ABS controller gone bad

[wpatters1229]

I have a 2000 Expedition and recently the ABS pump was running constantly. I found the fuse and removed it. I read that this is a common problem and the controller has gone bad and has to be replaced. Does this mean the car is not safe? The brakes still work just fine but the ABS light is on. The new controller is not cheap and apparently not easy to get the screws out.
Thoughts???

 

[98eb5.4]

usually u just lose the abs feature

 

[wpatters1229]

Without the ABS is my life in danger? Seriously we did not have this feature for decades so should I spend the money and replace this controller? Right now I am inclined to just leave it alone

 

[jpeltzel]

If you don't do a lot of driving on snow and or ice, then you'll more than likely be fine
Get up to like 50 on isolated road, then slam on the brakes to see how hard it is to get these beasts to lock up the tires on dry pavement, and maybe try that when it's raining too just for added insurance.

 

[kythri]

Would you fail inspection if the ABS light is on?

 

[wpatters1229]

California does not have anything but SMOG checks. They SHOULD have inspections like they do back East but not for the foreseeable future. Some of the cars on the highways out here would fail an inspection and rightfully so.

 

[kythri]

I don't live in the Portland metro area, so I don't have to deal with the DEQ stuff that Portland does, but I was led to understand that any "error" lights on the gauge cluster was an automatic fail up there.

Obviously, different state, but was just curious.

I've replaced the ABS pump/controller assembly twice in my '00. Both wrecking yard units, first one was either bad, or failed after I installed it. Second one is going strong to this day. Even with two of them, still cheaper than a new unit from the dealer.

First fail was exactly as you describe - pump running constantly.

Second one was to eliminate the spongy to-the-floor brake pedal that a bleed wouldn't fix - I think the pump itself might have gone bad in that unit, rather than just the nigh-inseparable controller.

 

[rjdelp7]

Why not find out why ABS is activating? Did you check for codes? Autozone has a code scanner and will show ABS. It may be a bad wheel sensor or mismatch tires. Mine had an ABS open circuit code. It was the wire going to pump motor. The wire had completely rotted out. Ford skimped on the splash guard, in this area. I found the pump motor, on a wrecked Econoline van. It was an easy swap. there is magnet on motor shaft. I do believe ABS was created for bad drivers, that panic brake and over steer. If it was so great, NASCAR would use it.

 

[Russell Lewis]

When I lived in SoCal the smog tec will not pass let a one do a check

 

[knewblewkorvett]

Not having ABS does not mean the vehicle is unsafe. Cars prior to 1978 did not have ABS (1978: Mercedes-Benz W116 became the first production car to use an electronic four-wheel multi-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS) from Bosch as an option from 1978 on) .
As for inspections I have no clue, I live in Iowa which has no inspections at all (thank God)

 

[Gumbyalso]

I have a 2000 Expedition I've had since new. In 2009 at 166,000 the electronic module of the ABS system went bad. Like wpatters1229 describes, the pump just kept running at a high pitch, even with the key off. I pulled the electrical connector to the ABS to kill the pump. Later I pulled the electronic control module off the ABS assembly and shipped to ModuleMaster in Moscow, ID. They repaired and returned my module for $155 with a five year warranty. While it was being repaired I covered the hydraulic portion of the ABS that I had left in place with a plastic bag and a zip tie to keep the dirt out and just drove it without the ABS. Having had many vehicles in my life without ABS, this was not an issue. My rebuilt module has now been working for 128,000 miles and eight and half years. So the entire repair cost me $155. I just looked on the internet and Module Master in Moscow still appears to be in business. And I'm a firm believer in ABS. It's probably saved me from a few accidents. And we have ABS (aka anti-skid) in many aircraft including passenger jets and fighters. There would be a lot more blown aircraft tires without it. Aircraft anti-skid pre-dates the ABS we have on cars and trucks. My $.02 - it's easy to pull and replace the electronic control module and you don't have to disrupt the hydraulic portion. I'd pull the electronic module and send it Module Master. At least that's what worked for me. In 2009 Ford would only sell the complete unit and it was $650 back then. You can also buy an aftermarket electronic control module at many parts stores.