ABS Issues??

[daltonsbored]

I have a 2010 EB 4.6 V8 and yesterday I was driving down the road when all of a sudden my ABS and Traction Control lights come on and my dash is telling me "Service RSC now" with some really annoying beeping. Nothing unusual as I'm driving down the road car still accelerates, steers and brakes fine so I wasn't THAT worried. A little later (after turning off the car and back on and my ABS light was still on) I was leaving somewhere and was about to head home. I start driving forward when I hear this really nasty grinding coming from the front end and the car is struggling to move forward and the traction control light is flashing as this is happening. So I immediately pull into a parking spot and am now really confused. In the 2 hours I was waiting for the tow truck the "Service RSC now" never came back at all, just the ABS light was on. Once its on the tow truck he's looking at it and we find the passenger CV axle has a bit of play in it. So I figured this is what was causing the issue. He tows it to a Firestone and they told me they will have a look at it in the morning as it was already really late in the day.

This morning I get a call from Firestone and they tell me that the CV axle is most likely what is causing the issue as they have checked everything else. So I tell them to go ahead and replace it. Later today they call me back and tell me that they got it replaced and that the ABS light went off which I thought was good. Until they tell me that it still is having the same symptoms as yesterday with the traction control light flashing. The guy on the phone tells me that he's checked a bunch of other things (wheel bearings, transmission and transfer case fluid, driveshaft etc which he said all looks normal) Now at this point I went ahead and told him about the "Service RSC now" warning that had come on a few times and then went away. He tells me that he will do some more research tonight and give me another call in the morning.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to what could be causing this I would really appreciate it.

 

[J_C]

Need a scan tool capable of ford specific codes, pull those and go from there. They never should have replaced anything until they had the set code(s) since there were warning lights on. A failing CV axle by itself, doesn't set any codes (no dash alerts) unless something has substantially changed on 4th gen that I'm unaware of.

Hopefully they at least used a major brand (if not Motorcraft) replacement CV axle. If you heard a really nasty grinding and it's struggling to move, that suggests to me that if it was the CV axle, it should have been more torn up than mere "has a bit of play in it". However the Service RSC issue could have caused the PCM to reduce engine power and that's why it was struggling.

Does it now no longer have any grinding noise and seems to drive properly, besides having the ABS or traction control light still on? We really need the trouble code but one of the more common issues can be that you have a damaged wheel speed sensor cable or a wheel hub is failing. Normally if it's the hub, there's still a bit of life left in it, no need to have it towed, but I would jack the vehicle up and check for hub play and smooth rotation with the wheel off. I realize you stated they checked the bearings, but it seems most likely that something is interfering with getting an appropriate (if any) wheel speed sensor signal from one of the wheels. Might instead be a wiring fault or fouled connector contacts. They should be able to tell if the signal is getting to the ABS controller when the wheels are spun. If they've gotten this far and can't figure that out, it is time to take it to a new shop.

I'd also want the old CV axle back, which they are required by law to give back to you upon request. If it's not bad, you might have a use for it in the future, and/or sell it. They don't usually go bad unless the boot is torn and there's grease loss or grime ingress.

 

[Bazz270]

As was mentioned...scan the codes first

The cv shafts are super reliable and nothing to do with the abs readings unless the abs ring on the rear are broken or damaged somehow (rare)

The front abs rings are a hub assy build in feature.