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ABS and AdvanceTrac and 4x4 HIGH Idiot Lights On

SyberTiger

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 18, 2007
Messages
767
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51
City, State
Orlando
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Limited 4x4 4.6L
Recently, my ABS and AdvanceTrac idiot lights started coming on. In addition, the CHECK ADVTRAC message comes on. The 4x4 HIGH idiot light blinks on and off.

This problem is occurring on my 2002 Explorer Limited 4x4.

The following is a description of how the lights come on and my observations. When the engine is first started the ABS light is on. When I put the car in drive and start moving the AdvanceTrac light comes on the and CHECK ADVTRAC message appears. Just before the AdvanceTrac light comes on I can hear some loud clanking for a second or so and I also hear what sounds like clicking valves or solenoids. That sound isn't that loud though. Then the AdvanceTrac and CHECK ADVTRAC lights come on. The clanking sound is coming from the front end of the car. I imagine it might be the vehicle going into 4x4 mode or it could be the sound of the ABS attempting to actuate the brakes as if the car thinks it needs to kick in the ABS to compensate for wheel lockup. Or perhaps the noise is the traction control kicking in. I have no idea why the 4x4 HIGH light blinks on and off. The other lights/messages do not blink. The vehicle definitely feels and sounds like it is in 4x4 mode.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this issue? I'd very much appreciate actual knowledge on the subject.

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Recently, my ABS and AdvanceTrac idiot lights started coming on. In addition, the CHECK ADVTRAC message comes on. The 4x4 HIGH idiot light blinks on and off.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is a guess here, but have you been running those larger tires 275's and 20" rims long on the vehicle? Just wondering if they didn't cause some sort of problem with the auto 4x4/advance trac system. I know from what I've been reading about on these Explorer auto 4x4 systems in here is that they are very sensitive to tire or wheel size changes from what the factory recommends. Good luck with that problem.
 












Exproblems said:
This is a guess here, but have you been running those larger tires 275's and 20" rims long on the vehicle? Just wondering if they didn't cause some sort of problem with the auto 4x4/advance trac system. I know from what I've been reading about on these Explorer auto 4x4 systems in here is that they are very sensitive to tire or wheel size changes from what the factory recommends.

I changed the rims and tires back when the Explorer had 80K miles on it. That was three years ago. I now have 120K miles on it. I haven't had this problem before. I will say though that I haven't rotated the tires in probably 12K miles. I had considered that this may have something to do with the ABS issue. However, I'm getting the 4x4 HIGH warning lamp flashing.

I went over to AutoZone to have the error codes read out even though the CEL (check engine light) never came on. AutoZone showed me that no error codes were logged by the computer. This tells me that the ABS, ADVANCETRAC, and 4x4 are not part of the "normal" diagnostic associated with the CEL.
 






rocco123 said:
Had the same problem & it ended up being the 4x4 control module under passenger side dash area.

rocco, you said you had the same problem but was it exactly as I wrote it up above? Thanks for posting the thread on the 4x4 CM. I'm reading it now. I've only gotten half way through it so far. I'm curious, is there a way to verify that it is the 4x4 CM without replacing it and crossing my fingers. I wonder if you can just unplug the 4x4 CM and drive without it.
 






I don't think the problem is the 4x4 control module. No one in the 4x4 CM thread mentioned anything about the ABS or AdvanceTrac Lights. Further, on my Explorer when you start up the vehicle both the 4x4 HIGH and 4x4 LOW lights on the instrument cluster light up solid for about two seconds before turning off. Further, I can engage the 4x4 LOW when I mash the button when the vehicle is in neutral and my foot is on the brake.
 






I went over to AutoZone to have the error codes read out even though the CEL (check engine light) never came on. AutoZone showed me that no error codes were logged by the computer. This tells me that the ABS, ADVANCETRAC, and 4x4 are not part of the "normal" diagnostic associated with the CEL.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks for that info. It will be good to know if I ever get the same issue you are having now.
 






Not super familiar with how these work but could it be an ABS issue?

I know on my mustang if an ABS sensor goes it will kick the traction control on. I know for the mustang you can pull the ABS fuse and it will kill it temporarily, but dont see how that will help with the 4WD system. And I think that the ABS system is what engages the Auto-4WD system. I think that the dealership can read for any ABS or 4X4 CM for any issues.

Best of luck, keep the thread updated with what you find please.
 












As I read back in my history I did have ABS light too. Feel free to see my post history. 4x4CM fixed it for over a year now.

What was odd though was no one else reported an ABS light on nor an AdvanceTrac light on. I've seen several folks report the exact symptoms I'm seeing but they never come back and tell us what the solution was.
 






I've had this happen a couple of times to me as well. Both times was front wheel bearings/ABS sensors. Although when mine went I was able to pull codes. My SCT couldn't read any DTC codes but my friend has a more in depth machine that allows for you to pull ABS codes and that's how I got to the bottom of it. Hope this helps in some way. Good luck
 






I've had this happen a couple of times to me as well. Both times was front wheel bearings/ABS sensors.

