Decided to fit new front pads on my 2016 1.5cdi auto Cmax. found whilst trying to remove old pads on front off side, the piston was veryvery hard to depress. I found I had to release the bleed nipple to fully depress the piston. New pads were fitted , but then found after starting car and trying to move it the said wheel had locked on solid I also found the diagonal rear wheel in the same condition. After looking up this fault found a possible cause was the ABS module . Wondered if anyone else  had ,had this problem and if anyone knew how to rectify this ??

A couple of points that might be of note.

While doing the brakes did you take the filler cap off the brake reservoir before trying to push the pistons back in to the caliper ?

Using the software FORScan the ABS module can be put in to service mode to allow for the system to be worked on and for brake pressures to be equalised.

Thanks Unofix for your reply .Yes did remove the cap, but no software 

Any ideas how to move the car now two brakes are locked on ?

Crack the bleed nipple off again to relieve the pressure and try again. 

Yes Ian done that but problem is its an Auto and you need to press brake to start the car. This takes you back to square one because  it re-pressurises and locks back on . the only other thing I thought would be to leave brake nipple open and use handbrake. But brake fluid would be all over the place, but I might be able to get it onto a breakdown lorry . 

Any other ideas ?

It sounds to me as if you have an imbalance in the braking circuit  caused by the fluid being forced back when the you had to push the caliper piston in. Possibly one of the shuttle valves inside the ABS has become stuck over to one side.

I think the only way you will possible recover from this problem is to use FORScan and put the ABS in to maintenance / service mode and this  should allow the systems to re-equalise.

Download FORScan (it's free) on a laptop :   https://forscan.org/download.html

New 'vLinker FS' connecting cable : https://www.obd2shop.co.uk/wholesale/vgate-vlinker-fs-elm327-for-ford.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjIKYBhC6ARIsAGEds-JS8eA8-9Q7oovO7MpSduWKC6gPHpj1N4RO4k1ePc3bM97hIIFsN0caAp7TEALw_wcB

Thanks again Unofix, I'm not computer literate and think it might be out of my comfort zone. Contacted a garage will pick it up on the 5th September. Let you know how I go on.

Garage tested module and found it to be faulty. sending it to a specialist to be refurbished, so have to wait now until its returned and fitted back. Garage did say it was the first time they had heard of this fault on a C max. They had experienced it on other models though. 😒

Might be related to this: https://www.ecutesting.com/common-faults/ford/brakes-locking-fiesta-b-max-and-transit/

I have 2013 fiesta and I experience something similar, front right and rear left brakes do not release properly. It got a little bit better after I deactivated hill assist, but the dealership told me the ABS module is faulty, but the diagnostics did not show any fault code. Did you got a fault code or did they told you what exactly is the problem with the ABS module?

 

No, fault code given , but myself and garage thought it was the module. But after garage took it in they informed me it was the module .How did you go on with yours as would seem very similar to mine ?

Hi Milan, Just taken a look at the info you included and yes it would seem to be a fault on most Fords. C max not included on their list but it could be put in now.

I am considering my options. In my country, Ford dealer told me the price of the new module is 1344 EUR, so that is a no-go for a 9 year old Fiesta. They recommended getting a used one from scrapyard and swapping it. There are also some independent repair companies, quoting from cca 250EUR to 400EUR.

I am thinking of trying to pull out the ABS fuse to see if that helps so I could at least drive the car without damaging the brakes until I sort it out.

 

I recall removing abs fuse from a friends 2009 focus when trying to sort out a fault.  Ford had fitted something over the fuse to make it difficult. When I did get the fuse out I found the speedometer did not work as it used the abs sensors to determine the speed.  So you might end up with no speed reading.  A problem where I live.  Might not be a problem where you live (all I know is you are not in uk)

On 8/20/2022 at 9:26 PM, unofix said:

It sounds to me as if you have an imbalance in the braking circuit  caused by the fluid being forced back when the you had to push the caliper piston in. Possibly one of the shuttle valves inside the ABS has become stuck over to one side.

I think the only way you will possible recover from this problem is to use FORScan and put the ABS in to maintenance / service mode and this  should allow the systems to re-equalise.

Download FORScan (it's free) on a laptop :   https://forscan.org/download.html

New 'vLinker FS' connecting cable : https://www.obd2shop.co.uk/wholesale/vgate-vlinker-fs-elm327-for-ford.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjIKYBhC6ARIsAGEds-JS8eA8-9Q7oovO7MpSduWKC6gPHpj1N4RO4k1ePc3bM97hIIFsN0caAp7TEALw_wcB

Does this re-equalisation happen automatically after putting it into service mode, or is there anything else needed?

