97 ranger 4x4 anti lock brakes

[97RangerXLT]

the abs light is on in my truck. is there a way to pull the codes without taking it to a dealer or shop?

this light has been an issue with this truck for the last 7 years or so. the previous owner (my dad) had this problem fixed several times over the first 5 of those 7 years and it keeps coming back. I bought the truck off of him in 05 and the light came on 3 weeks after I bought it. I am thinking that the dealer that fixed it was not that competent, and maybe just did quick fixes on it to get the light to go out.

AJ

[Sunk]

You should be able to get a hand held code reader at your local auto parts store. From there you'll have to look up the code.

[AllanD]

THE most common causes of an ABS warning lamp are:

1)a "contaminated" wheel sensor, I'E. metal dust briging the gap of one of the FRONT sensors.
2)Metal fragments doing the same thing to the RABS sensor inside the rear differential

3)Faulty sensor.

AD

[metalmacguyver]

also, Autozone and Advanced Auto will scan codes and tell you what they are. they will not however clear them for you.

[97RangerXLT]

Thanks for the replies guys. I hope to get under it sometime this week and clean the sensors.

As for Autozone and O'reillys, they cant pull ABS codes. I already asked.

Dunno about Advanced tho. have to try them, but they are a bit farther away

AJ

[metalmacguyver]

oops. i doubt that advanced will be able to help then because in my experiance both advanced and auto zone, they both use similar hand held code readers that probably both have the same limitations.

just out of curiousity and to clarify the issue, is the reason that they cant pull abs codes because it is nothing more than an idiot light and is not connected to the ECM at all?

[97RangerXLT]

O'reilly's said that they do not have a scanner capable of it, Autozone, well over the phone they said they could do it, and when I got there they recanted that pretty quick and just said they can't pull abs codes. (this is not the only time that autozone has told me one thing over the phone and told me completely opposite when I go into the store.)

AJ

[Lakota]

When I did a search on the interent for RABS codes for my 94 Ranger it says that under the dash by the main wiring harness there is a connector that has an orange and brown wire on one side and I believe a red wire on the other side. If you disconnect this and hook a jumper wire between the orange and brown wire and a ground the ABS light will flash the codes for what is wrong. If you follow the link it will give the details.

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/14/c7/ab/0900823d8014c7ab/repairInfoPages.htm