How to: Add Traction Control to an SVT Contour

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First, let me start by giving credit where credit is due. I got some of my information for this write-up from YOUNEEQSVT in this thread.

I've taken the time to document the install process for use by the masses. The whole thing can be done in a day, provided you don't hit any snags or break anything. It is advisable to have a friend on hand to assist with the brake bleeding. This how-to will assume that you have moderate mechanical skill and is not meant to be a replacement for a technical manual. You will more than likely have to evacuate the AC system to get proper clearance to remove the brake booster, consider the cost of re-charging the system into your budget before you decide if this mod is for you.


First, a list of the parts you'll need:
TCS Controller from second gen Mercury Mystique or new edge Mercury Cougar
Ford part number: 98BG-2C285-CB
Bosch part number: 258 090 50843 4
Hollander interchange: 545-1374

A quick search of the used car part websites will turn up quite a few hits for this part. Do yourself a favor and call the yards before you order anything. I had to ask five yards to visually inspect the part for the above numbers to verify that it's the correct piece before finding one that actually had a TCS module. I paid $50 + shipping for a unit out of 2000 Cougar with 80k miles.

This is the information for a NON-TCS module, I’ve included it to help prevent you from purchasing the ABS module you already have.
Ford part number: 98BG-2M110-BA
Bosch part number: 404 184 50132 7
Hollander interchange: 545-01462B

Here are side-by-side comparrisons of the two units. The TCS unit is on the left, the non-TCS is on the right. Note how the TCS unit is a little larger.

TCS sticker is a dead give-away that you have the right part.

Note the identical pin-outs. The Ford part number is located between two of the brale lines on this side.

Bosch part number stickers

Side mounting bolts

Defrost/Traction Control switch
Ford part number: F8RZ-2C418-BA

I ordered this part from Tousley Ford in the summer of 2010, if I recall it costs approx. $25. If you can't find the defrost/traction switch and you're thinking about using the front/rear defroster switch from a Modneo (they fit in the same location and they're everywhere on eBay UK), it won't work. The front defrost switch has one less pin than the TCS switch.

Enough brake fluid to refill and bleed the entire system.

Is your Contour able to add this feature?
So far it's been confirmed that ECU models SFG0 or SFG2 will run TCS, others may work but these are the only two that I could find information on. You can verify this by removing the ECU from the passenger foot well of the car and checking the stickers. If you do this mod with a different ECU and it works, please let me know so I can update the post. Here's how you check your ECU:

Use a 10mm socket to remove this bolt in the right side of your passenger footwell.

You should see this sticker behind the white bracket.

If you don't find a sticker there, you'll have to remove the entire ECU. Open the hood and look behind your passenger side strut tower for this bolt.

Use a 10mm socket, universal joint, and 10" extension to loosen that bolt and release the ECU from the harness. Go back under the dash and gently pull it out of the firewall. This is the other sticker that will identify your ECU model.

Your car must have an extra pigtail hidden behind the defrost switch. The easiest way to check this without damaging the gauge surround is by using the short end of a credit card to pry the switch assembly out. My E1 had the pigtail, a friend's E0 2.5 SE did not.

Your car will also need to have an bulb installed behind the "Traction Control" light on the instrument panel. This light will not come on unless the TCS module is installed in the car, so don't assume that it's not there just because it doesn't illuminate at start-up with all of the other warning lamps. If, once you've installed the TCS module and you're still not getting a light, you will need to pull the gauge cluster to investigate. My car had the bulb, the afore mentioned SE did not.

Now, a list of the tools you'll need.

Ratchets:
1/4" and 3/8"

1/4" Sockets & Accessories:
8mm deep
3" extension

3/8" Sockets & Accessories:
10mm
13mm deep
Universal Joint
3", 6", 10" extensions

Wrenches:
9mm
10mm
13mm (x2, although the second can be substituted with a 6" crescent wrench)
10mm Ratcheting
13mm Ratcheting

3/4" and 7/8" AC line quick-disconnect collars

Various flathead screwdrivers or other small prying tool

Nice to have but not necessary:
Manual brake bleeder pump
Magnet on a stick
Several shop rags for containing and cleaning up brake fluid

More to follow below...

~Mike~

 

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Let's begin!

Disconnect the battery. I know some of you may prefer to leave it hooked up since we're not working with any major electrical components, however there will come a point where you won't be able to turn off your brake lights for up to an hour unless you get real fancy with the pedal sensor or pull the harnesses from all three lights. It's easier to just kill the battery in this case if you have any concern about it running out of juice.

