Forum Discussion

Keily's avatar
Keily
Explorer
May 10, 2014

Stuck in Jacksonville Florida

What does a person do? We are in Jacksonville Florida, on our way back to Canada. The ABS light came on when we left Lakeland and the vehicle was shifting kind of funny. It was not that noticeable when we got on the inner state and was driving at speed, but when we got off the highway and on our way to a campground it was bad, stalled a couple of times, hard to restart.

Made it to our campground, the next day went to the local Ford dealer, its on a Ford f53 chassis , after some testing the dealership informed me the ABS module was defective, and its a discontinued part. They have searched all the USA as well as Canada and there are none available anywhere.

So my question is this, what does a person do now? The tech said a rebuild might be possible, but that takes a week to do, it has to be sent away. When this happens to other F53 owners do you just throw them away. There has got to be another solution

Right now I am stuck with no answers, I know there must still be a lot of these chassis out there and I am sure some one has had this problem, I need help bad.

We are in a 1999 Winnebago 34 foot Chieftain, it makes a nice home, but not fun to drive right now.

By the way, another one of the recommended solutions was to drive it back to Canada as is, and try to find someone there who can rebuild the module, the way the MH is driving , I don't think my heart could stand a 2000 mile white knuckle trip like that.

Thank for any suggestions you may have
Class A
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    May 10, 2014
    While I do not know anything about your ABS system the part about "one of the recommended solutions was to drive it back to Canada as is" got my attention. How does it run with the ABS module unplugged as for decades we drove vehicles which did not have ABS?
  • neschultz's avatar
    neschultz
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    There appears to be at least one f53 abs module for sale on eBay. Good luck.
  • sch911's avatar
    sch911
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    ABS should have no affect on driveability. Shouldn't cause engine to stall, or trans to shift funny. Make sure all of those things are ok and just drive it.
  • azrving's avatar
    azrving
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    x2 with sch911, that it wouldn't seem to cause an engine/driveability issue. I have not owned that chassis but are they positive on that being the issue? Will they guarantee that all problems will be solved after replacement? Its very common to have wheel speed sensor issues before you have controller issues. This is internet diagnosis but just thought I would mention it. Seems like two different issues but I would try to drive it home and be sure of whats going on.
  • rgatijnet1's avatar
    rgatijnet1
    Explorer III
    May 10, 2014
    Usually, when the ABS module fails, the vehicle will still stop altho you will not have the ABS function. In other words, in everything but a panic stop on a wet road, your brakes will feel fine.
    I am not sure why the ABS module affects the way your engine runs or the transmission shifts. Perhaps you have a vacuum line that has come loose/failed and that is causing an entirely separate problem from the ABS warning light.
    I am not saying that the Ford tech is wrong but I have seen too many instances where they prefer to just throw parts at a problem until something eventually fixes the problem. Naturally all of this is at your expense. A bad ABS wheel speed sensor($15 part) will also give you an ABS warning light and is an easy fix. The same goes for a failed master cylinder, which is a $100 part.
    If you have CoachNet ERS I would call and ask to speak to a tech to try to get another opinion. The other option is to try another garage.
  • AYRTIME's avatar
    AYRTIME
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    Check with the mechanic, but I suggest you pull the fuse for the ABS and drive home. As a professional motor coach driver, I have encountered the ABS light many times on 45ft Motor coaches while "on tour". My 2003 GMW 2500 HD diesel also had the ABS light issue last fall and I pulled the fuse until repair was available.
    As has been said, we drove for years without ABS.
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad
    May 10, 2014
    Weirdness with a bad ABS module seems to be "the thing." I'm in a similar situation with my Jeep. ABS and brake lights came on, and wiggling around underneath, I determined that the wiring harness and connecter plug had a broken wire, so replaced, but that didn't cure the problem. Took it to the dealer, and they said bad ABS module, same deal "discontinued item." They found one at a junkyard. Guess what? That didn't fix it either. Now they are baffled.

    My Jeep drives just fine, but there is another symptom: the odometer no longer turns over. Speedo works fine, cruise control too. Just no change in odo, which sucks for someone trying to keep up with oil changes and the like.

    I do hope that your problem gets fixed soon, and you can be on your way. There is no excuse for there being no parts available for a safety-related problem like this.
  • racer99's avatar
    racer99
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    Keily ,why not drive it to nearest camping world ,they work on MH all the time and may be able to help you,Ford dealers may be good on cars but MH are a different animal with a FORD insignia-Just a thought,Rich
  • Argosy24's avatar
    Argosy24
    Explorer
    May 10, 2014
    Without ABS what you lose is the electronic control portion of the brakes, the rest of the system will work and you will stop.

    I agree with sch911, ABS isn't going to affect driveability. Did they check for any engine codes, fuel pressure, when was the last time it was tuned?

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