My best bud's Dad retired this year, and bought a small motorhome to cruise the country in. I don't have a clue what kind it is, but the drivetrain is Ford. The front "cab" is a 1994 E-350, with a 460 and a E4OD. It also has 4.10 gears in a dually rear end. I would guess that it's about 35 feet long. Now, my dilema. His ABS light is always on. I looked at it today, and pulled the trim cover on the lower passenger side dash, expecting to see the RABS Module (next to the windshield washer module), but it wasn't there. I later found out that this thing has 4 wheel ABS, and supposedly doesn't have a module, like the RABS does. I am clueless on what to do with this thing. I can't figure out how to get codes from it, or how to reset the damn light.

Any thoughts?

Take care,
-Chris

 

actually . so am i .lol.... i've worked on them when i worked for cruise america . all i ever did ( i was the only one that did . ) is reset the ecm . everyone else i know took the dash apart and removed the bulb . i have some wiring schematics on that chassi at work i will check them today .

oh ya and these were rentals . the main thing was to get them out the door and down the road .

 

there isnt any chassi specific wiring diagrams there . it is all coach related .

 

Bastards!

Supposedly, my OTC Scan Tool can pull the ABS codes, but it specifically says that it must be connected to the ABS ECM exclusively, and I can't find it.

I feel like such a rookie.

I'll tell you what I'm thinking, though.

The ABS light has been on every time since he bought this thing several months ago, BUT...

When I ran KOER codes, I had to apply the brakes to test the BOO switch, and I noticed that the brake pedal felt low. Pat said he had just rebuilt the calipers, and replaced the pads, and that he had bled the system. He said when driving the beast solo, the brakes felt fine, but when he tried towing the Jeep, that he bought for play, behind it, the pedal felt soft, and braking ability felt compromised.

I figured he just needed to re-bleed them, but I did some reading, and found where it says that for the F series 4 wheel ABS, a constant ABS light means that a problem has been detected, and the system shut down. It went on to say that there is a sensor that monitors brake pedal travel, and that when the pedal gets too low, which seems to be common with the 4 wheel ABS, the pump starts up, and the added pressure brings the pedal up.

I'm thinking the extra load put on it by the Jeep is why extra effort was needed to stop, and since the system is shut down, the pump never kicked on to readjust the pedal height.

This still doesn't tell me what caused the system to fail in the first place, but I think it does solve the braking ability issue.

Maybe I should go into selling shoes.

Thanks for looking for me!

Take care,
-Chris

 

well , yes and no . it isnt a standard vacuum assist booster . it should be simular to chevs "hydra-boost" and NO they dont feel like normal brakes . in fact they are very different and take some time getting used to them . when he was replacing /messin with the brakes . he didnt mess up a sensor did he? the braking system on the "E" chassi is very poor . calipers /pads wear out fast . rotors heat up fast as a result and crack . constant abs malfunctions . if/when ya do get it working right , i'd be very interested in the "FIX"

 

Yeah, he said one of the rotors was cracked.

I'm 99% positive one of the sensors is reading out of range, and the system has shut down. I just can't seem to find a way to pull the codes for the ABS, which makes it annoying. I guess I will have to look for a chart with the ABS sensors' acceptable values, and then test them individually and try to find a bad one. My fear is that it will be the ring that accompanies the rear sensor. The diff has to be dismantled to replace it.

If this wasn't the father of my best bud, I'd have forgotten about it long ago.

I'll see what he wants to do.

Thanks again.

Take care,
-Chris

 

Cut a piece of duct tape with your swiss army knife and place it over the ABS light.