my brake pedal drops when stopping HELP | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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my brake pedal drops when stopping HELP

stvktz

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Joined
July 22, 2004
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City, State
california
Year, Model & Trim Level
93 xlt
When i come to a stop at about 3 miles perhour the pedal drops and makes avibration sound. ive changed the master cyc, power booster,front calipers and rotors it perged the whole brake system and have bleed and adjusted the back brakes please help thanks steve
 



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Mine has been doing the same thing for 2 years and I'm still alive. I don't know what causes it, though. Have you checked the parking break?
 






have you checked your flex hoses?(from the frame to the caliper)
 






Has anyone here looked into an ABS issue? Seems like you're ABS is activating, possibly due to a defective wheel sensor. You can try taking out the ABS fuse and seeing if the problem stops. If it does...make sure you fix the ABS, don't just leave it unplugged.

-Ted
 






I'm having this same issue with my exploder and it's driving me nuts. it seems to be getting more frequent. Has anyone solved the problem yet?
 






Welcome to this forum! Sometimes ABS related issues are the result of brake dust on the front sensors. Try cleaning them, and see if you still have the same issue. Do you have any ABS codes present? The rear sensor could be at fault too. You would know if you have erratic shifts, and no cruise control.
 






Welcome to this forum! Sometimes ABS related issues are the result of brake dust on the front sensors. Try cleaning them, and see if you still have the same issue. Do you have any ABS codes present? The rear sensor could be at fault too. You would know if you have erratic shifts, and no cruise control.


I can try to clean my front sensors. I'm guessing that all I need to do is spray the front sensors with some brake parts cleaner? I replaced my rear sensor a couple years ago so I dought its that, but you never know. Thanks.
 






Sounds like a pressure leak somewhere. Find where the brake lines all go into the main block at the master cylinder. Insert a plug in place of the brake line one at a time and you should be able to narrow the problem down to one line or eliminate them alltogether. If you find one line to be the problem then cap the line at the caliper and see if it holds pressure.

edit: if you havn't done so bleed the brakes, don't be affraid to go threw a whole can doing so, you could have air in a line all the way up to the master cylinder.
 






I would suspect air somewhere in / around the ABS HCU unit. I would suggest a "ABS bleed" first to see if you get any differences.
 






I would suspect air somewhere in / around the ABS HCU unit. I would suggest a "ABS bleed" first to see if you get any differences.

That is what I was going to say... Any trapped air bubbles in the system from a new install will eventually work their way upstream until they hit a high spot like the ABS.
 






Took mine into the dealership and they couldn't reproduce the problem so they bleed the ABS but the problem is still there. Not sure what to do now.
 






I have had experiance of this and after months of searching found the problem, it was one of the rubber brake hoses, and the walls were bulging under pressure, a ford escort mk2, had to change the hose and bleed the system, used a better grade brake fluid, and found the pedal feel was much better and the brakes worked better than i remembered they ever did. If its not the hoses mate I would change the fluid fully, start by opening the nipple furthest from the master cylinder and get some one to pump the pedal whilst you hold a transparent hose on the nipple and empty the spew into a jar, dont stop till clear new fluid comes through all the while keeping an eye on the brake master fluid levels-keep this topped up at all times or you will have to bleed again to get the air out, on the final pump when the pedal is on the floor, close the nipple and move to the next furthest. do this for all, finishing with a test drive, drive slow till you get used to the brake feel and I hope this sorts it mate, good luck and let us know how it works out. Its a job that I do every couple of years as brake fluid gets dirty and takes on moisture, probably the most over looked job on cars and yet a cheap and effective way of making sure you and your family are safe on the road!
 






same issue...

Ok so I joined this site for this exact issue. The main problem is that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to this stuff. My soon to be ex-husband took care of all this, and now that I'm on my own, I'm lost. Here's the background on my issue.

2002 Explorer Sport automatic 4x4. I've had it since 2002, it had 36K miles on it when I got it, it's got 80K now. About a thousand miles ago I noticed that when I'd pull into a parking spot the brakes I would feel 5-6 little vibrations in the pedal, similar to when the ABS kicked in. Let the ex play with it, he couldn't reproduce it, we let it go. Well now it's almost every time I come to a stop, especially when I let off the brakes slightly then reapply. I get almost stopped and then the pedal sinks and I usually will go forward another foot or two.

