Disconnecting the ABS
 

I am looking at a huge repair bill for my ABS system and since i am a poor student financially, i can't handle it right now. is there a safe way to disconnect the ABS so i still have regular brakes and is this okay to do this???

I'm not for sure about a way to disconnect the ABS, but I have had a lot of people tell me that it would not be a good idea to.

Pop the hood, look between the pass side of the engine and the fenderwell. There is a harness (2 or 3 wire) there, it is for a wheel sensor. Unplug it. Or just pull the fuse ;)

If you are confident with normal brakes (like any driver should be, IMO) go for it. I've never fixed mine for that reason. I'm also still in school.

If your ABS is not working, don't do anything. Normal brakes will be fine, and no need to disconnect anything. Use the cluster removal procedure in Techinfo if you want to pull the warning light bulb.

Is your ABS dead or dying? Mine died slowly and created a few dangerous situations when it did not allow me to brake. I have the wheel speed sensor that was going bad unplugged. That completely disables the ABS so it does not interfere anymore.

I also had one wheel sensor that went bad, well it was the axle shaft that had the ring on it that was cracked. So every time I would stop the abs kicked on.

If it is acting funny where it comes on sometimes then not other times or anything that you think will interfere with stopping properly, just pull the fuse for it and it will disable it.

I had my abs go on my truck, but it was only rear wheel ABS so I was lucky enough to find the ABS computer and unplugged it. It was useless in the first place only havening rear wheel ABS ( another FORD engineering feat, LOL)

pull fuse is the easyiest thing

What is wrong with the ABS? Have you had it diagnosed yet?

I had it checked and the codes that came up were:

26 LF erattic
25 LF sensor or circut
37 LR wheel speed
31 RR wheel speed sensor or circut
61 Pump motor test problem

just to diagnose the problem is looking at around $230 so i think i'm leaning toward just disconnecting them.

Sounds like a lot of bad speed sensors... Each one of those that is bad will run about $120... You may have PMV problems, too. Let us know if you want to work on it.

Agreed; I think they're quoting you a worst-case scenario, price-wise, plus of course all that labor. You have nothing to lose by removing each wheel and inspecting the sensor wiring yourself for any obvious damage.

To answer your original question: There's nothing you need to disconnect; the ABS works in parallel with your regular braking system, not in place of it. You'll still be able to stop the car as usual; you just won't have ABS to help you avoid locking and skidding your wheels in a panic stop.

Thanks for all the great info. I think I'm just going to leave it. The mechanic said since the sensors aren't working the ABS is essentially disconnected. I'll check the wires when I do the pads and rotors which are due for replacing soon. My only other question is that I had a code 61 pump motor test problem. Is that part of the ABS or the actual braking system?

It's part of the ABS; again, it's not involved in the service brakes and you can drive safely without it working.

Actually I think I'd go ahead and fix the sensors as required (not replacing parts at random, but testing and fixing the problems one wheel at a time where necessary), and then see if you still have a pump motor test problem after that. If the system can't get feedback from its wheel sensors to begin with, I'm not sure how much more self-testing it would bother doing, or how reliable its self-test results would be anyway.

My only problem with this discussion is "What if?"

I don't know about Canada, but the legal system here in The States would have a field day if you got into an accident and injured someone(other than yourself). I only bring this up because you are choosing not to fix something that was designed to prevent certain accidents. Sort of like not replacing the Air Bags after an accident because of the cost and not thinking of their benefits. So, IMO, I would get this fixed as soon as possible.

The ABS on my truck never worked right, it would kick on when it wasnt needed. No codes were thrown and it all tested OK. I then disconnected it as I felt it was a safety issue. I pulled all the harnesses going to the HPU and that totally disabled the unit, even the ABS light. The brakes were great after that. I recemond decomissioning the whole system, you dont want screwy operation if it starts interperating false information.

Ditto for me too. Mine would grab erratically when I was braking sometimes. I unplugged the front wheel sensors. I plan on fixing the ABS/Trac Control someday though. So if your ABS behaves erratically, I'd recommend either fixing it or disabling it, with the preferred being repair.