I’m hoping someone can help please. ABS light came on Friday past, had it at the mechanic on Saturday for a speed sensor to be replaced and the light stayed on and now I’ve had the front wheel bearings replaced and still no movement with the light. It’s cost me £400 up to this point and the garage doesn’t know what it could be, I don’t have an endless stream of money to keep throwing at the problem and have my MOT at the end of the month so I’m hoping that someone on here might have experienced the same problem and maybe steer me in the right direction? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. 

There are only two ways to diagnosis this correctly.

1. Take the car to a Ford main dealer, hand over a large amount of cash and they will tell you what the problem is.
2.  Use the software 'FORScan' on a windows laptop, and connect with a vLinker FS cable and read the Ford specific diagnostic trouble codes, which will tell you what the fault is.

On 4/7/2024 at 8:59 PM, unofix said:

FORScan (for use with Windows Laptop) : https://forscan.org/download.html

It's what many Ford owners use including some Ford technicians.

• vLinker FS, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-vLinker-Adapter-FORScan-MS-CAN/dp/B0952P4MLP

OR

• OBDLINK EX, cable for laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/OBDLINK-EX-FORScan-OBD-Adapter/dp/B081VQVD3F/ref=sr_1_5

 

• vLinker FD, for android phone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H82WC8L
• vLinker FD+, for iPhone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vgate-Bluetooth-vLinker-Scanner-Diagnostic/dp/B08H8JHWP2

 

Search Tag:   FORScan123

 

I'd add to @unofix comment, main dealer MAY be able to tell you!

Forscan should tell you which channel (wheel) or other issue is causing the fault.

Once that is done it's sensor (or bearing if it has the magnetic track in it) or wiring or ABS unit (?)

Important to check sensor output with scope or other means.

If resolved to ABS unit, they can be repaired with lifetime guarantee.

There are multiple You Tube channels with ABS diagnosis procedures and my Prime ones are:

Diagnose Dan

Millican Auto Diagnostics

Intelligent Auto

Each have ABS examples that they have tackled and show how it should be investigated - testing not guessing and certainly not changing wheel bearings with no justification - appalling waste of your money!

11 hours ago, unofix said:

There are only two ways to diagnosis this correctly.

1. Take the car to a Ford main dealer, hand over a large amount of cash and they will tell you what the problem is.
2.  Use the software 'FORScan' on a windows laptop, and connect with a vLinker FS cable and read the Ford specific diagnostic trouble codes, which will tell you what the fault is.

Thank you for help! I’m not a fan of option 1 but will definitely look into the items you have linked and hope for the best. 

11 hours ago, Shearers said:

I'd add to @unofix comment, main dealer MAY be able to tell you!

Forscan should tell you which channel (wheel) or other issue is causing the fault.

Once that is done it's sensor (or bearing if it has the magnetic track in it) or wiring or ABS unit (?)

Important to check sensor output with scope or other means.

If resolved to ABS unit, they can be repaired with lifetime guarantee.

There are multiple You Tube channels with ABS diagnosis procedures and my Prime ones are:

Diagnose Dan

Millican Auto Diagnostics

Intelligent Auto

Each have ABS examples that they have tackled and show how it should be investigated - testing not guessing and certainly not changing wheel bearings with no justification - appalling waste of your money!

Thank you! I’m going to make a few phone calls today and see if I can get some sort of resolution really appreciate the time yourself and @unofix have taken to reply. Hope yous have a great day. 

Hopefully with the options above and anything else you have looked at you will be able to discuss things on a more level basis, interrogate them a little and pick the solution that is best for you!

Come back if necessary.

Ok. So I’ve been on the phone again with my garage and had a chat about the wiring harness, sensors etc and they say that all is well and that they think it could be one of the new wheel bearings that has been replaced is faulty, I don’t know how likely that is but I’m now waiting to hear when I can pop the car back in to them to see if they can remedy the situation. 

The wheel bearing may have the ABS magnetic ring internally  BUT they should be able to see that with a scope on the sensor looking for a regular signal or, at the very least narrow it to the specific wheel and IMHO you shouldn't have to pay if they want to replace new parts they have fitted at your cost?

After leaving the car back to the garage on Friday just past I got it back yesterday(Saturday) with the problem now resolved, it seems it was the abs wiring loom that goes from near the battery to the wheel sensor, so this has been replaced and as of now I have no abs light on the dash. I have my MOT this Saturday coming and fingers crossed she passes. Thank you to those who gave me their time to reply on my topic, I really appreciate it and hope yous have a great day! Thanks again. 

Glad to hear it looks like it is fixed BUT was it necessary to replace the wheel bearings as the fault was eventually located in the wiring harness which they said at one stage had all been tested?
Always a worry, if they had to pay for any parts fitted that didn't fix the problem, it may result in better diagnosis but I'm being unrealistic here and I wasn't there to observe, test and challenge!

I believe the wheel bearing was needing done, but at the same time I’m no mechanic, but i did have the pair of them done.  the car did feel a bit funny through the steering wheel on sweeping corners as if there was some lateral movement prior to having them fixed and I haven’t felt it happening since I got the car back so I can only assume they needed done. There is 110k miles so they would’ve needed done at some point