chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hey guys, I have been having an annoying problem with my contour the last few months, but today it tried to kill me. If i am driving and hit my brakes hard,my head and dash lights will dim until i let off the brakes. If i brake normally i do not have this problem, and everything is fine. Today i was going a little too fast down the driveway and hit some icy road. I hit the brakes hard. But this time i left my foot on the pedal longer and the car actually died and almost went off the road. I checked my battery terminals, and they are tight. I am thinking i have a bad ground or something, but am not sure. Is this a common problem with these cars??? Anyone know what the problem is??? Chillin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVTDEMON Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Hey guys, I have been having an annoying problem with my contour the last few months, but today it tried to kill me. If i am driving and hit my brakes hard,my head and dash lights will dim until i let off the brakes. If i brake normally i do not have this problem, and everything is fine. Today i was going a little too fast down the driveway and hit some icy road. I hit the brakes hard. But this time i left my foot on the pedal longer and the car actually died and almost went off the road. I checked my battery terminals, and they are tight. I am thinking i have a bad ground or something, but am not sure. Is this a common problem with these cars??? Anyone know what the problem is??? Chillin... Manual or Auto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullseye670 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Damn Gremlins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emdagosta Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) my 98 auto contour does this as well almost as if there is a slight loss of power caused by the slamming of the brakes I do know i have done this due to someone in front of me almost loosing there car on a patch of black ise a few months ago .. I had the same thing happen then it seems the timing jumped and found the tnesioner and belts needed to be replaced again in only 3 months of having that done i dont think the garage i took it to did it right cause they insisted that the timing was TDC and i took it to ford dealer and they told me the timing ws off a bit and reset it ran fine after they had it for a couple of hours.. now wait til you see what brings me back here today!! i would be interested in what you find out cause I would like to know if it is a quirk with the car or something that can be resolved... Edited March 9, 2009 by emdagosta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeSVT Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Do you have ABS? -Dom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Do you have ABS? -Dom It is a 98 v6 with the automatic. Yes it does have abs. The battery is new. The alternator is charging fine. If my drive belt needed to be tightened, could this be causing my problem??? I need to find the problem because i am going to be installing a pounding stereo in the "old girl",and i c'ant have the voltage dropping suddenly(when i hit the brakes hard), which could damage my amps. I know someone on this site is smart enough to solve this annoying situation. Chillin..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 It is a 98 v6 with the automatic. Yes it does have abs. The battery is new. The alternator is charging fine. If my drive belt needed to be tightened, could this be causing my problem??? I need to find the problem because i am going to be installing a pounding stereo in the "old girl",and i c'ant have the voltage dropping suddenly(when i hit the brakes hard), which could damage my amps. I know someone on this site is smart enough to solve this annoying situation. Chillin..... P.S.-Also if i am driving down the road, shift from drive to neutral, and hit the brakes hard, the same thing happens. Does this help??? Chillin........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I suspect a wiring fault,maybe on the ABS system.If this happens when you hit the brakes and the ABS tries to kick in but kills other circuits until you are off the brake it's possible that the ABS unit electrical connector/wiring has a short that is triggered when ABS tries to work..just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gar Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A bad or (open) ground will not result in lights dimming in non-brake electrical circuits. What you describe is a case where something not meant to be loading the electrical system IS. Unfortunately, finding something NOT designed to happen is harder than finding something meant to happen, which is not. Since the brake circuit is the stimulus for this additional circuit loading, it is the place to begin. Since the headlight/dash lights dim, then it is likely that the 12 volt side of the electrical system is touching a high current path to ground. Since it doesn't seem to be blowing fuses or smoking yet, then there is likely a long wire absorbing this extra current. This points to the "hot" side of the brake wire towards the back of the car. The fact that it reacts to inertia suggests that the wire bundle's mass is large. All these circumstantial clues mean you'll probably find a place in a fat wire harness where the bundle passes a sharp body metal edge that was worn/cut the insulation, and the brake positive lead is the one touching body ground. I'll have a look at my own exposed body harness (I have all the carpet out) and see if I can suggest the likely spots to look at. This one symptom bothers me on the hypothisis though... The brake 12 volt circuit is fused. If it's drawing enough current to dim the lights all over the car when it is touching a body ground, then I think it should be popping your brake fuse. Have you defeated that fuse? I'll also look the electrical diagram over to confirm that it is the hot side which is switched for brakes as I suspect, rather than the pedal switch providing the ground. Then with that understanding of the circuit and the physical harness routing I will offer the help that I'm able. Gar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 ..I think my first check would be to disconnect the brake light switch and see if it still dies.