98 Ranger ABS Light

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98 Ranger ABS Light Group: alt.trucks.ford Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2004, 4:34am (CST-2) From: snipped-for-privacy@anteon.com (Goober) Hi guys- I have a 98 Ranger 2wheel drive 3.0 auto.

The ABS light and the Brake lamp come on if I step on the pedal hard even if I am not driving.

The ABS will not work at all.

The fluid is full, the connections are all good. From what I ahve read, the codes can be pulled. Autozone does not read ABS codes, and the ABS system is controled by a differnt computer ECM.

The code extraction connector is under the hood near the Electonic brake control block-valve assembly.

Does anyone know how to get the codes? It is a two prong connector.

Thanks. ======== ========

Make sure the connector has an orange and black wire going to it.

Using a jumper wire of some sort....stick one end in the connector, to the terminal of the orange and black wire.

then.......ground the other end of the connector to a good ground for just a second or two.... (count 1,2)

the ABS light should blink the codes for you.

BE SURE THE WIRE THAT YOU ARE GROUNDING IS ORANGE AND BLACK the other one is a no..no...

hopefully helpfull,

marshmonster ~wonders what yer gonna do with the codes when you get them~ ====== ======

This may not be related to your inquiry but you might find it interesting. I bought a '98 Ranger when it was two years old. The original owners, who are friends of mine, thought it had ABS and so did I because there is an ABS light that comes on when you first turn the key and start the engine. By the end of the first winter of my ownership I had serious doubts that the ABS was working properly. I could easily lock up all four wheels on snow covered roads. I took it to the local dealer and they claim to have checked the ABS system out thoroughly and found no error codes or other problems. The next week, while pulling a loaded snowmobile trailer, I tried to brake somewhat quickly for a traffic light and slid right through the intersection. The dealer once again did a thorough inspection and assured me that my ABS system was working properly. I even went on a test drive with the service manager and we couldn't get the wheels to lock up. As time passed I wondered if this Ranger really had ABS. Eventually I put enough miles on to require new rear shoes and new rotors/pads on front. It was then that I confirmed that this truck definitely does not have ABS. No encoders at the wheels, no wiring or plumbing that an ABS equipped vehicle would have. I really don't mind that I don't have ABS but I know not to trust the service manager who checked the ABS system twice. I've since learned that my brother-in-law's '94 and '96 Rangers are like mine. They have an ABS light in the dash but are not equipped with ABS either.

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 22:09:12 -0500, Martin Walker rearranged some electrons to form:

On Ford trucks, the speed sensor is on the differential, not on the wheels.

I believe your truck should have the ABS system called "RWAL". or Rear Wheel Anti-Lock. (It might have been called RABS) One is Ford, the other GM, but I don't remember which.

The shop vehicles we used at my old garage were Rangers from 1994 to 2002, and most of the later ones had RWAL. That being said, it doesn't mean you do or don't have it, but I find it odd you would have a circuit that illuminates the ABS light during the power up circuit test without actually having ABS. Your ABS valve body should be between the brake master cylinder, and the rear line, and there should be a sensor in the rear differential area if you have it.

Spdloader

. . not all ABS systems have speed sensors at the wheels and fancy plumbing.... though they do have wires.

marshmonster =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Re: 98 Ranger ABS Light Group: alt.trucks.ford Date: Thu, Feb 19, 2004, 10:09pm (CST+1) From: snipped-for-privacy@idontwantanyspam.localnet.com (Martin=A0Walker) This may not be related to your inquiry but you might find it interesting. I bought a '98 Ranger when it was two years old. The original owners, who are friends of mine, thought it had ABS and so did I because there is an ABS light that comes on when you first turn the key and start the engine. By the end of the first winter of my ownership I had serious doubts that the ABS was working properly. I could easily lock up all four wheels on snow covered roads. I took it to the local dealer and they claim to have checked the ABS system out thoroughly and found no error codes or other problems. The next week, while pulling a loaded snowmobile trailer, I tried to brake somewhat quickly for a traffic light and slid right through the intersection. The dealer once again did a thorough inspection and assured me that my ABS system was working properly. I even went on a test drive with the service manager and we couldn't get the wheels to lock up. As time passed I wondered if this Ranger really had ABS.

Eventually I put enough miles on to require new rear shoes and new rotors/pads on front. It was then that I confirmed that this truck definitely does not have ABS.

No encoders at the wheels, no wiring or plumbing that an ABS equipped vehicle would have.

I really don't mind that I don't have ABS but I know not to trust the service manager who checked the ABS system twice. I've since learned that my brother-in-law's '94 and '96 Rangers are like mine. They have an ABS light in the dash but are not equipped with ABS either.

|> learned that my brother-in-law's '94 and '96 Rangers are like mine. They |> have an ABS light in the dash but are not equipped with ABS either. | |On Ford trucks, the speed sensor is on the differential, not on the |wheels.

That's correct, they only have ABS on the rear wheels. It's very basic and simple compared to a passenger car system, which can have 4-channel ABS. The pickup version is design to compensate for an unloaded bed. Rex in Fort Worth

I suggest you take the code read and talk to a Car-X shop. If yours has a friendly manager like I have, they will be able to tell you what the code means. Also, do a search on google. I found a list there for my ABS code. GH

I stand corrected. I even found a '98 sales brochure that confirms that it has rear ABS as standard equipment. I do have a sensor on top of the rear differential but wonder what it compares its signal to when the rear wheels lock up. This truck does not have ABS on the front so it can't compare to the front wheel's rotational speed. If it compares with the speedometer's input, where does the speedometer get its signal from? Anywhere on the rear drive train would also stop rotating when the rear wheels locked up, wouldn't it? How does it know that the truck is moving and not stopped? I can still lock up the rear wheels at will, and never hear or feel the pulsating of ABS modulating the brakes. Now I'm even more curious.

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 08:50:43 -0500, Martin Walker rearranged some electrons to form:

The sensor measures the speed of the ring gear in the diff. Locking up the rear wheels will also stop the ring gear rotation (obviously).

It doesn't "compare" to anything, it measures the wheel speed (via the rign gear) and modulates the brake pressure when the velocity, and the rate of change in velocity, tells the system that lockup is imminent.

Note that the rear ABS is disabled when you put the truck in 4WD (if you have 4WD).

If you are not experiencing any modulation of the rear brakes and they are locking up, you should have the system checked out.