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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4
Newbie
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OP
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4 |
new driver
newbie here
just got my contour in August
it's actually my first car
hahahahaha
Last edited by Carto; 10/10/05 06:14 PM.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,345
Addicted CEG\'er
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Addicted CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,345 |
Welcome.  If you drive the car within the first 15 seconds or so, you will hear a click, clink sound (that would be the ABS going through the initial start test). In addition, a good test would be on a wide and open parking lot, slam on the brakes and see it the brake pedal will pulsate. Also, when you drive out of your driveway on a wet day, just as where the driveway touches the road pavement, there would be a depression for water to drain to, your ABS should also come on at that time (due to the tires slipping).
"Always do the cheap and easy ones first."
1996 V6 ATX 96K miles
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,687
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,687 |
And when you brake hard, you should feel the pedal pulsing under your foot. not like vibration pulsing, but large moving pulses, like it(it really does this) is applying and releasing braking power on the rotors. You'll also hear a thrumming pulse in sync with the physical pulsing in the pedal. Also there should be an orange (!)ABS(?) light up in the guage cluster that lights up upon initial startup.
J.T.
2002 Chevrolet Silverado 294ci V8. Custom CAI, headers on the way...
1997 Mercury Mystique Zetec ATX
Deceased February 2006
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 344
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 344 |
Yes you should definitely be able to feel it. When I used to drive my sister's Geo everywhere, it didn't have ABS, so when you move to a car that does have ABS, if you slam on the brakes in an area that's dusty or maybe with a tad of loose gravel, you can feel the pedal pulsate. I don't know why but i hate the feeling 
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,140
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Aug 2003
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Yeah, get up to about 20-30 in a parking lot and mash the pedal. You'll know then.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,714
Scourge of the Master Debaters
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Scourge of the Master Debaters
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,714 |
Originally posted by MadMerc97:
Also there should be an orange (!)ABS(?) light up in the guage cluster that lights up upon initial startup.
IIRC the light on my SVT is green. The Sport doesn't have any light, though I'm still getting an ABS discount on it from my insurance 
Beer is my Gatorade.
Hooray Beer.
'98 "Sport" Pacific Green
'98 E0 SVT Silver Frost
Pictures
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 389
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 389 |
Look for the ABS sensor on each wheel. I was told there is a way to cause all the warning lights to flash by putting the car in neutral and trying to start it, but I have not gotten it to work. This can show if your ABS light is burnt out. It should always come on when you start the car.
2000 Contour SE
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,687
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,687 |
Originally posted by hetfield:
Originally posted by MadMerc97:
Also there should be an orange (!)ABS(?) light up in the guage cluster that lights up upon initial startup.
IIRC the light on my SVT is green. The Sport doesn't have any light, though I'm still getting an ABS discount on it from my insurance
It may very well be. I was just quoting from my pre98 Mercury. It may be different on contours.
J.T.
2002 Chevrolet Silverado 294ci V8. Custom CAI, headers on the way...
1997 Mercury Mystique Zetec ATX
Deceased February 2006
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 183
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 183 |
Originally posted by Berkel:
I don't know why but i hate the feeling
I know how you feel, there's nothing like trying to stop quickly and then have your brake pedal working against you.
But in all fairness to ABS it does have its purposes.
The "Bluer Tour" 1998.5 SVTour
R.I.P. 2000 ATX Tour SE
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 301
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 301 |
I'm mixed when it comes to ABS. In most panic stops on wet/dry pavement, it's great. But on snow or ice, I felt like my T-Bird's and Mark VIII's ABS systems were trying to kill me. If I modulated the pedal to keep the wheels from locking up, I could get stopped pretty quickly. If I stomped on it like ABS is supposed to let you do, it felt like the brakes were doing basically nothing, and took about 3 times longer to get stopped.  Maybe newer ABS setups are better. I'd sure hope so.
'99 Contour Sport V6 MTX
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