Need help with brakes/abs please!

[Carterhkrs]

1997 Ford Explorer XLT V6 4.0L

Hello everyone, ive got few issues with my car, one of them is fuel economy, i constantly get 10mpg city and 16mpg highway, so who knows please tell me what can i possibly change to increase mpg,

The second issue is a big one, all started about a month ago, i drove in a city stopped on a red light and my car (seats, main console, steering wheel and etc) started vibrate, seats were shaking, i put my car on P position released brakes and all gone, put it on the D again and applied the brakes and car started to vibrate again, RELEASED the brakes and let it go without acceleration it was vibrating a bit (not as much as with brakes), WHEN CAR IS COLD (morning) IT WONT VIBRATE! i have this issue for the whole month and i couldnt find out what has happened and what causes this,

Two weeks ago my ABS light starts coming off on a dash, sometimes it stays there for a few seconds sometimes for few hours but its always gone if u turn off the car and turn it back on,

Yesterday, was driving back from work and ABS light was on, applied brakes on the intersection brake pedal got really tight and i could press it down for only like a half inch, and it stuck, released it next second and push it again., car stopped! And ABS light dissapered the same second i stopped, the same thing happend for like 3 times for only 10 mins of driving,

Today i drove about 50 miles and ABS was off and brakes were good,

So my question is: How do u think is it one problem (brakes and vibrating) or two separate issues?

I would aprecciate any advice, it really pisses me off to drive in a city when my car is shaking like crazy, i drive for few hours and then step out of the car im shaking like a zombie

 

[jremington59]

Did you have any brake work done that you could have gotten air in the ABS system? I had a Lincoln that did that so I pulled the ABS fuse and it went away.

As for the gas mileage, start with a tune up. New plugs and wires, airbreather and you can go with synthetic fluids. Also make sure the tires arent soft.

 

[deweyville65]

Did you have any brake work done that you could have gotten air in the ABS system? I had a Lincoln that did that so I pulled the ABS fuse and it went away.

As for the gas mileage, start with a tune up. New plugs and wires, airbreather and you can go with synthetic fluids. Also make sure the tires arent soft.

And, do you have any CEL? Bad 02 sensors will affect fuel mileage, as will low tire pressure, dirty air filter, dirty MAF sensor, among other things, like tune up.

 

[jremington59]

I should add that pulling the fuse disables the ABS system and the light will be on. But it will stop the peddle from pushing back at you.

 

[derek_redneck91]

Well I would first disable your abs. Mine was coming on under normal stopping conditions and turning into parking lots. It actually caused an accident the one night and blew my tire off the bead. I pulled the 50 amp fuse waiting for the tire guy to come. Never had a problem since. I would also check your brakes ASAP. Check your rotors to see if they are warped and/or full of rust and brake dust. Check your pads too.

Fuel economy is simple, but there isnt much to do in the bricks we love to drive. I agree with what was previously said. Plugs, wires, air intake (either change your filter for a k&n drop in filter or go CAI) Synthetic oils are better for older vehicles (200 000 plus) IMO. If you are lower than that, you can just run 10W30 or even 15W40. Thicker oils coat better, obviously not as good as synthetic, but up to that 200K mark you should be fine with just thicker oil. Also, do a complete fluids change. Transmission, transfer case, and rear dif if you haven't done them in the last 100K. Upgrading your exhaust will gain mpg as well. The whole idea is more power. The more power you have, the less you have to be on the gas to get up to speed and maintain it. The gear ratio in your rear end also has a play on that. 355 and 373 are better for highway because you have less rpm at higher speeds. 410 rear end, like i have, is good for city driving and towing because of low end torque, but highway rpms are higher, so I use more gas. My old explorer had 355 rear end and at 115km/h i was at 2100rpm. Now with my new explorer I'm running at 2600. I'm not saying swap your rear end I'm just giving you some information.

 

[YMMV]

Try to pull any ABS codes. If there is a code, it can tell you which sensor is reading wrong. Also, buying a code reader/scanner is always something good to have. You can have it monitor your ABS. While you are driving, have friend monitor the pulses on each wheel sensor. The one that drops is the one that you are having the issue with. Its very possible that your ABS is kicking on which is the pulsing you feel. Like I saidm, it could be a bad wheel sensor or you could have a bad pick up ring causing the ABS to engage. If you pull the fuse, your ABS will be inop but will still stop fine. If the pulsing stops, then you know its your ABS system going crazy. It will be at least a temp solution till you get it figured out.