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Fiesta ST, ABS tool to flush brake fluid?

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East Bay
#1
This weekend I installed my Wilwood and Focus SVT rear brakes. Like all ABS eqiupped cars we need to activate ABS to completely flush the system. I'm probably going to be bleeding/flushing the system quite often so I want to avoid bleeding,putting everything back together to drive around and slam my brakes 10 to 20 times to then bleed/flush the system again.

It's fine to do that once a year, but I expect to be doing this once a month or before track/AutoX events. Do anyone of you have the Ford ABS tool or something similar that can activate the ABS system when I'm flushing my brake fluid?

It would be a huge plus if this works with other makes because I own other cars.

Thanks for the help guys!
 


kevinatfms

Senior Member
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#2
From what i can remember you were able to pull a set of fuses in a specific order to force the ABS module into the "open" position to allow the bleeding of the brakes without the PDS tool.

Ill see if i have any of my old books laying around.
 


me32

1000 Post Club
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fairfield
#3
So what did you need to run the focus svt rear brakes? Just the bracket and rotors?
 


OP
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Thread Starter #4
So what did you need to run the focus svt rear brakes? Just the bracket and rotors?
All you need is the Focus SVT rear caliper brackets + Focus SVT rotors to do the conversion from 250mm to 280mm rotors.
 


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Fort Carson
#6
Very interested in the SVT rear brake conversion...I hadn't heard of that yet. Literally just need calipers brackets and rotors?
 


OP
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Thread Starter #9
Yeah, it took me a month to piece the kit together. I called literaly every Ford junkyard on the west coast.

Once i was able to find the brackets, I just bought a set of Centrify Cryo-coated rotors and Hawk HP+ rear pads.

If you must have it now, Sico and Pumaspeed both sell the conversion. I believe it starts at $400. At that price, I don't think it's worth it. But, to each their own..

The issue is that Ford stop making the brackets and Non-SVT Focus cars, Fiesta ST, and SVT Contour all use the bracket as upgrades. So, we are competing with a lot of different car communities..
 


OP
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Thread Starter #11
Nobody knows the tool or procedure to engage ABS during a brake flush?
 


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Livonia
#12
Nobody knows the tool or procedure to engage ABS during a brake flush?
It's not necessary, fluid that far up the line will never get hot enough to boil. You shouldn't have to worry about air in there either because the valves to the accumulators are closed when ABS/TSC are not active. So you could drain your whole system dry and it wouldn't matter.
 


LilPartyBox

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#13
it is absolutely necessary. hydraulic fluid absorbs moisture over time. That's one of the main reasons to do a full flush every 2 years or so. if there's a way to cycle the abs I'm also interested in how to
 


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Livonia
#14
If you are tracking your car I hope your flushing your fluid more than once every two years. I was wrong in saying it's the accumulators where fluid is stuck, it is actually the suction line to the pump... that's 1-2 cc's of fluid. What ever you don't flush this time will be flushed next time.
 


OP
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Thread Starter #15
It is absolutely necessary. My brake pedal feel was straight non existent before I bleed the brakes, drove around slammed my brakes a bunch of times, then bled it again.

If it's not necessary then why does every single car manufacturer require the ABS be cycled during a flush? Why does Stop tech recommend it?
 


kevinatfms

Senior Member
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#17
It is absolutely necessary. My brake pedal feel was straight non existent before I bleed the brakes, drove around slammed my brakes a bunch of times, then bled it again.

If it's not necessary then why does every single car manufacturer require the ABS be cycled during a flush? Why does Stop tech recommend it?
Not every car manufacturer requires it. Ford still doesnt require it for a brake system repair except where you will be exposing the system to air or moisture. Stoptech recommends it for safety as they market most brake systems for track day use. Track day use is a whole 'nother animal from day to day driving.

We used to have test strips where you would dip it into the master cylinder or crack a bleeder valve. From there drip it onto the test strip which would turn a pinkish color. If it was a certain darker shade of pink it would need to be flushed. From what i remember, most cars that we tested in the 20-30k mile range needed flushing. Before that and they were within the limit of moisture in the fluid.


And to answer above, i cant find it in any of my old manuals but there is a procedure(fuse pulling) to set the ABS module into "open" mode. If anyone has one of the newer manuals or access to the fordtech website you can get it on there.
 


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Levittown
#18
ForScan has it built it. just did it with it after searching for someone locally who could do it on a Saturday.

remembered it could read abs module and did have the procedure built it in to the program.
 


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