2001 3.0 gas- Strange brake locking issue (ABS?)

[RangerPapa]

Hello Everyone!
I'm new to the forum. I purchased a 01 2wd Edge Oct 24 and have been slowly getting her cleaned up and running right. I've been turning wrenches on my own and some family cars since '75 so I have a good bit of experience but this one has me stumped! I'll confess I've never had any issues with ABS systems so this is my first. Any help here will be appreciated!

ABS light is on. OBD2 Bluedriver shows that the right front wheel sensor is bad. I checked it, tested bad so I replaced it. Cleared the code it comes back. Checked all related fuses in both fuse boxes and they are all good.

Now for the strange part. Not sure if its related or not but if the truck is outside and it rains, NOT driven in the rain, just sitting out in the high humidity. When I first drive the truck and I depress the brake pedal even slightly, brakes lockup very abruptly. If I drive slowly (10-15mph) while riding the brakes the issue will quickly resolve itself and then I have no problems until the weather does it again. Any suggestions?

Thank you all for your help in advance!
RangerPapa

 

[pjtoledo]

common issue, flash rust on the brake drums/rotors and pads/shoes being moist and sticky.
varies depending on quality of materials.

on the sensor failure the wires count too. so does the gap between the sensor and trigger vane.
the vane on the backside of the front hub can be adjusted by carefully pressing it in further, or pulling it out.
that's a good excuse to inspect & repack the bearings.

 

[RangerPapa]

Thanks for the quick response pj. Good tip on the sticky pads. I've always done my own brakes and have always used upper end quality parts. That may explain why I've never experienced this type of issue. When I got this Ranger last October it was owned for years by a fella now in his eighty's and there were 310k plus miles when I got it. No telling what he put on it. But I do know that the truck had been sitting up for awhile and we have some pretty serious humidity here in Georgia. I'll order some new ceramic Akebono brake pads from Rockauto and replace the back ones also.

As for the ABS vane on the rotor as far as I can tell it is pressed on and I'll have to see if I can find a spec on what the distance is supposed to be from the vane to the sensor. Maybe I'll just use a piece of clay on the left side, do the same on the right and compare the two.

Already repacked and put new seals on the hubs but thanks for the reminder.

I'll post again and let you know if it is resolved with your suggestions.

Make it a great one. Thanks again!

 

[pjtoledo]

@ranger papa
the vane can be pulled off/adjusted, it isn't a severe press, just a mild press.
you'll need a hooked tool to get behind it and apply pressure to the inner part to prevent bending the vanes.
putting it back on is easy.
I don't know the specs for the gap, I put them on flush with the hub.

if you have an old style voltmeter with a moving needle do an ohms check directly on the sensor while slowly rotating the wheel.
the needle should wiggle.

 

[RangerPapa]

Hello PJ,
I just reconfirmed that the old sensor was bad as I had infinite resistance and my new sensor had the proper resistance.
I then checked for proper a/c voltage by connecting meter and spun the wheel. So, I know the vane is proper distance from the sensor and that is functioning as it should.
Another thing I noticed is that when I used my Bluedriver OBDII tool and reset my codes that my CEL went off but the ABS light never did go out even after confirming the reset with the tool. I thought this was strange since I don't have any other ABS codes present except the Right side ABS sensor code.
One other thing, I'm looking for a way to identify the faulted Forscan codes in the attached files. That would be of great help if you were able to assist with identifying them.

Thanks again boss ))