help! NO brakes + abs / ebrake warning lights

Well, it finally happened.
I've been dreading it and it finally happened.
I know this is a common problem, but unfortunately the posts I had seen in the forums a few days ago are no longer there, or at least i cannot find them. maybe i am not wording them right. but I need brakes.

I was driving home from school today and after a few panic stops when people in front of me stopped short, the ABS warning lights came on like they have before, except this time, i no longer had ANY stopping power, at all. The pedal turned to rock and I had to press the crap out of it just to come to a stop. After carefully squeaking home, I went to look for the ABS relay and was unable to locate it.

A while back my ABS accumulator went crazy and was all hopping and vibrating with the car off (this happened only once), but then it went back to normal and it hadnt given me any trouble since.

I have a 1990 5-speed SC, with 194,000 now and it is also my daily driver.
I need to resolve this problem asap.

I was looking into upgrading my brakes but obviously upgrading my brakes will not help me if I cant put any power to the calipers.

What would it most likely be (accumulator ball, ABS master assembly, etc), what tools would I need to yank one off of another SC at a yard? Does anyone have the components just lying around?
I REALLY need to get my brakes working again.

Thanks,
Ghost

This has been covered numerous times, do a search. The members only brake forum came back with 2 pages of results for your hard pedal symptom.

Paul

It’s my understanding that a hard peddle is the accumulator ball but I only know what I’ve read here. I use to get an occasional ABS light so I did mine and the problem was gone. I never had a hard peddle but I use to get a big pulse when I started the car. That still happens occasionally and much less of a pulse when I haven’t started the car in a few days.

A new accumulator ball goes for around $100.00. Prior Reman sells them for $99.95 plus shipping. Call 1-800-444-4821 and ask for an accumulator for model 4600124. The one I got from them didn’t have the hex hole in it so I put it one hand tight. I did mine this summer and it was way easy as long as you do it safely and relieve the pressure before you take the old one off.

If you need a new abs system a new unit will really cost you big bucks. If you want to take a chance on ebay you would save yourself about $800-$1200 if you can get a good one. Try a pick and pull or maybe someone here has a known good one that will part with. Either way I'd go with a new accumulator too.

No sign of the accumulator ball outside of Prior Reman. Napa, AZ, Kragen, etc, nobody had a clue, and ford told me they cant get one.

pyp here I come.
As a precautionary measure I'm going to go to PYP and yank the ABS units out of all 6 of their SCs.
I think that might be a good start.

Anyways, that's it.

-Ghost

***abs to conventional***

I read the thread but I am totally dreading doing it. I know all the parts are there, though.

What year Crown Vic can I yank the masters out of and will just any superbase mn12 do for teh booster?
does it improve braking and will it get rid of that nasty grindlock that happens during panic stops?

the thread answers all those questions....Read read Read!

The cause of "Hard Pedal"

If your brake pedal is hard to apply, the pump is no longer providing system pressure (no brake assist). This could be due to a few things. First thing to check is if the pump is getting power. Check for voltage at the connector on the pump. The connector that is fed from the relay. Power should be present when you first turn the KEY ON. If you have power, the pump is toast. If no power, check for signal from the pressure switch to the relay. If you get signal from the pressure switch, and no power to the pump, the relay is stuck open. If no signal, the pressure switch has probably failed. Changing the Accumulator will not correct a "hard pedal" condition. It will prevent the pump from failing, due to overheating, resulting in a hard pedal. You might want to check the relay first. It's the cheapest to replace. If you have been getting the ABS & BRAKE warning indicator "flash" when applying the brakes, and have delayed replacing the accumulator, the pump is probably shot. The good news is... a replacement Teves Mark II from Prior Remanufacturing is not terribly expensive (around $500), and can be installed with typical shadetree mechanic tools in your driveway (in a couple of hours)...

key on, i am not hearing the abs go 'click' like it usually does. I do not think it is getting power.

When I squeezed the power relay, though, it started the accumulator doing its jiggling act and that got it going again. hopefully it is simply the relay, and changing it out will correct the problem.

-ghost

If you can get the pump to kick ON by messing with the relay, you have found your problem. Get a GP Sorensen MR-120 from your local parts house and you should be in good shape. Just be sure that if your accumulator is bad (ABS & BRAKE warning lights flash on then off when you apply the brakes) that you replace it without delay... Contact Prior Remanufacturing if you need one www.priorreman.com ask for an accumulator for a Teves Mark II ABS, or just tell them you have a TBird SC, they are very familiar with our group...

i had the exact same problem 1 week ago in my 90 cougar xr7 sc . I found out the abs motor wasnt working and all of the wiring was fine. so i got a new abs assembly from a junkyard for 100$ and put it took a couple hrs with a helper and they work awsome thats my story.

The ABS lights have never flashed when applying the brakes, they just would occasionally 'come on' and stay on until I cycled the ignition.

I am thinking it is just the relay.

Since there an abundance of SCs with the ABS unit, I will probably go there today and yank one if changing out the relay does not fix it.

Thanks,
Ghost

if you do end up changing the whole thing make shure the studs are in the right position as the old one

Mine was doing the same thing. After replacing the whole booster assembly; I found out that the relay under the ignition had come loose. I pushed it back into the harnes and everything worked fine. I wish I would have checked that first. One way to tell if this is your problem is: if you turn the key to the on position and you cant hear the pump come on or the heater motor doesnt work and with mine the VMM didnt work either. Check these things, it may save you alot of time and trouble.

Well, after changing out the relay my ABS came back.
Hooray!

thanks for the point in the right direction, otherwise i might have started really dismantling stuff!!

SCCoA BBS is worth it's weight in Gold

I'm glad the relay replacement worked out. (can't beat the price of that repair) If it wasn't for the vast knowledge and generosity of the fine folks in this organization, I wouldn't have been able to keep my beloved bird running for the past 14yrs. My SCCoA membership fee has got to be the best investment I've ever made.

Glad you got it fixed without having to tear into it too much. It's always good when that happens.

yeah, yesterday I fixed my brakes and then I tore into my girlfriend's 00 mustang. the 4R70W would NOT let you shift out of park. I couldnt figure it out. Ford suggested it might be the neutral safety switch, so i bought one and changed it (not a fun operation) and that didn't fix it. It turned out to be the stoplight switch-- and then, it wasn't even that. It was a broken wire connecting to the stoplight switch-- the trans didnt know you were depressing the brakes so it wouldnt let you out of park! I spent all afternoon under my g/fs mustang and there was no need to even be there. And those neutral safety switches are BASTARDS!!!!1!

It was the SUCK!

I can't say how grateful I am to have all the great, helpful people on this site, and how pleased I am that this site is here. I think it was well worth the $15 for membership to make sure the site stays open.

-Ghost