Hey folks,

I've had some problems recently with my '97 Ranger XLT 2WD that I'd like to figure out myself with the help of a mechanic friend of mine.

Braking recently has been an issue. Every time I brake moderately or heavily, I see the "BRAKE" light turn on momentarily, then the "(ABS)" light stays on until I turn off the ignition. Braking isn't as smooth as I remember it, so logic dictates it's time to replace the pads, and probably the rotors, and maybe top off the brake fluid.

So, I was all prepared to buy the parts until I got on one little snag: Apparently my Ranger model can come with either rear-wheel-ABS or 4-wheel-ABS, and the rotors are different for each type. The owner's manual doesn't give a clear way to determine which I have, and I can't find any resources online to tell me where to look. The only thing I have to go by is the "BRK" code on my door sticker, but searching for an explanation didn't yield anything either. The BRK code is "B", by the way.

So, two questions: Am I right in assuming that I need those parts? -and- How do I tell what kind of ABS I have?

Thank you!

 

go and look at your front brake rotors, calipers....if you only see one line(the brake line) running to it, but if you see two, then it is abs

 

I'm most certain you only have RABS.

 

if u take off the front rotor and the inside has a big white finned thing on the instide of it it's ABS. I made the mistake of buying the wrong rotor for my 97 4-wd. the non-abs were alot cheaper, i think i remember paying around 130 a rotor for some crap from autozone for the abs ones. pretty sure u just got rear wheel though

 

ABS is the bigger rotor.... 11 inch if I remember.. the bigger one anyways!

 

i just fixed the same exact problem. my red brake light would come on along with the ABS light when i hit the brakes pretty hard. turns out that my self adjusters in the rear had broken and that is what was causing the "Brake" light to come on. my rear brakes were so tight that they would lock up every time i slammed on the brakes, and seemed to lock up very easy when it was wet. My back brakes were shot all the way around. i had to get new brakes, drums, hardware kits, and self adjusting kits for both sides. it looked like they had never been replaced. the ABS light was coming on from being just a little to low on fluid. mine would come on when i hit the brakes due to the slosh in the resivoir. it would stay on sometimes till i shut the truck off, and then some times i would see it go off while i was driving. hope this helps.