2008 XLT Service RSC light & chime w/ABS

[Bazz270]

First try another mechanic or dealer shop.

Seems like main or modules harness trouble...what sympthoms do you have now?what DTC do you have?what components changed to new,reman or junkyard?

You need all the 4x4, RSC and ABS harness checked for resistance or shortcut. I mean ALL the related harness wires from PCM thru 4x4,ABS and RSC module to Transmission module and wheel sensors.

Harness diagrams avilable on Ford TIS dealer site or hardcopy/pdf workshop purchase

Why the hell they swapped your transmission ?

 

[J5hort]

Glad the issue with your 2009 was found jrshelt10. My 2008 XLT is still running as a daily driver and getting thru the New England weather. I also have a 95 Sport that is still running. Latest issues with 2008 seem to be with wheel hubs. I have replaced 3 of 4 and will be tackling the last right rear very soon. I have a small whirring sound from front CV I think, so will be replcing that as well. These are all pretty much mechanical, but I will be sure to check all the wires from ABS sensors and other. Oh, did do a transmission filter and fluid change and was experiencing shifting problems. This explorer is shifted electronically. In my research I found a tech that was experiencing some interference to the shift selenoids from one of the coilovers (for spark plug). As it turns out, mine was a simple case of using an aftermarket trans filter I have lying around instead of the OEM. Swapped them out and all was good. More proof that the electronics in these vehicles should always be on the list of things to check when any given problem arises.

First try another mechanic or dealer shop.

Seems like main or modules harness trouble...what sympthoms do you have now?what DTC do you have?what components changed to new,reman or junkyard?

You need all the 4x4, RSC and ABS harness checked for resistance or shortcut. I mean ALL the related harness wires from PCM thru 4x4,ABS and RSC module to Transmission module and wheel sensors.

Harness diagrams avilable on Ford TIS dealer site or hardcopy/pdf workshop purchase

Why the hell they swapped your transmission ?

Agreed. Seems like a common practice is to throw a new/rebuilt transmission at these problems. Huge expense and big money maker for shops. I am revisiting this as my 2008 had a similar issue. I started down the road of hubs, CV, ABS sensor, trans filter replacement, but in the ent it was a simple short being caused by some wear/vibration on wires under the K&N FIPK I installed in place of the stock air box. Newbie tech found this by accident when just cleaning/replacing fluids. A litte electrical tape and problem solved. As mentioned and confirmed, wiring in these beasts should not be overlooked and checked before any major part replacements are done.

 

[JHargraves]

Please publish any and all

Please publish any information you find on this problem. It must be pretty common because I've had the problem twice now. My mechanic said it was probably a transmission problem so I took it to a transmission shop. They agreed the problem was the transmission. Almost $4000 and two months later the dash lights and the chimes are back again. Is this something that Ford should cover with a recall?

I just got my 2008 Eddie Bauer out of the shop today, after a tranny rebuild. Now the ABS light is on, and RSC flashes and beeps off and on. Couldn't shift into R after getting gas, then it did. Feels like it's skipping/slipping too.

Prior to this, it was skipping harder, and even harder. Eventually it dropped to first and wouldn't shift out, hense why it went to the shop and got a rebuild.

Trying to figure out how all of this goes together.

 

[J5hort]

I just got my 2008 Eddie Bauer out of the shop today, after a tranny rebuild. Now the ABS light is on, and RSC flashes and beeps off and on. Couldn't shift into R after getting gas, then it did. Feels like it's skipping/slipping too.

Prior to this, it was skipping harder, and even harder. Eventually it dropped to first and wouldn't shift out, hense why it went to the shop and got a rebuild.

Trying to figure out how all of this goes together.

Not only would I question the issue being a specific problem with the transmission, after spending time and money having the trans replaced, the shop that did the work should have either tested after their work was done or addressed the issue if/when you report it. As mentioned, owners and mechanics are too quick to throw expensive parts at the problem first, rather than diagnosing the problem and correcting. It still sounds like some type of electrical problem that is in need of some thorough testing/disgnostics.

 

[JHargraves]

Not only would I question the issue being a specific problem with the transmission, after spending time and money having the trans replaced, the shop that did the work should have either tested after their work was done or addressed the issue if/when you report it. As mentioned, owners and mechanics are too quick to throw expensive parts at the problem first, rather than diagnosing the problem and correcting. It still sounds like some type of electrical problem that is in need of some thorough testing/disgnostics.