Removing the UIM isn't necessary according to the Ford shop manual, but I found it very helpful when trying to perform certain tasks near the rear valve cover. At the very least, you must remove the intake tube, air cleaner, and throttle bracket. This is the only time the 1/4 ratchet, socket, and extension will get used.

Once the intake components are out of the way, you need to remove the AC line that runs over the brake booster. Have the system evacuated first. You will use the 7/8" collar at the end by the strut tower and the 3/4" collar at the firewall. Set the tube aside.

AC line that routes over the brake booster

This is the same photo with the line removed

Bleeding the system

Loosen the front lugs and lift the front of the car. Remove wheels.

Open brake reservoir. Using manual brake bleeder pump, pull all of the fluid out of the front lines and calipers. The bleeder screw requires a 9mm wrench, I chose to insall the wrench on the screw before attaching the bleeder hose. Less chance of the wrench slipping off of the screw and offers much greater control of the rate of flow.

The first caliper filled the bottle on my Craftsman pump 1.5 times, the second caliper only gave filled half the bottle before it was empty. Dispose of the old fluid. This will also pull most of the fluid put of the ABS module, master cylinder, and reservoir. If you skip this step, there will be a lot of fluid dripping into your engine bay eating at the paint.

Disassembly

The first thing that needs to be removed is the brake fluid reservoir and master cylinder. Start by unclipping the fluid level sensor in the reservoir and removing the clutch fluid return line. If you are replacing the master cylinder during this job, it is easier to remove the reservoir now while it is still in the car. Do this by using two flathead screwdrivers to pry the side clips away from their mounting posts and then to pry upwards to release the reservoir from the rubber seals in the top of the master cylinder.

To remove the master cylinder, use a 13mm box wrench to disconnect the two brake lines coming out of the body, then use your 13mm deep socket and a 3” extension to remove the two nuts holding the cylinder to the brake booster. Carefully remove the master cylinder and set it aside without tipping it, there may still be some brake fluid inside.

The next piece to go is the brake booster.

As you can see, mine is thoroughly rusted and was one of the driving factors behind digging this deep into the car to begin with. Begin by removing the white retaining collar that secures the arm of the brake pedal to the booster rod. Due to space issues, I was not able to take a photo of it in the car, here it is attached to the end of the booster rod after I removed it.

I found the best way to do this was wedge two small screwdrivers under each half of the collar and pry it open. Once the collar has been removed, go back under the hood and remove the four 13mm nuts holding the booster into its bracket. The can be seen below, along with more evidence that this brake booster was due for replacement.

Because of clearance between the backside of the booster and the firewall, a ratcheting wrench is the ideal tool. Removing the booster is a little tricky because there are four hard lines in the way (2 brake, 2 fuel) that cannot be removed without an considerable number of extra steps. Carefully hold them out of the way while pulling the booster out from under the windshield cowl.

With the booster out of the car, follow the two hard brake lines that were connected to the master cylinder down to your ABS module and remove them using a 13mm box wrench. Carefully set them aside and avoid dripping brake fluid on your paintwork. There will be a small black plastic clip that connects these two lines to one of the front brake lines, do not lose this piece as it ensures proper alignment when re-installing the master cylinder lines.

The line on top goes in the front passenger rear port of the TCS module upon re-installation, the line on bottom goes in the rear passenger side port. Because of the size difference you will not be able to accidentally install them in the driver side ports, but installing them correctly front to rear is critical for attaching them to the master cylinder.

Get back under the dash and remove the four 13mm nuts holding the brake booster bracket onto the firewall. This will require the 6” and 10” extensions and the U-Joint to reach the two upper bolts. Remove the bracket. Again, due to space constraints I was not able to get an in-car photo. This is the bolt pattern when viewed from inside the driver side footwell.

***NOTE*** Do not confuse that rubber boot for the one surrounding the clutch master cylinder shaft, they look very similar.


Continued below...

 

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Remove the clutch line bracket from the fender using a 10mm socket.

Using the 13mm box wrench again, remove the short “S” shaped rear brake lines from the passenger side of the ABS module, seen here at the left of the image.

Use a second 13mm box wrench or a 6” crescent wrench to disconnect them from the main rear brake lines. You’ll notice that the fittings at this end of each line are different (one male, one female) to prevent getting them backwards upon re-installation. These lines also have a small plastic bracket holding them together, there is no need to remove it at this time as you can remove both lines at once after all four fittings have been loosened.

