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How can I tell if my car has anti-lock brakes without looking at the dashboard?

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Hello I'm currently replacing my car's master cylinder, but I have to know if the car has antilock brakes or not before I buy a new one. I can't check the dashboard since my battery isn't hooked up.

My car tire is off though and well as the hood is popped open and I can see the master cylinder from an angle.

My car is a 2000 Ford Focus SE.
 

Husker86

Member
Try calling dealer with your VIN handy. Could check for speed sensors at the wheel hub but that could be for speedometer too if your car doesn't use a tranny gear for that.
 
Can I use my VIN number to find out for free?

I also don't have the car's manual.


Also wouldn't their be some type of hose around the car's tire?
 

mike23

Member
Aquavelvaman said:
Go fast and then slam on the brakes. You can usually feel the abs pumping through the pedal

I was going to say the same thing.

Also, if you have ever driven in snow, you'd know if you had them. You feel a good kick in the brake pedal when they activate.
 

saunderez

Member
Your car probably doesn't have ABS. It wasn't a standard feature back then. I have a 2003 Ford Focus and it doesn't have ABS so it's pretty unlikely your 2000 model does.

But seriously slamming on the brakes is the fastest way to tell. If it feels like the brakes are going on/off/on/off then you have ABS. If the wheels lock up you don't.
 
Tarazet said:
If you open up the fusebox and there's a fuse in it, it's because your car has ABS. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Simple.

I opened up my Fusebox and saw some transparent containers that say "30" so I guess that means it has it?

Weird. I don't recall my car pulsing when braking nor did I see another hose by the tire outside of the brake hose.

Or by opening up the fuse box you mean removing the 30 to see if somethings in it?
 

saunderez

Member
He means look for the fuse that's in position 30 in the manual. The 30 you are talking about is the amperage of the fuse, how many amps it takes to blow. Find position 30, if it has a fuse in it you have anti-lock brakes, if it doesn't you don't.
 
Yep there's something there.

Weird because I don't have another hose by the tire other than the brake hose.

Just curious. What would happen if I install a master cylinder that's designed for ABS if my car doesn't have ABS?
 

Husker86

Member
Flying_Phoenix said:
Yep there's something there.

Weird because I don't have another hose by the tire other than the brake hose.

Just curious. What would happen if I install a master cylinder that's designed for ABS if my car doesn't have ABS?

Another hose? There would be a speed sensor (wire), not another brake line.
 
ihearthawthats said:
why? are you trying to drift?

No.

I just recall driving before ABS, and honestly the roads around here are so cocked up that I can hit a massive crater / buckle in the street approaching a light and it sets off the ABS. Which has caused a number of near misses for me. Whereas if I had good old braking I could just drive it off. :\
 

Husker86

Member
The Take Out Bandit said:
No.

I just recall driving before ABS, and honestly the roads around here are so cocked up that I can hit a massive crater / buckle in the street approaching a light and it sets off the ABS. Which has caused a number of near misses for me. Whereas if I had good old braking I could just drive it off. :\

Little instances like that have happened to me but the ABS shuts off right after...did yours just stay on in those cases?
 
Flying_Phoenix said:
Yep there's something there.

Weird because I don't have another hose by the tire other than the brake hose.

Just curious. What would happen if I install a master cylinder that's designed for ABS if my car doesn't have ABS?

If by hose you mean flex line, cars only have one attached to the caliper, regardless of ABS or not. The master cylinder should be the same as well, make sure its the proper one for your model and you are good to go. Why is the battery disconnected? Dont forget to bleed the system.
 
Husker86 said:
Little instances like that have happened to me but the ABS shuts off right after...did yours just stay on in those cases?

It remains on longer than I am comfortable with. So now I just slow down (booooring) and let the car coast over these sections of road.

No, I'm not playing Speed Racer.

It's an '05 Toyota Matrix. :\

I really need to get the old Buick repaired.
 
The Take Out Bandit said:
It remains on longer than I am comfortable with. So now I just slow down (booooring) and let the car coast over these sections of road.

No, I'm not playing Speed Racer.

It's an '05 Toyota Matrix. :\

I really need to get the old Buick repaired.

Just disable your ABS.
 

CFMOORE!

Member
wow, i was wondering wtf that shit was in my '10 civic. it bugs the fuck out of me. my 09 Audi A4 was god like compared to that shit.
 

bumpkin

Member
mike23 said:
I was going to say the same thing.

Also, if you have ever driven in snow, you'd know if you had them. You feel a good kick in the brake pedal when they activate.
Yeah, they're awesome on icy roads. It's even more awesome that having a mechanic disable them will void the warranty (if it's a new car w/ one). Ironic that they're meant to reduce accidents, but cause me to almost get into them all winter long; apply the brakes to stop and continue to move because they pump and disengage the brakes.
 

daw840

Member
#1 People saying they don't like ABS are dumb. It has been proven over and over and over again that it stops significantly faster than any human being can pump the brakes.

