Check brake light on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[surfaaron]

This morning my check brake light went on then off and then on and off again. I started to drive to work and it came on when I put the brakes and would go off when I let off the brakes. Then it came on and stayed on.The brakes seem to be working fine.Were should I start.

 

[surfaaron]

This morning my check brake light went on then off and then on and off again. I started to drive to work and it came on when I put the brakes and would go off when I let off the brakes. Then it came on and stayed on.The brakes seem to be working fine.Were should I start.

The light that is on is the abs check light. The motor for the abs comes on after two pumps of the pedel. Is it the accumulator?

 

[Pepsi2185]

Wow that is a tricky one. Do you know anyone with an ABS tester? LOL. That is strange, accumulator is a possiblity for sure. Did you bleed the brakes? I dont know if the brake pressure sensor on the year is the ABS light or the brake light. Im gonna havef to look into this one.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Do you know anyone with an ABS tester? LOL. That is strange, accumulator is a possiblity for sure.

An ABS tester is the same as an OBD-I Ford scanner. Aaron, what year is your Mark? If it is 86+ (I think) you should have an ABS computer in your trunk, bolted to the rear seat frame. It is offset to the driverside. There is a pigtail that comes off of it. Use this and pull the code(s) it is throwing. This is always an excellent (and free) place to start.

PS - It may be a good idea to try and combine your two identical threads...you are getting information on both ends.

 

[surfaaron]

An ABS tester is the same as an OBD-I Ford scanner. Aaron, what year is your Mark? If it is 86+ (I think) you should have an ABS computer in your trunk, bolted to the rear seat frame. It is offset to the driverside. There is a pigtail that comes off of it. Use this and pull the code(s) it is throwing. This is always an excellent (and free) place to start.

PS - It may be a good idea to try and combine your two identical threads...you are getting information on both ends.

It is a 87.How do I go about "pulling the codes" as you say? How do I combine the threads? Give it all to me in "newbie terms" please.

 

[surfaaron]

Wow that is a tricky one. Do you know anyone with an ABS tester? LOL. That is strange, accumulator is a possiblity for sure. Did you bleed the brakes? I dont know if the brake pressure sensor on the year is the ABS light or the brake light. Im gonna havef to look into this one.

Were you able to find out which light the brake pressure sensor would make go on . Mine is the abs light. How much would a accumulator cost? I started it up on tues after I got home and the light did not come on. I am going to take it for a drive on fri and see what happens. Thanks for any help.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

It is a 87.How do I go about "pulling the codes" as you say? How do I combine the threads? Give it all to me in "newbie terms" please.

You need a code scanner. They can be had from WalMart for ~$25. It will come with a manual and will give you instructions. Since it is the amber "ABS Light" then you will be able to pull a code when the light is on. If it is intermittent I believe there is most likely a faulty connection somewhere.

 

[surfaaron]

You need a code scanner. They can be had from WalMart for ~$25. It will come with a manual and will give you instructions. Since it is the amber "ABS Light" then you will be able to pull a code when the light is on. If it is intermittent I believe there is most likely a faulty connection somewhere.

Drove to work today and no light. Went to move my car at lunch and the light came on and is staying on. I will see what happens on the drive home. I am going to check the connections and flush the system and then go from there. Thanks for the info. Any code scanners better than another? :Bang :slam

 

[surfaaron]

You need a code scanner. They can be had from WalMart for ~$25. It will come with a manual and will give you instructions. Since it is the amber "ABS Light" then you will be able to pull a code when the light is on. If it is intermittent I believe there is most likely a faulty connection somewhere.

When I drove home last night the light would stay on for long periods and then go on and off. It would stay off for a while and then come back on. Connections? Where? This is driving me crazy! The brake pedel feels no diffrent when it is on or off. Any ideas Lincoln guru' s

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

When I drove home last night the light would stay on for long periods and then go on and off. It would stay off for a while and then come back on. Connections? Where? This is driving me crazy! The brake pedel feels no diffrent when it is on or off. Any ideas Lincoln guru' s

Sounds like a bad connection to one of the ABS sensors. Check the wire that comes off of each of the sensors, and follow it to the connnector. Disconnect it, then take an Ohm Meter to the two prongs and get a resistance reading. It should be 1300± ohm. If not you most likely have a corroded line on that sensor and it should be replaced.

 

[surfaaron]

Sounds like a bad connection to one of the ABS sensors. Check the wire that comes off of each of the sensors, and follow it to the connnector. Disconnect it, then take an Ohm Meter to the two prongs and get a resistance reading. It should be 1300± ohm. If not you most likely have a corroded line on that sensor and it should be replaced.

