Brake lockup and little steering control

[mkj91exp]

1991 Ford Explorer ( I think it just has rear ABS)

When trying to come to a regular stop for like a red light the Exp sometimes skids. It feels like the brakes lockup and it starts skidding to the right and I have very little control if any of the steering. There is pressure in the brake pedal but probably not as much as there should be. I have no ABS warning lights. If the ground is even a little wet you can forget anykind of emergency stop-Im for sure skidding, screeching and praying! Today I was stopping normally for a red light coming down a slight incline and I mine as well have been on a sled! I had my foot mashed on the brakes and it just kept skidding to the right and hit the curb. Then a little further down the road, I was stopping again for a light and started hitting the brakes and it slowed down a little and then locked up again and skidded into the intersection. If the road is totally dry, sometimes the brakes feel weak but I havent had the lock up and skid problem.

Soooo where do I start, before I end up in the backseat of the car infront of me????

 

[westfield]

I had an 88 f-150 that did that...had a bad wheel cylinder and I had to bleed the brakes...worked fine after that...So if your wheel cylinders are not leaking maybe just bleed the brakes and see what happens...Could be a cheap fix.

 

[colingel]

I would pull abs fuse and see if that helps.I think its a abs problem

 

[TedJ]

It does have rear ABS most likely. I don't think that is you problem though... check the brakes on all four corners and the fluid level. You might have a leaking caliper or wheel cylinder that is contaminating the brake pads/shoes. This can make them lock up like you are describing. Look for fluid showing in a radial pattern on the back of one of the tires.

Just basically have a look around at all the brakes... make sure everything is in order. If the slides on the front calipers are rusty then clean them up and grease them. If you don't see anything out of the ordinary, you might want to try bleeding the rear brakes and making sure fluid is getting through to them. Sometimes the abs control valve rusts shut.