As the summer is approaching i'd get the cossie out to play . But i seem to have a weird brake issue. I've not taken the cossie out since early on in the year. Due to bad weather conditions. When i push the break pedal its really tough, when you drive the car you have to push it quite heavy to stop. Its not got the same bite as normal. I have new recon rear calipers on the back from burtons, and have hi-spec monster front break's, i overhalled the hi-specs in the summer last year, with new pads and recond my rear's about the same time with new pads.

What i'd like to ask, Can air get into the breaking system, im goona try bleeding them tomorrow. Also how can i check my break servo is working. Could that be a problem.

When i release my handbreak the light on the dash stays on. Along with the ABS light staying on.

Ive been told it could be a relay, does anyone know where thats situated?

Also I do not have any diagrams or descriptions of where the fuses and relays are in the Cossie, is there any where I can get them for future reference? I have the cossie manual but that don’t say anything.

Many thanks in advance

Andy

 

The abs relay for the pump is by the glove box. When you put the ignition on do you hear the system pump up? You should also be able to hear the relay click on and off.

 

im not too sure if i hear a clicking noise, but ive not really listened out for it, so ill check that out. Also do you mean where the ECU sits? What colour is the relay im looking for?

Many thanks for your advise Mike Kerbey

 

As said when the ignition is switched on to aux position the pump should run after car has been stood still for while, you should also be able to hear it when driving around periodically as it pressuires the system. This I gurantee will not be happening and it's usually down to the pressure switch or if not the relay. If you pump the brake pedal with ignition on to deplete pressure the pump should run as well.

Martin

 

Just a quick update, ive just gone out to the cossie and i seem to hear a clicking noise turn on then go off. But im not sure if thats the relay i should be hearing, not sure if its another relay. When i seem to start the car i dont hear anything, but to be honest even when the brakes were working ok i never seemed to hear anything.

 

you shouild definatley hear it priming andy

 

Ill double check, it probably has been priming but ive never paid too much attention, The Exhaust is loud that probably drowns the priming noise out

But if it dont prime does that mean i need a new brake cylinder or is it a master cylinder?

Many thanks all for you advise and help

 

could be just a relay problem andy ,or the abs ecu

 

Only pain is i need to get another ABS ECU and a Relay, to see if they sort the issue. Or is there a way i can check them?

 

you could open up the relay andy ,it should be visible if its not working,it might be stuck or burnt out

 

Is it a 2wd? Look under the glovebox and you should see a big green 30A fuse, check that thats not blown

 

It is a Saff 2WD BigErn. I will try looking under the glove and see if i can find the fuse. Thank you

 

The original owners manual tells you where the relays and fuses are.

The two you're looking for aren't directly behind the glovebox, but removing it will make it easier for you to get to them.

The pump motor should buzz when the key's turned to position "I" - so you don't need to start the engine. If it doesn't buzz, you need to be checking the relay/fuse for the pump motor.

The rest of the system's turned on at position "II", so this is where the lights come on and the ABS ECU does its diagnostics.

Two of the relays for the ABS system have fuses attached to them, so they're easy to spot. The purple relay for the pump has a 30A fuse, and the green one for the rest of the system has a 20A fuse. There's also a third inhibitor relay in the fusebox but this is not likely to be your problem.

Most likely it's the 30A fuse for the pump that's popped. Mine did, and burned a hole through the fuse holder, so I ended up fitting a new one. Works like a charm now. Both the purple and green relay are about a tenner from Ford. Might be a bit pricey for some, but at least you're guaranteed the right one!

 

I would like to thank everyone so much for your help and advice It has been so helpful and sorted out the issue, it was down to the 30 Amp Fuse on the Purple relay, it seemed to have got hot and melted a bit and caused the Silver contacts to perish. Swapped it over for a nice new 30 Amp fuse and all is ok, Breaks works as normal.

Thank you cozmeister as you said taking the dash out is easier trying to get to the fuses and relays.

This has saved me so much grief because i was looking at the wrong areas. Thank you all again

I topped up my brake fluid as i took some out and the Handbrake light goes out now when i put the handbrake down. The Abs light goes out when i start the car but when i drive off it lights back up. But this is how it’s been since last summer. I’ve tried cleaning the sensors to no avail.

Just out of Curiosity what are the other fuses for?

The Green relay with a 20 Amp fuse
The Yellow relay with a 20 Amp fuse
The Yellow relay with a 15 Amp fuse

and the purple with a 30 Amp fuse is for the breaking system

Thank you all again

 

glad you got it sorted andy

 

No problem

The 20A fuse and green relay is the power for the rest of the ABS system.

The 20A fuse and yellow relay is for the fuel pump, which also powers the idle speed control valve and amal valve on 2wd Cossies, but only drives the fuel pump and amal valve on 4x4s.

The other yellow one's escaped me - might be the ECU, but I think they're black. My current ECU relay's red because it popped and that's all I had spare. I'll have a poke around behind my glovebox later.

My favourite method of finding out what they're for is unplugging them to see what stops working.

If the yellow light goes out initially, but them comes back on as soon as you get over 15kph, you have a dodgy sensor or toning ring. The sensors make a small AC voltage (about 2V) when the wheels turn as the teeth of the toning ring passes in front of the sensors.

The ABS ECU can't detect a running wheel sensor fault while you're stationary, all it can detect is whether all the sensors are connected, which is why the yellow light goes out. You can test for this too if you have a multimeter and a spare body to help.

 

Glad you got it sorted fella, knew it would be that fuse. Had it a couple of times on Sapphs for no apparent reason after they stood a while.

 

Thank you once again cozmeister, james kiely and BigErn It seriously saved me loads of pointless messing around

Thanks cozmeister ill keep a note of the Fuse and Relays so i know at least what they are for

Going to the ABS issue, does that mean i need to change the ABS Sensors, ive had a look around trying to get a new set of ABS sensors, i cant seem to find them anywhere, Does anyone know where i can get them? Ive also had a read around and found out there is a ring that sits in the hub that is for the ABS, is that the thing that might have also gone, and if so is it hard to get a new pair and how easy are they to change?

Many thanks again

Andy

 

No, you don't need to change all of them. Only the broken one(s).

Front ones sometimes develop a break in the cable because they flex with steering.

Sometimes it's down to the gap between the wheel sensor and the toning ring - in the same way the gap for the crank position sensor is critical to the engine running - if the sensor's not close enough to the ring, the AC voltage will drop off early relative to the other three when the wheel slows down, causing the anti-lock to kick in.

Be aware that all Sierras with ABS had the same system, so wheel sensors from any ABS Sierra are guaranteed to work - don't get ripped off by the ebay pirates selling "genuine Cosworth" wheel sensors, as there's no such thing! The Mk3 Granada had the same system, and the Escort Cosworth did too, so don't get conned into paying Cosworth tax for a pair of overpriced or shoddy sensors.

 

i think i have a similar issue to this on my car...i have had the glove box out looking for a fuse box or fuses a few times an never found anything???

are the relays behind the cover where the ecu is or actually under the dash somewhere in the passenger side footwell?

 

they are next to the heater assembly so you need to remove the carpet ont he passenger side under dash and have a poke about

sometimes they are still in their settings but most will have been taken out of the strip at some point and not been put back