I stopped by today, they said they drove it 30 miles with no issues, but to drop it off and they'll take care of it.

 

[J5hort]

I stopped by today, they said they drove it 30 miles with no issues, but to drop it off and they'll take care of it.

I remember sending mine to Ford dealer after I replaced the ABS sensor. They reinstalled an ABS sensor from their stock, charged me about 3x more for the part and 2 hours of labor. They said it was fixed. About 5 miles down the road I took a right turn and the error/warning lights were back. Went back to dealer and got a refund, complete waste of time. I'm guessing they "test" drove it from the garage to the parking lot. Their time is money, so I question how much test driving the are doing. It is the least they can do after selling you a tranmission you may not have needed.

In any event, I still think an electrical connection/component has an issue. It was completely by accident that the shop down the street found the issue (a new tech noticed when checking fluids and filters).

 

[JHargraves]

I remember sending mine to Ford dealer after I replaced the ABS sensor. They reinstalled an ABS sensor from their stock, charged me about 3x more for the part and 2 hours of labor. They said it was fixed. About 5 miles down the road I took a right turn and the error/warning lights were back. Went back to dealer and got a refund, complete waste of time. I'm guessing they "test" drove it from the garage to the parking lot. Their time is money, so I question how much test driving the are doing. It is the least they can do after selling you a tranmission you may not have needed.

In any event, I still think an electrical connection/component has an issue. It was completely by accident that the shop down the street found the issue (a new tech noticed when checking fluids and filters).

Ok, so first things first, they did pull the tranny after rebuilding it, and found that it was bad. Just went back today to pick it up. Was told they went on a long test drive and everything was running great. I start it up, and of course, ABS, Traction Control lights are on, and RSC light is on and flashing. So I'm leaving it there, and they will hopefully have it ready tomorrow. I showed him video I took of when the tranny first went out, and that none of those things were an issue then. How the tech driving it didn't notice that, is beyond me. It is throwing a code saying something is bad with the front drivers side ABS sensor. He put it up on the rack, and it's not disconnected or anything.

Just can't understand what is wrong, or how with a tranny replacement/rebuild, this would now be a problem. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything even close to the tranny that relates to TSC, ABS or RSC. Or is there ?

 

[Bazz270]

What DTC do you have now?

 

[J5hort]

Ok, so first things first, they did pull the tranny after rebuilding it, and found that it was bad. Just went back today to pick it up. Was told they went on a long test drive and everything was running great. I start it up, and of course, ABS, Traction Control lights are on, and RSC light is on and flashing. So I'm leaving it there, and they will hopefully have it ready tomorrow. I showed him video I took of when the tranny first went out, and that none of those things were an issue then. How the tech driving it didn't notice that, is beyond me. It is throwing a code saying something is bad with the front drivers side ABS sensor. He put it up on the rack, and it's not disconnected or anything.

Just can't understand what is wrong, or how with a tranny replacement/rebuild, this would now be a problem. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything even close to the tranny that relates to TSC, ABS or RSC. Or is there ?

Except wiring. I am still sticking with a short or bad electrical connection. These are extremely hard to find. I'm thinking a transmission guy may not be the skill that is needed here. Again, my 2008 was showing ABS sensor code, which was chaged out 2x and it did not correct issue. It was only found when a low-level, rookie tech (a hero now) was cleaning out my K&N (probably just to keep him busy between oil changes) and noticed a rubbed wire under the air box. I have heard stories about coil wires and others interfering with the electrical system where the driveability of the vehicle is compromized.

 

[Marty9957]

Ok, so first things first, they did pull the tranny after rebuilding it, and found that it was bad. Just went back today to pick it up. Was told they went on a long test drive and everything was running great. I start it up, and of course, ABS, Traction Control lights are on, and RSC light is on and flashing. So I'm leaving it there, and they will hopefully have it ready tomorrow. I showed him video I took of when the tranny first went out, and that none of those things were an issue then. How the tech driving it didn't notice that, is beyond me. It is throwing a code saying something is bad with the front drivers side ABS sensor. He put it up on the rack, and it's not disconnected or anything.

Just can't understand what is wrong, or how with a tranny replacement/rebuild, this would now be a problem. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything even close to the tranny that relates to TSC, ABS or RSC. Or is there ?