So did you change out the entire wheel hub bearing assembly (with a unit that included a new ABS sensor) or did you just change out the ABS sensor. Just curious...how much do you recall the wheel hub bearing assembly costing and how hard was it to change? Nothing is pressed on I assume.
 






Okay, a long story but I was able to get a free scanner read of the ABS codes. The bottom line is that AdvancedAuto and AutoZone can, in most cases, read out your ABS codes and other codes from other modules if you car is equipped with them. You can read about my scanner adventures here: Is FORD DEALER the only place who can read out ABS error codes?
 






Now that I have the ABS error code I thought I'd document here what it was that the scanner found in my ABS module. The scanner also reports what the solutions are that have been reported by others for the error code. This solution info comes from a huge mega-million incident database.

Code: C1233

Description: Wheel Speed Sensor Left Front Input Signal Missing

Top Reported Fix: Front Wheel Speed Sensor

Frequently Reported Fix: Replace Wheel Speed Sensor

Also Reported Fixes: 1. Replace Hub Bearing Assembly, 2. Replace Right Front Wheel Speed Sensor
 






Wheel bearings often go bad on 3rd gens. Replaced 5 already on my 2002 limited. Yes they are pressed in. Many posts on how to do this including a "sticky" under this forum.
 






So did you change out the entire wheel hub bearing assembly (with a unit that included a new ABS sensor) or did you just change out the ABS sensor. Just curious...how much do you recall the wheel hub bearing assembly costing and how hard was it to change? Nothing is pressed on I assume.

I've replaced all 4 wheel bearings in mine more than once. Twice in 3 years for the rears, fronts were done 3 times. (1 of the contributing factors to trading it in)

I got the parts from eBay the first time (my bad) and then actually paid for good parts after that at PartSource. Fronts were approx $250 each and included sensors. I did the work the first time for the fronts, and after that just payed a shop. The rears are press in and a press really helps with the fronts as well.

As has been mentioned prior, if you can afford it do both fronts at the same time because it seems if one is going the other will soon follow, at least that has been my experience with both my 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen.

Good luck and I hope you only have to this once.
 






I spent a good chuck of last night reading How I changed my 05's Front Wheel Bearing. I'm going to climb under the Explorer and take a look for loose ABS wires and I'll jack up the front and check for play in the wheels as best I can. I'm just curious to see if I can detect by hand any slight wobble or non-smooth rotation of the wheels or even a loose ABS wire. In the end if I can't see anything to confirm the issue I'll be ordering and replacing both front wheel bearing hub assemblies to include new ABS sensors. As the thread above indicates the wheel bearing hub issue is very common. My Explorer has around 120K miles on it so it would appear that I've got many more miles than quite a few folks who had to change their wheel bearings out much earlier.

Thanks to all who responded to this thread. I'll give a final update when I get everything resolved.
 






I did a close inspection of the ABS cables and found nothing. So, I moved on to the wobble test. For those who don't know how to do a quick wobble test for their wheel bearings then this is what you do. Jack up the FL, FR, RL, or RR side that you want to check following standard safety protocols for the jacking process. Rotate the wheel slowly and determine if there is obvious grinding, irregular lack of smoothness, etc. Put your right hand at the 12 o'clock position and your left hand at the 6 o'clock position (or whatever hand is comfortable for you) on the tire/wheel. Push in with your right hand while you pull out with your left hand then the opposite. You are checking for movement/wobble. If your wheel bearings are in excellent shape then you shouldn't be able to wobble your tire/wheel assembly at all. The more worn the bearings the more movement you'll find. If the wobble is almost not discernible to non-existent then you are good to go. If you find 1/16th of an inch then you are seeing some wear and you may want to consider either replacing your wheel bearings or keep it on the back burner that they are on their way to needing a replacement.

I found that my LF wheel bearing is pretty much toast. Rotating the tire/wheel I did notice that there was non-smooth action during rotation. It had a good 1/8" to 1/4" amount of wobble. I didn't measure it specifically but that's the kind of movement it felt like. It was very clear the wheel bearing was long overdue for a replacement. On my FR wheel bearing I found it to have either non-discernible movement to perhaps 1/32" or maybe that was in my mind. My Explorer has 120K miles on it. I will be replacing both front wheel bearings since they both have the same number of miles on them and while I have the tools out, current knowledge, and the desire to be done with this issue for hopefully a long time I might as well.

I don't know if the LF ABS sensor is bad thus causing my ABS sensor light on the instrument cluster or if the ABS system is unable to operate due to wheel wobble. Hopefully, changing out the wheel bearing assembly will resolve the problem. I will update this thread when I get the results.
 






The wobble causes the grooves on the half shaft to no longer be close to the sensor for the sensor to pick up the signal.
 



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I'm back to give a final update regarding the issue with the ABS, AdvanceTrac, and 4x4 HIGH idiot light coming on.

I replaced both of my front wheel bearing hubs assemblies yesterday. The ABS lights stayed on for around 50 feet until my 4x4 Control Module did it's calibration then the ABS light went out. Yay!!! No more idiot lights coming up on the console. The vehicle drives sooooo much smoother and quieter. Yippee!!!

Thanks again for everyone's input.
 






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