I decided to flush the brake fluid as it's pretty ancient so I plugged a one-man kit into it and purged the whole system, however when I've re-filled and re-bled everything the pedals not great, it'll stop the car but it's softer than it was. in hindsight I probably should have just drained the reservoir with a syringe and refilled it but I didn't think I'd be able to tell when the new fluid came through. Everything coming out of the calipers is clear so I was wondering if I needed to bleed the master cylinder and if so can it be done on the car? (Never had to do it before)

Sounds like air has got into the ABS pump.

If so, a valve needs to be opened inside the pump to clear the air.

 

Cheers, can I bleed ABS with the free version of FORscan? I'll need a £70 adapter to use it so if I need to pay for software it might be cheaper to take to a garage.

You should be fine with a £20 adapter for a Mk1 Focus.  It's only the later ones that require the expensive cables.

ELM327(modified) £18.49 : https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx

OR

vLinker FS £29.26 : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-vLinker-Adapter-FORScan-MS-CAN/dp/B0952P4MLP

Excellent, thanks very much!

Just trying this out today but I can't find the ABS service bleed option in the service list.

The service list and the main information screen are below, the system is pulling the correct VIN number up (although the spec options are 1999 and 2002 and my car was registered at the end of 2003)

One of the warnings is low battery voltage so I've put the car on charge, (batteries only a few years old) would that wipe the service bleed out as an option?

Am I doing anything wrong? the youtube video showed a lot more info on the main screen but then this is a 25 year old design so I'm sure there's less data to harvest.

 

45 minutes ago, Loofer said:

Just trying this out today but I can't find the ABS service bleed option in the service list.

Not all Service Functions are available in FORScan for all versions of cars, especially older ones.

So what would my options be to try and bleed the ABS if that's the case?

OK, think I got this sorted, for anyone stuck in a similar bind I put the car up on stands, all wheels off the ground, took the wheels off and put a one man bleed kit on the reservoir at about 10psi. I went to the back right, opened the nipple then turned on the engine, put it in gear to get the wheels moving then jump on the brake (and clutch) to activate the ABS, because the system is open at the wheel and pressurised at the reservoir it seems to drive the air out of the ABS module. Then I jammed the pedal down, tightened the nipple and released the pedal, then just repeat until air stops coming out. I did a couple of ABS activations on each wheel just to be sure but the first wheel took most of the work. Bit of a faff on your own but it's definitely cured the problem.

37 minutes ago, Loofer said:

Bit of a faff on your own but it's definitely cured the problem.

Still, a good result 👍