This morning on my Dad's 2000 f-150 XLT 4.2 V6 Super cab the Abs light went on and stayed on. It does need the breaks replaced could this be the reason it would come on. Is this a major problem should I park the truck till I can replace the breaks this weekend or it will be safe to drive?

 

When The ABS light comes on, it usually means something is blocking the sensor. This isn't much to worry about for now. But when the BRAKES light comes on. Then I would suggest you had it looked at.

When we first bought our truck the ABS light came on. We had just had some Hurricane's so I'm guessing something was blocking the sensor. Anyway, I didn't know about this forum yet so we had the dealer do it. It costs about $170 for the dealer to do it.

But if you find something else on this forum on a do-it-yourself. I'm sure it will be much cheaper.

P.S. If you can spray out your undercarriage near the wheels + Tires. See if you may have something blocking the sensor. One mechanic told us that if we used a high pressurized system to blast around the wheels from the inside that may help.

 

My ABS light came on once, I ignored it.
It came on the next time I started the truck and I ignored it again.
It didn't come on any more after that. I guess it gave up.

The truck has many different warning lights and buzzers.
I ignore all of them except one the:

'Your Hair Is On Fire' light/buzzer.

(According to the Owners Manual: "...you must act immediately for your own safety and future attraction of opposite sex capabilities")

 

Most common cause for the ABS light is the sensor on top of the rear differential. Takes 10 minutes to change and costs about U$25 at the dealer.

Fritz

 

Did that to mine and the light is still on.

 

If your ABS light is on, it simply means that the ABS system has failed its self-test and has shut itself off.

With the ABS system offline, you simply have normal hydraulic brakes, but without the added safety margin that the ABS system is intended to provide.

If you have two-wheel rear ABS, you can pull the ABS codes manually by shorting a wire in the diagnostic connector at the passenger foortwell.

If you have 4WABS, you will have to have the code pulled by an ABS-capable OBD-II scanner. These are significantly more expensive than the run-of-the-mill scanners found or used at auto parts stores and is unlikely to be available for free.

Once the ABS code is pulled, a focused troubleshooting effort can be made.

Steve

 

u may have mud or something jammed up in there. also if u drove threw water sometimes it splashes up. another common cause is if u bled the brakes u let air enter the system and it flipped the abs valve.

 

I checked all the sensors and connectors. They are all clean. I could have a bad wire but I suspect something more expensive. The light has been on for nearly 2 years so it clearly isn't bothering me. I have 4 wheel ABS so I cannot pull codes myself. I may take it to the shop for an estimate but do not plan to spend 500 bucks to make a light go off.