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gar Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Terry's insight to the ABS unit being the culprit is very valid. The control components of an ABS do carry a lot of current. If they are faulty, then there can be a current path capable of dimming the lights through the ABS fuse. This is where Terry's insight has more bearing than a body harness fault from chaffing. The reaction to hard braking that would trigger ABS, and the occurance under that situation places way more credance in it being a fault in ABS. Try this.... pull the ABS fuse, and if the dimming lights behave correct under the typical stimulus, then it's the ABS. Gar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 ...as these cars get older and are modded re aftermarket electrical parts etc and along with the multiple electrical issues both I and number of owners have seen,it is fair to suspect that the wiring may have some issues.Never trust it..on any age of Contour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Terry's insight to the ABS unit being the culprit is very valid. The control components of an ABS do carry a lot of current. If they are faulty, then there can be a current path capable of dimming the lights through the ABS fuse. This is where Terry's insight has more bearing than a body harness fault from chaffing. The reaction to hard braking that would trigger ABS, and the occurance under that situation places way more credance in it being a fault in ABS. Try this.... pull the ABS fuse, and if the dimming lights behave correct under the typical stimulus, then it's the ABS Where is the abs fuse located??? In the black box in front of the battery? Is it clearly marked? The only wiring mod i know of is that the previous owner installed a remote starter, in which i d'ont have the remote. Also the rear passenger pigtail harness that controls the passenger side turning blinker stops working and i have to wiggle the wire to get my blinker working. D'ont know if this helps? Chillin............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Terry's insight to the ABS unit being the culprit is very valid. The control components of an ABS do carry a lot of current. If they are faulty, then there can be a current path capable of dimming the lights through the ABS fuse. This is where Terry's insight has more bearing than a body harness fault from chaffing. The reaction to hard braking that would trigger ABS, and the occurance under that situation places way more credance in it being a fault in ABS. Try this.... pull the ABS fuse, and if the dimming lights behave correct under the typical stimulus, then it's the ABS. Gar I forgot to mention that for the past several months My "ABS" light will come on from time to time when i start the car up, or driving down the road. I read these cars are notorious for false warning lights comming on , so i didn't pay much attention to it. where exactly is the "abs" fuse located? Chillin....................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeSVT Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 First gen ABS units by Mechatronic were prone to the pump motors seizing up causing the lights to dim severely and the brakes to lock up when hard stopping. This is a common occurance on those modules. In 1998.5 Ford switched over to Bosch ABS units... Next problem you will have is it will blow the 60AMP main ABS fuse in the engine fusebox (it's bolted in to the wiring). What you are experiencing is the same thing I went through almost 7 years ago... ABS Issue -Dom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 I suspect a wiring fault,maybe on the ABS system.If this happens when you hit the brakes and the ABS tries to kick in but kills other circuits until you are off the brake it's possible that the ABS unit electrical connector/wiring has a short that is triggered when ABS tries to work..just a thought. Good News, Good news! Problem solved!!! I took my car to the garage around the corner and asked the mechanic if he could show me where my "abs" fuse was located. He went to his computer,looked it up,and showed me where it was. He even disconnected it for me,which took about 10 minuits! He tried to take it out with his fingers. It wouldn't move. He tried a screwdriver,and nothing. He tried a pair of plyers, and the bugger refused to come out! Told me it must be corroded. Broke the top of the fuse and snipped the wire. Didn't charge me anything. . I went out on the road and brought the car up to about 50mph, and florred the brakes. Problem gone! ---You guys know your stuff! Made my day! Thanks for all the suggestions! Chillin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 ...so it sounds as if a replacement ABS module is required.This is a very big $$$ item.Dom may have an idea of the current price of these... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeSVT Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 He tried to take it out with his fingers. It wouldn't move. He tried a screwdriver,and nothing. He tried a pair of plyers, and the bugger refused to come out! Told me it must be corroded. Broke the top of the fuse and snipped the wire. The fuse is bolted to the wiring harness, it cannot be "pulled out". This is exactly the reason these cars get a bad rap - Because mechanics have no idea what they are doing when they work on them. Most times, they make things worse instead of better... I know, I fix alot of other tech's screw ups... -Dom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrApple Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 also the hvac is tied to the abs fuse. so now you don't have a working hvac .... you will have to unplug the harness from the abs unit and replace the fuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I see fuse F3 in the BJB at 60 amp for the ABS,fuses F7 20A,F30 7.5 A & F22 7.5 A on the ABS system. A/C HVAC appears to be on F23 of the CJB... on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeSVT Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think BrApple is a little confused, the mechanic tampered with the 60AMP MaxiFuse under the hood (or disabled it...). It does not tie into power for the HVAC at all. -Dom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Haines Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 ....well apart from taking a look at the Ford CD wiring info I also checked in my hard copy book(green cover) of the 1998 Contour,Mystique ,'Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting manual..I don't think the fuse allocation I said was wrong?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVTDEMON Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 ...so it sounds as if a replacement ABS module is required.This is a very big $$$ item.Dom may have an idea of the current price of these... 1400$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gar Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 I think it's each driver's own choice whether to use ABS or not.. maybe a bit of driver snob-ism. I drove most of my years without it, had my narrow escape leasons, and think I'd rather be in charge of my brakes. The project I'm building doesn't use the ABS that was on the car, so if you want the 95 version, or the rear disc set-up and master cylinder for it, let me know. Gar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckeyeSVT Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Won't work... however I have a 1995 unit as well that has Traction control assist... -Dom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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