I've compensated by leaving plenty of room when I stop between me and the car in front of me, but the grinding/vibration noise is driving me crazy, not to mention the pedal feel. Here's my question. I just moved to this area, and I don't have any connections with mechanics. I need to know what exactly to tell them when I take it in, and any cost estimations. I think that I'm going to start with the brake lines, getting them to replace the hose, bleed it out and replace the fluid, in case it's air that's causing the issue. With 80K miles, I'm sure this won't hurt anyway. I took it to the dealer for the cruise control recall and got the mechanic to drive it and see what he thought the issue might be, and he said that he thought it was the "speed control wheel" of the ABS controller. Apparently it has plastic teeth on it that break off frequently.

So that's my plan....brakes first, then dig into the ABS system if that doesn't work. Agree? Disagree? Any advice on what specifically to tell the mechanic? Should I take this to the dealer or go to a brake specialist or something?

Thanks all, I really appreciate this site.
Sabrina
 












Thanks for the welcome. And no...the ABS light isn't on, and when the dealer plugged into the computer no code comes up.
 






Brake Pedal Problem

Hi there, I am new here and I am trying to solve an issue with my 94 Explorer.
The Brakes are fine when going straight but when I try to turn to the left and hit the brakes, the brake pedal gets hard and comesback as if the ABS were kicking in.

Anyone has any ideas?
they tell me is the ABS pump/motor but is like $600 and I do not know if I should spend this on my old truck.

Thanks,

Aruiz58
 






just a suggestion but check your exciter rings for your abs sensors. if one gets a crack on it the same thing will happen. low speed abs pump will acuate. big problem on front wheel drive vehicles. also check sensor to tone ring airgap. i'll check for website for any known problems and get back 2-morrow.
 






For those whose pedals pulse just as they're coming to a stop, that can be caused by a number of things. In general, the ABS cycles because the sensors are telling the system that a wheel has locked prematurely. The system is doing what it thinks it needs to to prevent a skid. However, in your cases, the wheels are not actually locking, the system just thinks they are. That can be caused by a bad sensor, wiring issue, or bad control module (air bubbles in the lines will not cause the ABS to activate).

The only way to really know what's triggering it is to have a technician connect an ABS diagnostic scanner (or NGS or WDS scanner) and watch the ABS sensor inputs to the module. They'll be able to see which of the sensor(s) is triggering the ABS event.

Now, if it was my vehicle, I'd check three things:

First, I'd do a visual inspection of the usual suspects: Check the wiring around the ABS module and pump for any signs of damage. Check the wiring at both front wheel speed sensors and the rear axle speed sensor on the rear differential. Look for any cracks in the insulation, chafing, loose harnesses dangling in the breeze, or any signs of damage to the sensors or connectors.

Second, I'd take a chance on the problem being the rear ABS sensor. It's mounted to the diff, and, on the second-gens at least, it's exposed to a lot of abuse due to its location. It's usually less than $20 and is held in by one screw. It seems to fix a lot of the ABS and 4WD issues we see on this board. It's worth a shot.

Third, I'd take it to the dealership (or an independent shop) equipped with the afore-mentioned diagnostic systems AND a knowledgeable technician that's experienced in using them. *Most* Ford dealers should be able to diagnose the issue after a short test drive. If you can regularly reproduce the conditions when it happens, that'd probably be helpful to the tech in diagnosing it. Don't tell them 'the ABS pulses when you're stopping', tell them that the 'brake pedal makes a funny vibration when you're traveling XX MPH under 2/3 to 1/2 braking force with the wheel cut to the right only' and let them do the diagnosing. Simply hooking a scanner up to it while it's sitting still won't tell them squat.

Please note that there may be a charge just to accurately diagnose the problem. In the case of Ford ABS systems, it's often-times money well-spent as it can save tons of (expensive) guessing about the problem.
 






I had the pulsating problem at slow speeds also. My bearings went bad so I had to replace both front hubs, which come with speed sensors installed. The pulsating stopped completely after this. So my problem was the speed sensors in the front hubs.
 



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Just wanted to update everyone on my issue. Thankfully I read these forums before making a game plan of what to do. Thanks to the advice of this forum, I got in touch with one of the guys that could send me the actual sensor for $15. The husband and I got it up on the lift and sure enough, the sensor was toast. Replaced it, and we were golden. However, found another major issue while we were under there. Asked him to adjust my parking brake cable, and found out that my rear axle seals were blown, and my brake housings were wet. ARGH! That was a $400 repair. Now I have to do shocks too...but thank you all for your help!
Sabrina
 






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