brakes dont work

808bird

Registered User
i was driving my 92 t-bird sc and noticed that my handbrake light and my antilock lights were both on so i tapped the pedal and found that my brakes we very hard. i slowly drove the car home and checked some things. the fluid was full so i decided to blead the brakes, blead the front and then went to blead the back. noticed that no fluid was coming out in the back on both sides. does anyone know what could be the problem. any help or suggestions is appreciated. thanks in advance.
 
Been there myself.....

contact me at ganeco@adelphia.net (my home email) and I will get you all the info I have regarding the "Teves Mark II ABS". There are several things that could cause this "problem". Some of them inexpensive, some cost a little more to replace.....
 
Larry, would you be able to help me with a small glitch on my ABS? I keep getting an intermittent ABS light and the code is always the right front sensor. The brakes work just fine otherwise. I have checked the wiring and it's within specs. The sensor and wheel look okay but...... Do you have any ideas for me to check?

Thank you.
 
Try cleaning the sensor tip and also check the condition of the sensor ring attached to the hub assembly. If both are OK it is time to replace the sensor.
 
Thank you Duffy.

Are the sensors removed easily? I was told they are easily damaged when removed. And the sensor wheels would only be on a used rotor, correct?

Thanks.
 
The sensor wheel is on the hub, not the rotor. It easily gets caked with brake dust.

I haven't removed a sensor yet, but I know a few people have posted in the past that you should drench the area in a penetrating oil for a while, and then use a properly sized socket to knock it out.

The sensor is like a round socket with a sensor tip sticking out of the center of it. So a properly sized socket can be set over top of the end and struck with a hammer to keep the force on the outer edges of the sensor housing.

The sensor tip is the delicate part that could be broken off. Why these sensors have exposed tips, I don't know, but they do.
 
Thanks, Mike. Looking at the manual now. I see the tooth ring on the hub and the sensor is described as being held in place with a Torx head screw. What you are saying is the sensor can get frozen into the hole it fits into over time and you need to use penetrating oil of some kind to loosen it up. If the sensor is sensitive to blows then I can see why it could be damaged by knocking it out.

Thank you all for the information. Hope it's helped others too.

A great week all.
 
The damage to the sensor that is created is the loss of magnetism of the permanent magnet which is part of the sensor. If you pound on it, the shock can cause rthe magnetic poles to go to a random orientation as opposed to be lined up as they are now since the part was magnetized.

The tip extends out as far as it does so the lines of magnetic flux are "cut" or disturbed by the teeth of the sensor ring as the wheel rotates and the sensor ring turns.
 
You will most likely mangle the sensor trying to get it out. I did. I tried Ford for a new one....discontinued. I ended up swapping the whole spindle from my parts car. Later I found out that Raybestos makes sensors. I would try cleaning the sensor ring first.

As far as the hard brake pedal goes, it sounds like the ABS pump is not running. Try a new ABS pump relay. They are on the passenger side firewall. The harness plugg is brown in colour. If you are stuck for a ride you can tap on it with the blunt end of a hammer and sometimes they will "un-stick" and work a while longer.
 
Sure enough, Katoom. I called a Carquest here in OKC and they can order the Raybestos SC ABS wheel sensors. Your info is appreciated. I was getting a tad concerned about sensor replacements considering I hope to keep my 35th for quite a while. Thank you.

A great week all.
 
Ummm... I feel like the engine mount topic regarding the knock sensor shield..

The little bolt holding the ABS sensor to the spindle is like a 7mm bolt.. very easy to remove.. then you just slide the sensor out. I did this last week to get room when replacing the lower contol arms.

Like the engine mount topic, I've never had to remove the starter motor or mess with the knock sensor shield.. I dunno.. maybe my hands are small.
 
Back
Top