Bleed air and old fluid from ABS module

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Is there any way to bleed the air and old fluid from and ABS module with out a scan tool? The 2011 Fusion that we have, IMO, seems that the brake pedal is a little spongy. The car still stops fine but the pedal feel is not great.

I did just do a brake fluid exchange and bleed a couple days ago and that made the pedal feel a little better but not great.
 
Doesn't look like it:

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]


The sequence is RR, LR, RF, LF.
 
You might try what has worked for me in the past and drive down a dirt road and stomp the brakes several times to activate ABS. Then bleed the brakes again to get any air that escaped from the ABS module if you still don't have a firm pedal.
 
Originally Posted by jhs914
You might try what has worked for me in the past and drive down a dirt road and stomp the brakes several times to activate ABS. Then bleed the brakes again to get any air that escaped from the ABS module if you still don't have a firm pedal.


Yes that's what i was thinking of trying next
 
Originally Posted by jhs914
You might try what has worked for me in the past and drive down a dirt road and stomp the brakes several times to activate ABS. Then bleed the brakes again to get any air that escaped from the ABS module if you still don't have a firm pedal.


This doesn't work in a lot of recent ABS modules. The internal plumbing geometry will trap air in the system and there's a specific scanner-activated air bleed sequence that is absolutely required to get all the air out. Spent a week trying to help a buddy out with power flushing and the like on a BMW (standard Bosch ABS block) and we *had* to get a scan tool to work the ABS block to get the last air out. Same story on another friend's Mustang.
 
Originally Posted by Spktyr
Originally Posted by jhs914
You might try what has worked for me in the past and drive down a dirt road and stomp the brakes several times to activate ABS. Then bleed the brakes again to get any air that escaped from the ABS module if you still don't have a firm pedal.


This doesn't work in a lot of recent ABS modules. The internal plumbing geometry will trap air in the system and there's a specific scanner-activated air bleed sequence that is absolutely required to get all the air out. Spent a week trying to help a buddy out with power flushing and the like on a BMW (standard Bosch ABS block) and we *had* to get a scan tool to work the ABS block to get the last air out. Same story on another friend's Mustang.


Was using the scanner pretty straight forward?
 
Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
If the brake system has never been opened for component replacement and came from the factory without air in the system,NO.

Can't say for sure because the car is used
 
Originally Posted by dan_erickson
Was using the scanner pretty straight forward?


It was a Snap-On scanner, and it was very straight forward. In the case of the BMW, there was a factory block bleed/purge command that you ran and then bled each caliper in an order and sequence stated on the screen, if I recall correctly. I don't recall how the Mustang worked as while I was the guy in the seat running the scanner on the BMW, on the Mustang I was on the calipers instead and didn't see the scantool screen much at all. :p
 
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Originally Posted by dan_erickson
Is there any way to bleed the air and old fluid from and ABS module with out a scan tool? The 2011 Fusion that we have, IMO, seems that the brake pedal is a little spongy. The car still stops fine but the pedal feel is not great.

I did just do a brake fluid exchange and bleed a couple days ago and that made the pedal feel a little better but not great.



Same issue for my Fusion. Got ForScan trial (free) which can do the bleeding, and HS/ MS switch equipped OBD dongle on Amazon ($20).

Note that early Fusions have an ABS module issue where it corrodes internally and gives a soft pedal. Ford has chosen to ignore the issue in the face of a govt investigation. Realistically, a $350 ABS module may end up needed to fix the pedal 100%. Mine is about 80-85% now, not worth the money for the new module on a 200k car.
 
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Using Forscan to bleed the ABS module and reverse bleeding the brakes helped some. I may do this again when i get some more time and hopefully it will be good
 
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