't frequent but then it became almost instant as soon as I would brake or accelerate. Had a friend of mine scan the ABS warning code and it became to be the front wheel sensor and that was about it. Felt relieving to know that the whole system didn't go bust.

I had this diagnosed about a week ago and was waiting from my friend to give me the estimate about the pricing for the parts which I got today but brings me to another problem. I was just driving home from work about an hour ago and on the way home the ABS light went on and sometimes it would feel as if there is a lot of pressure when stepping on the brakes or even the gas pedal, I really didn't pay much attention to it but I did notice while driving it felt like there was something going wrong beneath my feet. I could hear weird noises and the tires felt wobbly at high speeds but at lower speeds the wobble effect seems to go away. But while I was looking for parking I heard a strange pop that seemed to come from the front brakes or tires, the pop sounded like as if something shifted and it went into the wrong place. After a few minutes of driving around the pop came back but with a bunch of other sounds, they were really loud sounds and sounded like things were falling apart and grinding against each other. I was able to use my brakes but the same sounds kept happening and it seemed to be getting worse so I hurried to find parking. My brakes then felt like I needed to press all the way down in order for me to stop but when reversing the brakes felt as if they worked ok, then putting it back in gear seemed like it was a hard time to stop.

So I parked the car and was super worried what the heck was happening. and quite frankly I have no idea what was going on. So i was hoping some people here maybe have had similar experiences or can narrow down what is going wrong with my car. I've thought maybe the ABS decided to kill itself and now it's not working properly...which I regret not changing the Sensor sooner if that is the cause of these issues. And I just want to add on, during the time when the ABS lights went on about a month ago, there was a very noticeable screeching sound when ever I made left turns or turned my steering wheel slightly to the left. It only has gotten worse as time progressed and after the whole weird sounds happening and stuff grinding against each other the was another screeching sound but it wasn't very loud and it started happening when the steering wheel was in a centered position.

Sorry for the long story. Any help would be appreciated. Something that sounded like a simple sensor replacement escalated to something like this which boggles my mind. Thank you for your time.

Mike
 



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You didn't say if your Sport Trac was a 4x2 or 4x4, not that it matter from your description of the grinding, but it sounds like you have front wheel bearing failure. Do not drive the truck!

Sounds as if your bearings have been going bad, which will affect your front ABS sensor clearances and causing the problems you mention, and have now completely failed.

If 4x4 then the replacement is a hub assembly and will come with the ABS sensor. If 4x2 then it has conventional wheel bearings and the sensor will have to be purchased separately.
 






the popping in turns is a sign of ball joints or wheel bearings with the bearings going out the brakes will be affect cause the rotor (disc) is on the bearing but the caliper and pads are on the knuckle so grinding screeching and popping are likely. replace the bearings and look over the brakes for possible damage as a result.
 






wow I really appreciate your comments and sorry yes it is a 2x4. I will definitely not be driving it after today's chaotic event.

@05dakotatrac I will take a look at the wheel bearings and rotors and pads tomorrow when there is daylight, I'm hoping this won't be a very costly repair.

@ncranchero that really makes sense about the bearings going bad and relating to the front ABS sensor malfunctioning . What are the likely chances that the rotors or pads may have damaged other things?

Thanks again guys!
 






honestly the pads and rotors could be fine depending on how far you drove on the bad bearings. my bearings when out but i didnt experience ABS issues. usually if you ride them bad long enough that happens my only symptoms were a vibration when turn at speed. raised it shook it and had bout 1/8" to 1/4" at tire edge in play. my brakes didnt need to get replaced but i did out of concern. honestly replace bearings as needed then roll with the brakes un-fixed and see if they are bad if they are then do them too.
 






The Wheel bearing on the front right side shattered, in the process the rotor, knuckle and spindle were damaged. Ford is selling OEM part for the knuckle and spindle replacement alone for $260 which is a little rough to spend on my end right now. Do you guys know any places where I can maybe get a better deal? Thanks!
 












It was hard to brake sometimes and at low speeds the ABS would seem to be kicking in for no reason and it vibrates the brake pedal.
Mike

Mike, I hope you find things getting better with your Trac. Please, next time this happens, park your truck. The life you save could be your own....
Just my .02¢
 






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