Thread: Service ABS System/Service Traction System lights?

Hey guys I recently had these lights both come together the other day and am stumped on what it could be. I checked the speed sensor connections for corrosion on both front wheels, and all looked well. I also did a wheel bearing test with the front end jacked up, driver side was tight and passenger had maybe a 1/8" of play. My question I guess would be does O'Riley or Autozone have a scanner that can pinpoint what/where it can be coming from? Or anyone else have a similar problem that can shed some light on what else to check?
Appreciate any and all input guys and gals!

What year of GP are you driving? A lot of times on the 97-01's (maybe 02's as well, can't remember for sure) the harness that goes from the hub to the main harness is 2 pieces, and the wiring gets "dry wire" and causes an ABS issue. Had it happen on my 00 GP GT. I had to cut back almost 3 inches before I found clean copper. I just replaced the harness at that point but you get the idea.

It's a 06 GT FordMan77, heard of that happening on or around that year?

Not sure on the newer years to be honest. I know at some point they made the harness from the hub to the main loom all one piece, with just 1 connector at the hub. I would think it could still be possible at the plug end if it gets corroded.

When I was trying to track mine down I used my multimeter to probe each wheel bearing. Jacked the car up, put the probes into the connector at the hub and spun the tire by hand. If I saw voltage then I knew the signal at the hub was good. Can't remember what setting I used to see the voltage change tho, it's been a while.

Well after hunting around on the forums and doing some research I'm leaning towards a bad EBCM. I have noticed the power steering harder to turn while driving under 30mph. Have a buddy that has a Snap On scanner that does ABS as well going to check it out for me this weekend. Am I able to drive the car while it is pulled? Not sure how long the turnover will be with sending it out to be rebuilt/ Thanks as always.

It's almost never a bad EBCM, 95% of the time it's a bad hub bearing. First off, there are sensors at all 4 wheels, not just the front. The ABS and traction control both use wheel speed data, so when a sensor goes bad, it turns both lights on. The sensors are inside the hubs, so if the sensor is bad, the fix is to change the hub.

If you get it scanned you should pull a code that will tell you which bearing is bad. As FordMan said it can be a wiring issue, I just fixed what he describes on my 98.

Power steering is variable assist, also known as Magna Steer. It increases boost at slower speeds to give you more assist when parking, etc, and reduces boost at highway speeds to give you more control. Without data from the wheel speed sensors, it shuts off, just like ABS and Traction control, so that you don't get overboosted steering on the highway, which can make the car difficult to control. So the default is the lowest level of boost, which is why the car feels stiffer than usual at slow speeds and when parking.

A common problem is the front wheel wiring. If you follow the harness where the wheel speed sensor plugs in, you will see it goes for a few feet up into the engine bay and there is another connector where it joins a larger harness. This is on both front sides. That section of wire goes bad, I had to replace the left side on the 98.

When your buddy does the scan, you will likely see a code for one of the wheel sensors not reading in range. So then it's either the bearing/sensor itself or the wiring going to that corner.

Okay I can also test these connections with a volt/ohm meter to help pinpoint as well? Would that save me from having to get it scanned, or should I still plan on doing it? Thanks for the responses guys!