Disconnect the front brake lines from the driver side of the ABS module.

Remove the wiring harness from the ABS module by pulling the “T” handle towards the front of the car as you pull up on the harness.

Connceted

Disconnected

Loosen the 13mm retaining nuts in the front and rear of the module.

Remove the four bolts securing the ABS module bracket to the car, there are two on the firewall and two on the fender. Note that the ground wire from the ABS module wiring harness attaches to the lower bolt on the fender.

Rotate the ABS module and bracket away from the firewall to allow proper clearance to remove. I found the easiest way to do this was by pulling the module up out of the bracket and rotating it towards the driver side fender (the wiring connector will be facing down and the ports for the rear brake lines facing up) and pulling the module up from behind the hard fuel lines.

After you remove the abs module, ensure that the lower mounting bushing was not left behind in the car. This is one key difference between the TCS and ABS modules when it comes to installation. The bottom of the ABS module uses a steel post held in place with a T-40 screw to attach the bushing, whereas the TCS module just houses the bushing inside the unit’s aluminum body. Do not bother removing the T-40 screw in the ABS module, it opens the unit up and could leak brake fluid. If your TCS module did not come with the lower mounting bushing, don’t worry. The bushings used in the side mounts of your original ABS module are the same size/fit.

ABS Module lower mount

TCS Module lower mount

ABS/TCS side mount screws and bushings

Assembly

For the most part, assembly just involves reversing the above steps, below are a few notes that I think you may find useful.

As soon as you have the TCS module in place, connect the wiring harness and reconnect the battery so you can function check your new unit. You should see the “Traction Control” light come on in the instrument panel when you turn the car on (don’t start it, just “ON”). The orange LED in the traction control switch should also illuminate at the same time. Once they both go back out, you should be able to toggle the system off and on with the switch. After you’ve performed these checks, disconnect the battery again, otherwise your brake lights will stay on until you re-install the brake booster.

When re-installing the brake booster, there is a collar inside the brake pedal arm that the booster rod must feed through. It would be very helpful to have a friend inside the car to guide the rod through this collar as you are installing the booster.

Take another look at the clutch line support bracket above (2nd picture in this post), notice that the center mounting hole is oblong. Do not tighten this until after the brake booster is installed and bolted down, otherwise it may be difficult to install and could wind up tilted. Reaching it will be a bit tricky once the booster is in the way, may need a universal joint depending on where your fuel and brake lines rest.

Bleed the entire brake/clutch system and recharge the AC.

Other Notes

Since this is a time consuming job, and it involves cracking open and subsequently re-filling/bleeding two closed systems in the car (brake/clutch lines and air conditioning), it stands to reason that we should make the most of it! There are several things that can be upgraded/replaced in conjunction with this job to save time and money down the road, here are a few suggestions:

Any other air conditioning components that are starting to look worn (dry-rotted lines, rusted receiver-dryer, squeaking pump, etc…)
Stainless steel brake lines, upgraded calipers, or a new master cylinder and brake booster – might as well, the whole brake system will need to be bled after this job is done anyway.
New shifter cable ends – You’ll be starting them in the face once the ABS module is out of the car, it doesn’t get much easier to access them than this.
Get a spare set of the mounting brackets mentioned in this install and have them powder coated and ready to install (blu_fuz, you’re welcome for the business. I accept kick-backs in the form of cash, check, or paypal!)

~Mike~

 

[BrApple]

How did you go about bleeding the abs unit?

It has always been the understanding that the unit would need to be activated to bleed a dry abs unit. This was something that only a dealer or a very expensive scanner could do.

 

[R-code]

How did you go about bleeding the abs unit?

It has always been the understanding that the unit would need to be activated to bleed a dry abs unit. This was something that only a dealer or a very expensive scanner could do.

I followed the Ford shop manual and used the manual brake bleeder. I can't comment on how well it worked, though, the car's still in the air while I install a suspension kit and repair the e-brakes cables. I'll update as soon as it's been road tested.

~Mike~

 

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Activating the computer was not necessary.

~Mike~

 

[SICILIANSVT82]

its very difficult to tell, and i have read the post well, where exactly is the ABS module? i like this write up and this is the next thing i'd like to do to my car! thanks!

 

[BrApple]

the abs unit is located under the brake booster.