Mk1 ABS Issue - MOT tomo - Please help!

[hazbaz1984]

MK1 2004 Focus 1.6 zetec. 

 

There’s a problem with my ABS. 

 

The lights been on for at least 18 mo. And for at least 6-12 mo. the handbrake light also been on permanently.

 

Previously, I’ve been able to read and clear the DTCs using forscan. This has cleared the lights, but I’ve not done or tried this for a while. The RL wheel sensor has been on the fritz for ages. So I just assumed that was still the problem. 

 

MOT tomo. Just tried to use forscan to clear the codes and it can’t read the ABS module, at all. It just says ‘error’.

 

Tried pulling both fuses in engine fuse board to reset module - zip. Just pulled battery terminal off - left it off - tried again - zip. Still got lights on dash. 

 

There’s no problem with the brakes. Fluid level is normal. Breaks are responding as they should. Not stiff or loose. Perfect as always. And no skids or issues with hard braking either. So it seems to be an issue with the abs module electronics if anything. Or a sensor input sending it round the bend.

 

Any one got any ideas of how to at least make the lights go away for the MOT? As the car is def. heading for a failure just based on its warning lights alone. 

 

The car may just end up being an economic write off if that’s the case.

[isetta]

You could try taking the connector off the ABS and putting back on and see if it is just a dodgy connector, but it is not all that likely. The plug probably has something like 30 pins in it, just one bad connecting pin could cause the problem.

As the car is pre-2010 the MOT rules do allow for ABS to be removed. But you have to remove it all. So that would mean you will need to take the hydraulic pipes off the ABS unit and connect them to eachother (with suitable connectors) to bypass where the ABS unit was. And bleed the whole system after that, and in doing that a bleed screw might snap or some other disaster. So going non-ABS is an option but not an easy one.