Strange Dangerous Problem. Anyone Help?

This is just a guess, but it sounds like the ABS operated. What were the road conditions at the time? Was it raining (hardly ever happens in the UK)? Was it cold enough that there could have been ice on the road? Maybe something slippery on the road that caused one or more of your wheels to lose traction?

I presume that your ABS light is off, since you didn't mention it. I'm no expert, but if I had to take a stab at it, (and since it hasn't recurred in

100 miles), I'd say that your ABS operated properly, in response to something you were unaware of. I suppose that you could have a bad sensor or other component of the system.

HTH Kevin

Definitely not! ABS does not make the pedal drop to the floor, not does it make a sound that could be described as "a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment"

Definitely wrong. The ABS simply does not operate in such a manner.

Well, the sound of "a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment" could have been a rock kicked up from the road into the engine compartment, and maybe batted around a bit by the fan.

I have no idea how this could have caused the brake pedal to drop to the floor, unless the rock smacked into a hose or a fitting (vacuum or hydraulic) and induced a momentary leak. Have you reached in and firmly flexed everything, looking for a spurt of fluid or a hiss of vacuum?

Bill Jeffrey =====================

I DO know that a GMC pickup that had a defective front wheel speed sensor lost all brakes (at low speed) and they guy ran into a brick wall. Hardly "fail safe" I'd say. That was the findings at the GM dealer.

I beg to differ with you. I have a 1997 Limited and when the ABS is activated, like on snowy streets here in Southern Ontario, the pedal DOES go quite a bit lower than "usual" and there is quite a racket coming from somewhere. This has always been the case, and I'm quite used to it. The ABS stops the car perfectly, as long as firm pressure is applied CONSTANTLY!

Have you ever been driving when the ABS activated? The pedal feels funny, kind of soft, and there is the ratcheting noise that could be described as "a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment". If it was his first time, he felt the pedal and heard the noise, and got off the brakes in a panic, I could definitely see how he could end up describing the event as he did.

Sorry Bill, but your "definitely" doesn't hold a bit of water. I'll wager an ABS trigger was exactly what happened. Either he freaked, or the ABS controller momentarily did.

Jack

Roads dry, No ice, not that cold, No warning lights visible, and i didnt notice any at the time (well shortly after, My eyes were fixed on the car in front and the possibility of avoiding him at the precise time!). I have had the ABS operate before, but only during emergency braking, and with hindsight that might just have been the noise, but those times the pedal stayed firm and vibrated slightly. This really sounded like i had dropped a brake shoe, and the effect was the same in that i had to pump the brakes to get any braking. I only 'touched' the pedal to ease up slightly and it just went right to the floor 2 or 3 times! So far, I'm with Budman. Is the ford similar in design in any way? PS is it likely that the computer will have registered any fault codes? Maybe the answer might be to have that checked out

I would take it to the certified Ford dealer and get this on the record. Maybe someone at Ford has run into this before or is willing to let an engineer ponder over it. I wouldn't count on Ford monitoring this news group. I wouldn't drive the car after an incident like that until I was sure that someone who really knew the entire system (maybe including getting computer dumps) checked it out. Should it happen again, you may not be so lucky and have enough time to pump the brakes.

Ben

The description was that the pedal went to the floor, and had to be pumped to get any pedal back. That is *NOT* the way ABS works. If yours works that way, you have a severe problem, and are driving an unsafe vehicle. And that's the way of it.

Yes, I've experienced the ABS in action. The pedal does *NOT* drop to the floor, and it does *NOT* require pumping the pedal to get pedal feel (and brakes) back. If yours does that, you have a severe problem, and are driving an unsafe vehicle. And that's the way of it.

If his does that he has a bad master cylinder...and needs to get it replaced post haste.

| >> >This is just a guess, but it sounds like the ABS operated. | >>

| >> Definitely not! | >> ABS does not make the pedal drop to the floor, not does it make a | >> sound that could be described as "a spanner being dropped through the | >> engine compartment" | >>

| >> Definitely wrong. The ABS simply does not operate in such a manner. | >>

| >>

| >> Bill Funk | >

| >Have you ever been driving when the ABS activated? The pedal feels funny, | >kind of soft, and there is the ratcheting noise that could be described as | >"a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment". If it was his | >first time, he felt the pedal and heard the noise, and got off the brakes in | >a panic, I could definitely see how he could end up describing the event as | >he did. | >

| >Sorry Bill, but your "definitely" doesn't hold a bit of water. I'll wager | >an ABS trigger was exactly what happened. Either he freaked, or the ABS | >controller momentarily did. | >

| >Jack | >

| Yes, I've experienced the ABS in action. | The pedal does *NOT* drop to the floor, and it does *NOT* require | pumping the pedal to get pedal feel (and brakes) back. | If yours does that, you have a severe problem, and are driving an | unsafe vehicle. | And that's the way of it. | | -- | Bill Funk | Change "g" to "a"

I guess you didn't read the part of my post that said "If it was his first time, he felt the pedal and heard the noise, and got off the brakes in a panic, I could definitely see how he could end up describing the event as he did". Or the part that said, "The pedal feels funny, kind of soft, and there is the ratcheting noise that could be described as "a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment"."

I never said that the pedal dropping to the floor was normal operation. Or that pumping the brakes was either. Just that the person may have freaked, and his description really isn't that far out.

It looks as if *YOU* are the one that *FREAKED*.

Have a nice day.

Here's what the OP said: "Traffic ahead slowed so i touched the brakes. There was a strange metallic knocking noise, just like a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment, and the pedal lost all resistance and went to the floor. Total Brake Failure!!!"

Here's what you wrote: "Sorry Bill, but your "definitely" doesn't hold a bit of water. I'll wager an ABS trigger was exactly what happened. Either he freaked, or the ABS controller momentarily did."

The two do not describe the same thing at all. I'll go with thew OP, since he was there, not you. And I will stick with what I said: "If yours does that, you have a severe problem, and are driving an unsafe vehicle."

Funny that you left out the part, after some "Definitely not! ABS does not make the pedal drop to the floor, not does it make a sound that could be described as "a spanner being dropped through the engine compartment"

I simply explained that the pedal does get weird feeling/spongy, and the ratcheting sound could be described as the spanner thing (something bouncing around in the engine compartment on its way through). The OP did by his own admission panic, so his description is a bit suspect, as most are. Most people tend to exaggerate.

Also, I did post "Either he freaked, or the ABS controller momentarily did." That covers some failure of the ABS as well. My mind is not closed to the possibilities.

In any case, since you were not there as well, neither one of us can say

*definitely* exactly what happened. And that's the way of it, eh?

Jack

Jack

The OP originally said something like "traffic was slowing ahead and I put on the brake,,,". Doesn't sound like a panic type stop to me so there would be no reason, if it's just a normal "lets slow down a little" brake application, for the ABS to kick in. It's possible the ABS did go haywire, perhaps a speck of dirt in a valve, and that caused both the pedal to drop and the abs pump to come on frantically trying to build up pressure and making the noise. At various times these kinds of "it shouldn't happen" problems have come up with Chevy and Chrysler vehicles leading to this kind of scenario so it is certainly possible it could happen in a Ford.

-- Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . . Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House of Representatives, August 17, 1789