Abs

when on the highway with the cruise control on , my abs light will come on - the speed gauge goes wild - and the cruise goes off . why is this ? why /and are they related ? how do i fix it ? new front brakes done this past july and i’ve had electrical problems somewhat fixed by ford .

your going to want to add vehicle make model miles transmission ect

Absolutely!
Don’t forget the “ect”!

(Where would I begin…?)

;-))

Ill run the front line ect ect

ah crap !! sorry , i forgot the most important stuff …lol . 2002 f250 superduty xlt lariat crewcab , 5.4 , 135000 miles , automatic trans … i was in a bad accident with it in 2005 and had problems with electrical since . had instament cluster changed twice . interior lights always stay on ( had to pull the bulbs ) , factory installed alarm works when it feels like it , interior lights dim when the headlights are on . dont know if any of that stuff has to do with anything . most likely ford dealer blew me off to get rid of me. thanks

Ah…Much better. Somebody will be with you shortly. Complimentary coffee and donuts over there…Do help yourself …

I think those years are prone to electrical problems…not sure…thinking back n trying to remember

anyway of finding out if its electrical ? what do i do …thanks

Im thinking it has to be electrical but i cant help you beyond that. Its kind of a bad time of day for help i think the guys that can help you are sleeping as most of them are old and grumpy…however…i have an idea. Let you and i shoot the bull and that will keep this post towards the top, show move replies and possibly peak the interest of somebody that can help you. So…Are you the original owner of said vehicle?

nope . i bought it 05 with 50,000 miles . when i had my accident , it was nearly totaled . i hit black ice , lots of spinning , everything body wise was damaged exept right rear window . rear end changed , front suspension changed , and the little bit of electrical ford would do . ever since then , little by little having electrical problams …does peacefrog name have anything to do with the doors song ? lol

With the original post I was thinking vehicle speed sensor, but with the added information I am thinking a shorted or breaking wire or connector involving the VSS or computer.

When Peacefrog says most of them are old and grumpy, it’s not true. They’re all old and grumpy. They bought their teeth on a 20 year payment plan and made the last payment in 1974. Their last battles were fought with weapons made of bronze. They were too old to enjoy Space Invaders. They say that their insurance will only pay for “genetic” drugs.

What was the question again, Sonny?

Whatever it was, my suggestion is the same. Look for a useless looking wire that goes from some metal on the engine and goes to the top of the firewall or fender or even the radiator mount. The wire may be hanging, broken or missing.

Your Explorer may have a condition called floating ground which is caused by the above condition. It’s usually the end at the body that needs disconnection and cleaning. Reinstall when done. If missing, make yer own.

Remember also that body shops NEVER put things together right. Check the grounds that may be under the dashboard near the top of the floorboard. Change the negative battery cable.

I agree. Many trucks use the VSS as the rear wheel speed sensor for the ABS (at least my S10 does). I can see a bad signal driving the computer crazy. Does it ONLY happen when you have the cruise control on?

i havent crawled under a truck in 10 yrs…so excuse my non knowledge of this stuff… so far only when the cruise is on …what/where is a vss ?..ok someone mention a useless looking wire , could you be more specific like color ,where located, to me there all useless… i pop the hood and look and think " yeah sure " close the hood …what would changeing the negative cable do ?

ok…i went for a ride today…abs light came on with normal driving…everything same as stated above…is this something i can fix ? will it reak havoc and mass devistation like bush’s wmd ?

What you need to do is go to a parts store like the zone and have your ABS scanned for codes and then post those codes on here. We like numbers, not code definitions. That makes it the easiest to help.

ah the gurus have spoken…will do that asap…thanks

My original thoutht was also a VSS. But if you can describe the damage caused by the “bad acident” that might lend a clue. Clearly damage sustained then is causing the problems now, since they began immediately after the repairs. If we can know which area(s) of the vehicle were damaged and how badly it might help.

this may take a bit… hit black ice going around 60 mph …spun around a bit , took out 15 wire gaurd rails , down a gully , hit a few trees , ended with the truck straight up like the space shuttle against a tree …body wise ,everything except hood ,roof and windows. everything under front end changed ,rear end changed due to driver rear tire wrapped up in cable and pulled off.body shop did the work , ford dealer did electrical
when i first got it back i’d turn on the lights and the overhead display would dim ,and the display did not match up with the dash. ( fuel tank full and display showed empty )
3rd time back dealer changed the instrament cluster .
overhead display the same ,now the light for the factory installed alarm/started wouldnt light and the symbol for door ajar stays on ,interior lights would stay on ( i finaly just pulled the bulbs )
2 clusters later , i still have the problems . dealer says the door ajar is on a sensor and will expand into place with the doors…its been five years now…still waiting.i couldnt deal with these idiots anymore.in hind sight…
when i use the keyless to lock , the lights used to blink , now nothing.
same when i use the remote starter.
sometimes the overhead has a mind of its own
seats are sometimes in different possition when back i get in
now the abs light comes on . not sure if all of this is related .
i tried looking for ground wires under the hood today , but in 20* with a 25 mph wind it aint easy . to me it all looks like dirty sphagetti … much easier twenty years ago. sorry for being so long winded

Between the accident and repairs and the slow torture of the electrical system going awry, your vehicle appears possesed. I recommed a good exorcist or in the alternative, drive a stake through its heart. Seriously, unless you like the thrill of having something electrical go wrong at random intervals and the character-building experiences of trying to pinpoint and fix electical issues, get rid of the truck and make it someone else’s problem.

Old Motorist