Hi all and happy new year. First a little history I have a 93 Ford Explorer 2 wheel drive lot of miles over 2K car runs great. I have the usual maintenance problems but with over 200,000 miles it's been good to me. But back to the brakes I did both front pads about a year ago no problem went fine. This time I did the wheel bearings they were starting to growl. Everything went OK I put the caliper aside (wired it up out of the way), did not disconnect the brake line, and pulled the rotor. Fought to get the races out and the inner oil seal was a bugger. This is were I think my problem may lay I bent just slightly the slotted disk sensor thing on the inside of the rotor. I straighten it out pretty well maybe not precisely. Also for some reason I had a sanding tool in my hands and clean a small area in-between the slots from the pervious black to a shiny bear metal. Put it all back together (this is the passenger side). Now when I brake as I press the pedal it starts out normal then the ABS seems to kick in and the pedal gets a pumping action and you can hear the pop and whine and it will pull slightly to the left. I'm assuming this is the right brake releasing. I see the sensor looks like a magnet like thing fixed on the back plate. I wonder if my problem is a very slight bend in that slotted disk thing on the rotor or maybe the clean metal is screwing with the sensor or something else I'm not thinking about. The caliper was removed but I did this before with no problem maybe the wire going to the sensor. I was careful not to stress or stretch it. Any help, what about discounting the ABS altogether? What do you think about this and how to go about doing it. Thanks for your help Bruce

This is why backyard mechanics should not work on ABS equipped cars. You probably have to replace some very expensive and delicate parts because you screwed them up. You have to be extremely careful when working with these delicate parts, you can not use brute force and MUST use the correct tools and jigs. Oh and your spelling sucks. >

Bruce, Don't mind Craig, that's his usual manner.  It's a given: you get insults and some good advice.   T

Hey Craig THANKS. Yes I am a backyard mechanic I used to like it when I was younger and was pretty good. BUT now I do it because of finical reasons. I am on a once a month fixed income. I just try to keep the vehicle going. I did many bearings before and yes I have to fabricate some tools from time to time. I don't have the $$$ to go to Ford. Any way I know I probably screwed up the rotor and will probably have to replace it. That little dent I put in the (I believe it to be called an) "exciter ring" or perhaps sanding the shiny spot on it is my problem. Which I was hoping that some one else encountered something similar to this. I will take the rotor off one time to try and correct it. I know I should just get another rotor but I believe I can straighten that ring out. To me it's worth a try. I know I am no mechanic and would not give any advice. Just only share my own experiences. I have a lot of time and little money. Thanks Bruce

You are like a lot of us, more time than money. As vehicles have become more sophisticated there are things that simply can't be done at home anymore unless you have the know how and the tools. I do a lot of my own work too to keep costs down, but I also know when I have to take it in and fork out the money. Good luck >

And that is very very true, especially if you dive into it without having studied a shop manual beforehand to see what you are getting into.

Congrats on getting over 200k, Bruce. I have a '96 4wd, so settup is different. I think what is happening is that the ABS computer thinks that the wheel you worked on is turning faster than the one on the other side, so to maintain braking balance, it reduces braking on the other wheel. You should not have cleaned up sensor ring on one side only. In fact, I would not use anything stronger than a cloth wet with motor oil to clean it. The oil helps to remove some crud, and helps slow corrosion. The sensor ring should be true, and at the proper distance from the sensor. You could try using a depth gauge or a dial indicator to carefully work the sensor ring back into position. Now, when both sensors rings were dirty, the signal quality was equal. You cleaned and removed material from one. On a high mileage, 14 year old vehicle, this might unbalance the readings. It may be necessary to gently remove loose rust and crud from the others. The reason I say others is because I have fooled with mine a bit, and the computer seems to be able to sense when the front and rear wheels as a pair are turning at a different speed, and it attempts to correct that. Cleaning just the front may make the computer think there is a front/rear imbalance. A friend had a similar problem with a high mileage 97 Crown Victoria. I put brakeclean on a cloth and carefully cleaned the heads of all 4 sensors, figuring that one may have gotten crudded up, and could not properly sense the ring. The car has gone many miles without a recurrance, so you might do that too. Just replacing pads is looking for trouble. In my opinion, you should clean and lubricate the ways, replace the accordian boots, bolts, etc. kits are cheap. System should be flushed when pads are changed, and I always clean the sensor heads. Brake fluid should be clear. The darker it gets, the more contaminated it is. Do not consider disconnecting the ABS. It is a critical safety component, far more important than you realize.

Good advice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >