Potential issues when disabling ABS on '99 ford explorer

[floydbreker]

Hi Everyone - Just a quick question. Occasionally the brake pedal became mushy with some buzzing sound with brake application. I pulled the 10 amp fuse to disable the ABS and that problem went away. Aside from the obvious, no ABS on slippery roads, does anyone know if there are potential other issues with driving the vehicle with the ABS disabled? Can it affect how the brakes work in general or is it safe this way on dry roads?

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I pulled the fuse to disable my ABS a couple of years ago because it wasn't working properly. No issues whatsoever.

 

[Mbrooks420]

You probably just have a failed wheel speed sensor.

 

[donalds]

You will need a scanner to truly see all the sensors working at the same speeds

Codes ??

 

[joney]

Hi Everyone - Just a quick question. Occasionally the brake pedal became mushy with some buzzing sound with brake application. I pulled the 10 amp fuse to disable the ABS and that problem went away. Aside from the obvious, no ABS on slippery roads, does anyone know if there are potential other issues with driving the vehicle with the ABS disabled? Can it affect how the brakes work in general or is it safe this way on dry roads?

I drove my Taurus for five years, and the ABS never did work. Never had a problem with it. However, I never did get into the habit of jamming on my brakes unless I wanted to lock the tires.

 

[donalds]

A $20 elm327 and free forscan program on a laptop
Priceless

 

[J_C]

^ So the windows app handles this better? When my right front wheel sensor singal went out, I tried using the Android Lite (paid) version of forscan, and could see all the PIDs for wheel sensors fine, showing correct speed, but every time I went to replicate the fault (braking nearly stopped when it would occur), forscan stopped monitoring and exited out of doing it, with some "error" due to not getting data from the sensor instead of showing it as a 0 as it should have.

It seemed like a programming flaw on the android version, though fortunately it was obvious which wheel was to blame because it was pulling to the left in the ABS activation events, and if not for that, I could have just monitored one wheel PID at a time to see which was to blame, but it seemed really strange that a forscan bug like that would still exist today. I hope they fix it, really don't want to have to involve a laptop if my phone can do this kind of troubleshooting which it had so far except for this one scenario.

 

[donalds]

I have never tried the Android app

 

[jr230]

I pulled the fuse to disable my ABS a couple of years ago because it wasn't working properly. No issues whatsoever.

i actually had 2 minor accidents driving the 99 explorer as your supposed to, ironically 1t was the actual owner of the dealership. But not long after the light wen on. and i did not fix drove like a regular cr never had another problem. replaced pads at around 90,000 i stopped using at 105 awaiting restoration
but have a 04 lights on my 03 Junker also light was on 200k now in junk yard so 3 with unoperated abs
just remember you are the abs.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Had a gang of RBVs. The ABS was never hard to maintain in a working order. The ABS pump, computer, and general maintenance are my ABS.

 

[BKennedy]

No issue other than the ABS doesn't function.

I have to remind myself which vehicle I am in when it comes to ABS and application of brakes. With ABS, just try to shove the brake pedal through the firewall and let the technical gizmos do all the work. Without ABS, need to do what's referred to as "threshold braking". Push the pedal down until the brakes start to lock up, then relax your thigh muscle just enough to keep the tires turning. It takes practice and thinking under pressure, two things no longer taught in driving school.

 

[MisterWizard]

I guess the real question is why would you want to disable the ABS in the first place? Modern ABS systems have gotten quite refined. I can't see why someone would want to defeat them

 

[J_C]

^ No money in budget for fixing it, once a vehicle is low value... I'd assume... but some people just don't like ABS, if they grew up without it and learned to brake well without it.

This whole topic seems to be leaving out the variable of model year differences. I recall a post I made last year about removing the fuse from my '98 which disabled the VSS (dash speedometer) and set a trouble code and check engine light. That didn't seem to be what happens on a '97, but it wouldn't surprise me if it happens on a '99+ too.

1997 Adding ABS disable switch

This morning I was doing some reading on here and found where on '97 and earlier Explorers, people were wiring in a "disable" switch inline with fuse #14. I removed the fuse assuming the ABS would be disabled thus making the light go out. Does anyone know how to wire it, Maybe with a DPST...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[psyconoodker]

I guess the real question is why would you want to disable the ABS in the first place? Modern ABS systems have gotten quite refined. I can't see why someone would want to defeat them

Because abs for sm experienced driver increases stopping tines. I absolutely hate abs. I have extensive competition driving experience on snow and ice and abs sucks. I have a 99 explorer and unfortunately the speed sensor stops working when I pull the fuse. I want the abs to go away

 

[J_C]

^ AFAIK, you could just plumb the brake lines around/without the ABS module, allowing you to keep the speedo.

Otherwise, maybe try disconnecting the ABS module pin 9, pump motor feed wire?
In case I am wrong, please TEST what disconnecting it does, before depending on it, including a situation that would invoke ABS.

I tend to disagree about ABS. While I learned to drive before ABS was around and am pretty good at modulating brakes, I still think it is more beneficial than detrimental, especially on ice, to be able to shift more of your focus from braking to steering. With all the hills and curves here, as often as not, I have to drive my way out of hairy situations, not just try to stop.

 

[410Fortune]

I delete the abs from my personal vehicles. I cannot stand the pedal pulsing abs they put on these trucks, i like to control my own brakes
Just personal opinion
I make brake lines to plumb around the abs pump and remove the whole thing from the truck. Cost $20
I blackout the light bulb in the instrument cluster
I find the abs in the 95-01 explorer and 02-04 sports and tracs to be insufficient and I do not like the way it pulses the brake pedal. I simpmy pump my own brakes like I was taught as a kid driving in Colorado Winters’s. Never had issue

Deleted the abs on my wife’s FJ too
Her abs seemed to make it harder to stop and increase her stopping distances especially in gravel.. almost had her wreck a couple of times. So I disabled it, FJ is 07 disabled abs at 10,000 miles. Sure enough two years later toyota recalled them and reprogrammed the abs computers because they found it wasn’t working correctly.

Sometimes a good setup if traditional brakes are all you need

 

[Turdle]

Because abs for sm experienced driver increases stopping tines. I absolutely hate abs. I have extensive competition driving experience on snow and ice and abs sucks. I have a 99 explorer and unfortunately the speed sensor stops working when I pull the fuse. I want the abs to go away

If you want to trade ABS modules with me, both our problems will go away.
But seriously. You disconnect one front abs sensor at frame area connector, the abs will then shut off and light up the abs light for you.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

The fuse I pulled on my '02 Sport Trac was in the battery junction box. Nothing else was affected.

 

[J_C]

But seriously. You disconnect one front abs sensor at frame area connector, the abs will then shut off and light up the abs light for you.

Yeah I forgot the easy way.

There's probably some hack possible to make the dash light stay off too, maybe disconnect ABS module dk green wire contact # 16, though with my prior abs pump wire suggestion, was thinking that if disconnecting the wire works, that also opens the possibility of turning the system back on, on the fly (driving) by wiring it to a switch.