#2 Look at your brake pedal, a lot of the time it will actually say ABS on it. If that's not the case, open your hood and there will be an ABS unit with brake lines coming out of it. It will look something like what is below, even though that is actually from a Volvo.

Imgp1944_small.jpg
 

Slavik81

Member
bumpkin said:
Yeah, they're awesome on icy roads. It's even more awesome that having a mechanic disable them will void the warranty (if it's a new car w/ one). Ironic that they're meant to reduce accidents, but cause me to almost get into them all winter long; apply the brakes to stop and continue to move because they pump and disengage the brakes.
They only kick in when they detect your wheels are not turning. If your wheels aren't turning, you're sliding, not rolling. Which means the friction of the wheels against the road is greatly reduced, making it hard to steer and increasing your stopping distance.

If your ABS is kicking in when you're breaking, you wouldn't have stopped earlier without it.
 

Phobophile

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
How do you not know if you have ABS? You fucking feel it on your foot when you press down the fucking pedal.
 

LogicStep

Member
I like how so many people don't read the op :lol

First thing I thought of "yeah slam the breaks and you will feel it" but then I read the op and saw that his car is being worked on or whatever and he cannot test it.
 
ABS isn't ment to make you stop quicker, its there to give you steerability when you do lock up or slide (thus you can hit the concrete wall instead of the lady with a baby)
 
I'm going to call a Ford Dealership tomorrow with my VIN number.

Phobophile said:
How do you not know if you have ABS? You fucking feel it on your foot when you press down the fucking pedal.

Ummm read OP?

zazrx said:
I like how so many people don't read the op :lol

First thing I thought of "yeah slam the breaks and you will feel it" but then I read the op and saw that his car is being worked on or whatever and he cannot test it.

Yep.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
brake really hard and if it sounds like the bottom of your car is grinding into pieces, you have ABS. Its really a horrible sound.
 

TommyT

Member
mrklaw said:
brake really hard and if it sounds like the bottom of your car is grinding into pieces, you have ABS. Its really a horrible sound.
:lol

lot of questionable information/people in this thread...
 

big_z

Member
The Take Out Bandit said:
This.

I have to say I hate ABS.


i hate ABS too, feels like i need to push the pedal through the floor to stop. i know it's supposed to help keep you from sliding out of control but it increases your stopping distance a fair bit and really if you're on ice you're going to slide either way. personally i rather stop as soon as possible, considering thats the point of the brakes.
 
big_z said:
i hate ABS too, feels like i need to push the pedal through the floor to stop. i know it's supposed to help keep you from sliding out of control but it increases your stopping distance a fair bit
No it doesn't.
 
big_z said:
i hate ABS too, feels like i need to push the pedal through the floor to stop. i know it's supposed to help keep you from sliding out of control but it increases your stopping distance a fair bit and really if you're on ice you're going to slide either way. personally i rather stop as soon as possible, considering thats the point of the brakes.
Its meant to allow you to steer in case of an emergency, since most people slam on their breaks and wouldn't remember to pump them and turn.
 
So I'm at the part of disconnecting the fusebox (the one under the hood by the drivers side) but I can't remove the connector that links the wire from the interior to the fusebox under the hood.

I WOULD take a picture of it, but who I lent it to last lost it.

The best I can do is describe it, which it is a very bulky head linked to the base of a the fusebox which on the other side is another connector/cable. Its hard as hell to disconnect and it isn't budging.

Trying to find a picture of it.

The ends look kind of like this:

fuse_holder_burns_up__fuse_link_OK-1_40783CA1-DA52-2510-3D12EBF39F9D0CF7.jpg
 
Tarazet said:
Why don't you just disconnect the battery?

The battery is disconnected. This is for the fusebox. Its right on top of the master cylinder.

Also if anybody was wondering, my car DID NOT have anti-lock brakes.
 
Phobophile said:
Ummm I did and it's just further proof to me that you're one of the most incompetent people who post here.

Great reply. Makes perfect sense since most people who posted the same thing you did apologized. But I guess you're ego is just too high for that.
 
Phobophile said:
Look with what I have to retort.

Edit: nice stealth edit

Stealth edit? More like I felt that I should have further explained my point. But I'm sure that you'll skim the point and just go back on defense mode. It isn't like this is out of your character.

Regardless I'm done with this childish arguing.
 

Cujshi

Banned
ABS is good for preserving tires, cause when you "step on it" you are using whole tire, and not only that part of the tire that is on the ground.

ABS on Fiat cars is another story. I dont recommend it cause on the snow, you need to push so hard just to notice that you are breaking.
 
So yeah it turns out that I wasn't the first to disconnect those connectors. Turns out that whoever did them before messed with where the connectors slide into making them get jammed in. I was doing it right initially but I just had to constantly jiggle it at "the right spot" until they finally came out.
 
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