6 hours ago, Icewolf said:

Does this re-equalisation happen automatically after putting it into service mode, or is there anything else needed?

Service mode opens all the valves in the ABS usually to allow for the system to be bled. Provided there is no actual damage to any of the internal valves, for example one being stuck hard over to one position, then service mode will allow free movement of fluid through the ports.

On 9/12/2022 at 8:40 AM, Hostahousey said:

Hi Milan, Just taken a look at the info you included and yes it would seem to be a fault on most Fords. C max not included on their list but it could be put in now.

Have you got your ABS module back? If yes, do you know what was wrong with it exactly?

On 9/12/2022 at 5:37 PM, unofix said:

Service mode opens all the valves in the ABS usually to allow for the system to be bled. Provided there is no actual damage to any of the internal valves, for example one being stuck hard over to one position, then service mode will allow free movement of fluid through the ports.

So as a total forscan beginner, I tried it. Connected to the car, ABS showed no faults, so I ran the ABS test with OK result. So I clicked on service procedures and started ABS bleed. When it asked for a reason to do the ABS bleed I cancelled it.

However, it did not help, it may even worsened it, it's hard to say. I went for a short drive around the parking lot and tried hard braking to full stop. The right front seized and refused to release. I barely got back to my parking space with it.

I wonder what would happen if I pull out the ABS fuse. I know I will lose ABS, ESP and probably speedometer.

1 hour ago, Icewolf said:

So I clicked on service procedures and started ABS bleed. When it asked for a reason to do the ABS bleed I cancelled it.

However, it did not help, it may even worsened it, it's hard to say.

So you haven't actually ran the service procedure since you cancelled it.

It can't have made any difference in any way to the ABS since all you have done is 'Look at it'. No changes have been made and the service mode operation never got started.

perhaps it's time for you to get a garage to take a look at the car ?

2 hours ago, unofix said:

So you haven't actually ran the service procedure since you cancelled it.

It can't have made any difference in any way to the ABS since all you have done is 'Look at it'. No changes have been made and the service mode operation never got started.

perhaps it's time for you to get a garage to take a look at the car ?

Ok, so the question is, is it possible to enter the service mode, which, according to you, should open all the valves, without actually doing the ABS bleed?

As I mentioned either here on in Fiesta forums, I had it in the garage (Ford) and the result is to replace ABS module. I am searching for a used one nearby and meanwhile I wanted to try your suggestion to see if it helps or not.

Hello Milan, as I see the situation the car is unusable because of the problems with the ABS unit. Ford are saying the only option is to replace the ABS unit with a new one which I guess will be very expensive.

I've never needed to use FORScan to put the ABS in to service mode to bleed the brakes and so I can not comment on exactly how it operates. What I will say is that it would seem that you have absolutely nothing to loose by using FORScan and carrying out the procedure in full. It may enable the system to recover and the ABS unit to begin operating correctly. In the very worse case it may not work and the ABS unit might be even more non-functional, although I can't see how it could be more broke than it is now.

At the moment you can't use the car because the brakes don't work. If you try using FORScan to fix the ABS problem it might work.

As far as replacing the ABS unit that is not working with a used one, I'm not sure if that is possible without the replacement being programmed for your car.

If this was my car and I found myself in this situation I'd give it a try, but at the end of the day it's your choice and maybe someone else can suggest a better idea.

The unit was removed and sent to the repairers. When it arrived back and fitted by the garage it threw up lots of faults. The garage removed the module to send back , still waiting for its return.

I was given the option of a new module from Ford, but that would cost over a £1000 with vat + fitting. So for now I am sticking and waiting for the repaired module .

Wow... this is a nightmare...

Maybe I say a madness... maybe some wheel rotation sensor are damaged and tells to the car that one wheel are spinning, and it reacts blocking another one? In this case, I think the four brakes must be free without handbrake up + neutral gear + contact off... are you tried to move the car pushing it in this way?

Hopefully, faulty sensor would cause DTC to show up. To me it seems that valves in ABS modules in these cars are prone to damage and then they do not operate correctly. But it is hard to say without disassembling that module. I guess those repair companies will not tell  anyone what they did exactly. 

On 10/5/2022 at 12:44 PM, Icewolf said:

Hopefully, faulty sensor would cause DTC to show up. To me it seems that valves in ABS modules in these cars are prone to damage and then they do not operate correctly. But it is hard to say without disassembling that module. I guess those repair companies will not tell  anyone what they did exactly. 

I am sure you are right. Otherwise, a breakdown on the road would lead to crashes...