Community Forums

Teamfoxy · 05-13-2022, 06:27 AM

We bought a 2016 F53 V10 on the 26k chassis with 8k miles on it. Several times the brake warning lights came on. Both the red parking brake symbol and the circular icon. There is no apparent loss of brake function. Pull over, turn off the engine, check fluid level etc. Get back in the coach no warning lights for the rest if the day. Can go days without the issue. After 3 different times over about a month, it seems like it happens after we stop in a rest area, set the parking brake and leave the engine running. Within 15-20 minutes we get the warning lights. It does not appear to happen if we stop and shut the engine off, so have taken to doing that even if only swapping drivers. Any ideas?

bobphoenix · 05-13-2022, 06:57 AM

The E-brake on my F-53 used to do that. It is a matter of lubricating the spring and checking switch at the foot lever.
If I didn't let the E-brake foot lever "slam" against the stop on release, the E-brake warning light would come on after traveling down the road a ways... I used to pull the release and put my foot under the brake peddle and pull it up... It never seemed like it moved very much, but it was just enough to turn off the warning light.

Good Luck...

High Road Travelers · 05-13-2022, 10:00 PM

My parking brake is sensitive also and will sometimes display the light after releasing the brake. But usually only when releasing the brake. It has never come on just driving down the highway. I will do like bobphoenix and set the brake again, release it and let it slam back up, or use my foot to assist it.

As clarification, are you saying you leave the motor running for 15 - 20 minutes while stopped, or is that 15 - 20 minutes of driving time after leaving a stop?
Thanks,

Teamfoxy · 05-14-2022, 06:37 AM

15 minutes of driving after a stop. I only leave the engine running for a pee stop & driver switch. For a lunch stop, the engine gets turned off. To be clear, the light is not on when we leave, it comes on after driving, and it is the circular brake system light as well as the parking brake/ABS light. Stop, turn the engine off / back on, and no light for the rest of the drive. I will try some spray lube near the pedal inside and where the cable exits the jacket under the coach. May not have a real answer for a while since its a sporatic issue.

bobphoenix · 05-14-2022, 07:55 AM

Oh! Sorry, I didn't read your post correctly... I thought it was the E-brake indicator, only...

If it's the round brake symbol, that's the ABS system light... and mine would stay on a lot also... it is due to "sensor" failure... (not system failure...)

The ECM (on board computer) gets a signal from the wheel sensor that is not to its liking and powers up the indicator to say there is a problem (somewhere...) in the ABS system... That somewhere can be anything from the firewall on down the system to the metal gears that tells the sensor reads to tell the ECM that the wheels are turning...

Unfortunately, putting the diagnostic reader that you can borrow from Auto Zone or O’Reilly Auto Parts, on the system, will only tell you the same things as the indicator light... "there is a problem with the ABS system..." (Which you know is not true, because the indicator will go off...)

So, more than likely, you are dealing with ONE of the wheel sensors or wheel speed speed indicators, (again, on one of the wheels...) Either the sensor is going bad... (they can go bad for a number of reasons...) Or, they're not bad at all, but... and this is the most common fault... it has picked up iron particles from the road and they are sticking to the sensor (which is magnetic). That fools the sensor into thinking, that wheel(s) is not turning.

But, the ECM knows there is more fuel going into the injectors, the throttle positioning sensor is open, the transmission speed sensor is sending the signal that the transmission is moving... And, that one sensor is not picking up a pulse from that one wheel... This makes the ECM think that one wheel is not turning...

So, here's what it looks like and how it works...

(Ford does not use the Optical type on the F53...)

Now, the fun part... Which wheel is it...? (My money is on the passenger's front...) That's been my experience... But, you have three more to choose from... BTW: That "Air Gap" is usually less than an 1/8th inch and crud can get in there pretty easily..

Oh, and replacing the sensor is usually the cure, even if it is only dirty, because, well... the mechanic is already in there, for $125 - $200 for the repair... And, he figures, for $26 for the part... why not put a new one in...?!?

Cheers!
Bob

Teamfoxy · 05-15-2022, 04:22 AM

Thanks for the detailed explaination. Makes sense that it is a faulty sensor because we certainly don't have a locked wheel and its an intermitent issue.