I had all of the same problems and also had the tranny rebuilt. ABS sensor code came up, traction control, and that annoying sound alarm. Next, I replaced the battery. The problem seemed like it went away but returned a few days later. I then ordered an OEM battery/starter cable harness and took it to my mechanic and had him replace it. It's going on a couple of months now and no dash lights and no alarms. Mine is also a 2008 Eddie Bauer.

 

[WPM55]

2009 XLT with 4.0L and I just had this issue happen for the first time the other day (158,000 miles). Dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with yellow wrench, ABS, and swervy car lights and the "Service RSC Now" note with lovely chiming. No noticeable effect on driving or performance so I continued on my way to work. Got in at lunch, started up, and no issues for first mile or so then a total repeat. On the drive home nothing came up and it was business as usual.

I drove to work again today and there were no issues with the ABS or RSC service fault. Weird.

A little background, I've fought front wheel bearing issues on this car since I've owned it. They seem to go out about every 15,000-20,000 miles and I've always noticed the obvious humming/rubbing/knocking as a sign that they need to be replaced. Never threw a fault at me before. There's a lot of mention here about faulty bearings causing the RSC issue so I wonder if this is a new way of telling me that they're starting to go again.

Anyway, since I haven't noticed any issues with the handling or driving so far I've been reluctantly optimistic that maybe it was a weird electrical gremlin that popped up and went away. If it continues to be a problem I plan on taking it to Advanced Auto (or similar) and having them run the diagnostic code. I'll update if anything changes

 

[WPM55]

I have a 2008 Explorer XLT with 147,000 miles on the clock. It's my second Explorer, the first was a 97 Eddie. 2X drive. I put 200,000 miles on it. I changed the oil every 3,000. Other than tires and brakes. The only problem I ever had was a frozen A/C compressor at abothen it was jacked fr

 

[WPM55]

I have a 2008 Explorer XLT, 4.0, 4 door. It has 147,000 miles on it and runs like it did brand new. I do o

 

[WPM55]

I have a 2008 Explorer 4.0, 4 door. It has 147,000 miles on the clock, and it runs like brand new. Other than oil and filter changes every 3,000 miles, and tires and brakes, It's been very reliable, and it's as comfortable as my Town Cars. I love it. Two days ago it threw the RSC, ABS, and the skidding car warning lights and the loud nasty chimes that stop after about a minute, but the lights all remain on. There was no operational problems, everything feels normal. I live in Southern California, so never any real weather conditions to deal with. This week we have had record breaking heat of over 105 degrees every day. I thought it was a false error due to the the extreme heat. I haven't driven it since, and I plan to take it to my local Ford dealer on Thursday. In the meantime, I have been reading all these posts to better understand the probable causes. There are more reasons than I expected. I'm still hoping it was a false error that was caused by the heat and will be gone in the morning. My plan is to fix it right the first time, that's why I'm taking it to the Ford dealer. Who better than the dealer would know all the possible causes since they service mostly Fords. They also would have all the TSMs, issued by Ford available to the techs. And if it turns out like what I've have read here, that the bug persists, the dealer has the best recourse. When I was younger and had a place to work on them, I did all my own service, so I understand the how cars work, and speak with the mechanics on their level. They know that I know what I'm talking about. Years ago I learned that there may be different ways to approach a problem, but there's only one right way. I So, I'm hoping when I start it in the morning everything will have reset and I can cancel my trip to Ford. In any event, I will update my post with the final outcome.

 

[WPM55]

Hey, how's it going? I posted a problem a couple days ago regarding the RSC, ASB, Skidding car, and the nasty chimes sound,bbut the stop after about a minute. So today I took it to my local Ford dealer, they came back with a bad brake booster, and the part is obsolete. Nothing at Ford Remanufacturing either. They are out of stock at mostly all my local cent parts houses. There are no operational problems. Does anyone know where I can find one? I used to search the country for parts for my 75 Mercury Marquis Colony Park wagon back in the 80s. It would take a while, but I could always find what I need. Next I'm going to check with Green Sales in Florida, they were very cool and helpful. Any ideas? I love my Expoder, he only has 146,900 miles on the clock, it's in excellent condition and I love it. But I'm sure not interested in dealing with those warning lights staring me in the face every time I drive it. No stone shall go unturned. New, Remanu, aftermarket, I don't care, I'll take any of them. I'm not going to even think about not being able to fix such a great vehicle!