ABS light is on!?!?!?!

[EBexplorer]

Took my explorer out in the mud, then went to clean it, everything was fine until i washed under the hood and under the frame and stuff. The ABS brake light came on!! Is there a wire harness that could have come unpluged when i was washing? It doesnt' feel like they are out though. Please help, that light is annoying me! thanks for the help.

 

[Gofast]

MUD!!!!....The stuff that clings,sticks and pulls.....

Well, Not sure what year truck yours is...But on my 94 there are sensors at the front rotors. Each has a wire that is connected to the back of the backingplate behind the rotor. See if you have wires hanging from either of the front rotor. Other wise it could just be a really dirty sensor or reluctor ring. Pull the wheel and see if there is any mud packed in the back of the rotor that is blocking the sensor from reading the front wheel.

Good Luck

 

[EBexplorer]

I have a 93 eddie bauer, the abs light won't come on right as i start it, it will turn on in about a minute or two, thanks for that advice i will try it out and see what happens.

 

[93Blue2door]

Go to some slippery area and make sure your abs is working still. That's yet another problem my lil bro gave my 93

 

[BarryM]

There are already a few separate threads on this topic - here is one:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=23440&highlight=abs

 

[fordkrazy]

mine did the same thing and the reason was i needed a break job. the pads were worn down and the abs system can sence pedal depth so it knows how much and how hard to pump the pressure. i would check the sensors first but my guess is you need new pads.

 

[JDraper]

Another possible reason: If you have a high mileage vehicle, and you haven't had your brake fluid changed, you may have water in the fluid that is confusing the sensor. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (holds water), and this can cause the sensor to think that you have low pressure in the system, and turns on the light. My '92 had the light come on, and I lost the abs. Took it to Monroe Brake & Muffler, hooked it to the diagnostic computer, and it said 'low fluid pressure'. They then put a manual pressure gauge on the system, and it showed normal. I had them purge and refill the system, and this fixed it. One sidebar...if they don't purge the abs valve, the light will stay on until the new fluid in the system mixes with the old fluid in the valve and clears the water out. They didn't with mine, and it took about a week to sort itself out. The abs valve is on a tee off of the main line, so just purging the main system doesn't catch it. It may not fix your problem, but if it does, a $20 purge and refill is a heckofalot cheaper than a new valve.

 

[fordkrazy]

if you have a code scanner for the engine it will work for the abs system too. i forgot about that until JDraper mentioned the shop scanning the computer. a shop manual will have the codes for the abs and you use the engine code scanner do get the abs to flash the codes. some shop manuals will tell you how to do this with a paper clip and use the abs light in the dash to do read the codes. if you cant find a manual that has this in it respond back and i will post the instructions. with the diffreant codes.