abs?

[denby]

now i have never owned a car with ABS untill this one (mk3 mondeo)

sometimes when i brake the brake pedal seems to go very soft and move up and down slightly on its own...its a weird feeling


is this just the abs kicking in or is there something wrong

on a side note there was a slight grinding noise as well


thanks guys

 

[godinman]

That'll be the ABS, yep.

 

[denby]

it seems to come on very easily sometimes i dont even brake that hard

oh well least i know what it is now and that its not going to kill me

 

[Firestar_3x]

Check the tyre pressures, what brand of tyres you running?

 

[ajstan]

Are you sure your not driving on snow/ice

 

[bledd]

Mine was kicking in on the slushy ground this morning

 

[energy]

The ABS can kick in unexpectedly while braking reasonably hard and going over a wet manhole cover or pot hole - I had a mk3 Mondeo and its ABS was far from perfect, it takes getting used to.

 

[Biohazard]

Yes, lovely feeling isn't it!

Grinding will most likely be worn pads.

 

[shifty_uk]

ABS sliding down a hill of ice, always good fun.

 

[jumpy]

^^
a desperately helpless feeling, to know that your completely in the power of a few teeny shuttle valves... all the while that junction is not showing any signs of slowing down

 

[godinman]

Is it true that taking your foot off the brake and reapplying disables the ABS?

 

[NathanE]

Is it true that taking your foot off the brake and reapplying disables the ABS?

One of the most annoying things about ABS is that after it activates itself it won't automatically deactivate (nor increase your braking power) when/if the road surface improves again.

Which is not very good if you've gone over a slippery man hole cover which the ABS interpreted as a reason to shed off 90% of your braking power and you are no longer slowing down as quickly as you want!

In this case you have to release the brake pedal totally and then reapply. In an emergency situation though it would take balls to do that!

 

[Firestar_3x]

One of the most annoying things about ABS is that after it activates itself it won't automatically deactivate (nor increase your braking power) when/if the road surface improves again.

Which is not very good if you've gone over a slippery man hole cover which the ABS interpreted as a reason to shed off 90% of your braking power and you are no longer slowing down as quickly as you want!

What?

I'm really not sure thats correct at all, the whole point of ABS is it uses the individual wheel speed sensors to monitor the rotation of each individual tyre, under braking once that tyre exceeds its maximum traction level the system pulses the brakes till the wheel regains braking traction, the system is checking the wheel speed sensors constantly so it knows how much power to apply to the brakes, provided you keep constant pressure on the brake pedal the ABS system will do the rest.

If the system worked as you've stated above it would be pointless, furthermore it goes against all my experiences of ABS in countless cars.

 

[Dogbreath]

One of the most annoying things about ABS is that after it activates itself it won't automatically deactivate (nor increase your braking power) when/if the road surface improves again.

Mine does. Sometimes it feel like it takes too long to recover, but in practice I think it's because it's really not a nice feeling having your braking effort suddenly and significantly reduced if you aren't expecting it, and your brain is preparing for a slow motion moment!

 

[Firestar_3x]

My understanding is unless your car has EBD then the maximum force the ABS system can exert on the brakes is dependent on how far down you've pressed the brake pedal, that's why once the abs activates the best thing to do is keep your foot floored on the brake, never had an issue with this myself but many people have problems keeping the brake pedal pressed down.

 

[mast3r]

i concur. it is a very bizarre feeling when you experience it for the first time, as is the cherry poping.

 

[MikeHiow]

Switched ABS ***. ( Why is f t w a swear? )

 

[Firestar_3x]

99.98% pointless on a car exclusively used on the road.

 

[MrMatteh]

At a road leading to a roundabout near me there is a cattle-grid, which is pretty slippery at the best of times.

Under hard braking, the ABS only does its thing when im going over that grid. It sorts itself out as soon as I'm past it.

 

[DogsBody]

might be a knacked abs sensor.
My clio is doing this at low speeds currently (slowly getting worse) had my mechanic look at it and the ABS sensor ring (which is inseperable from trhe driver shaft) is cracked, needs a new drive shaft.