Is htere any reason for me not to drive my car while I figure this out? Any web sight that would help me with this(finding the sensors and other brake parts). Thanks for all your help.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Is htere any reason for me not to drive my car while I figure this out? Any web sight that would help me with this(finding the sensors and other brake parts). Thanks for all your help.

The car should still do fine, given that it truly is a faulty connection. The abs sensor is connected behind the rotor and has a wire running out the back of it, towards the master cylinder. It should be relatively easy to find.

 

[Pepsi2185]

Let us know how it goes, try cleaning the sensor plugs with contact cleaner too,.

 

[surfaaron]

Let us know how it goes, try cleaning the sensor plugs with contact cleaner too,.

I cleaned off most of the conections and the light is off. I am going to clean the sensor conections also. I notice that the pump feed line( low pressure hose) seems to be seeping a little brake fluid. Should I just replace that hose and then bleed the brakes since I will have to drain the resevoir to replace it? I really apreciate all of your help. I have not had a car with so many sensors and electronics before. All of your help is what keeps me sane. I love this car and want to keep it in good shape. Thanks again. I will let you know how it goes. :gr_hail: :L :yourock:

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

I cleaned off most of the conections and the light is off. I am going to clean the sensor conections also. I notice that the pump feed line( low pressure hose) seems to be seeping a little brake fluid. Should I just replace that hose and then bleed the brakes since I will have to drain the resevoir to replace it? I really apreciate all of your help. I have not had a car with so many sensors and electronics before. All of your help is what keeps me sane. I love this car and want to keep it in good shape. Thanks again. I will let you know how it goes. :gr_hail: :L :yourock:

That sounds like an excellent plan. Keep your guard up, however, as it is possible that one of the lines is faulty and your recent cleaning around them has straightened them out for the time being. Regardless, you have found the problem and it is not an expensive repair. The trick to owning these cars and still maintaining a pocket book is all based on knowledge, common sense, and a slight mechanical inclination. We'll cover the knowledge if you can cover the rest.

 

[Pepsi2185]

LOL. You will come to love the sensors. Im a bit tired of my 5.0 and am looking forward to my 4.6.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[surfaaron]

LOL. You will come to love the sensors. Im a bit tired of my 5.0 and am looking forward to my 4.6.

Let us know how it goes.

The light has come back on and seems to be staying on( it has been on for two days without going off) so I am going to clean a few more connections and then start replacing sensors that have been suggested.The brakes still seem to work great with no hard or mushy pedal. I am going to try to get to it this week before my surf trip to Maui on sun. I will let you know how it goes. Also what grade oil do you guys run in your cars and what brand.Thanks again for the help.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Check the connector for each sensor. It should read ~1800ohm on a multimeter. Oil is 10W-30 if I remember correctly. If you run synthetic use Mobil 1. For conventional oil Wal-Mart brand Super-Tech is one of the best oils and filters while still being one of the least expensive on the market.

 

[surfaaron]

Check the connector for each sensor. It should read ~1800ohm on a multimeter. Oil is 10W-30 if I remember correctly. If you run synthetic use Mobil 1. For conventional oil Wal-Mart brand Super-Tech is one of the best oils and filters while still being one of the least expensive on the market.

Thank you very much I will check them before I replace the sensors. If they read below that is the connector bad or the wiring? With the oil does it matter what kind of temps we have here in WA or is 10W-30 the best all around? What is the benefits of using synthetic over conventional?Wal-Mart is the best for conventional oil and filter? I never would of thought.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Thank you very much I will check them before I replace the sensors. If they read below that is the connector bad or the wiring? With the oil does it matter what kind of temps we have here in WA or is 10W-30 the best all around? What is the benefits of using synthetic over conventional?Wal-Mart is the best for conventional oil and filter? I never would of thought.

10W-30 is the best choice, regardless of temperature as far as I know. If the engine is not using synthetic and it has a decent amount of mileage on it you are best to stick with conventional oil. Super-Tech is the best oil and filter for the price by far, and among the top contenders. It is actually made by namebrand competitors like Champion I believe.

 

[Pepsi2185]

It looks like the problem is narrowing down.

Isnt factory recommendations 5W-30?? The numbers means W-winter. Five weight when it is cold, 30 weight when it is hot. For a lot of changing temperatures below 0 degrees and above, I dont know if i would go 10w-30 for a winter oil. I use 10w-30 in my 5.0 and my moms 94 used the same and no problems at all. Its pretty much your choice. My gf's DOHC sebring requires 5w-30, but we all know how picky those DOHC's are about oil to keep the cams from ticking.