The two times I have had to repair a faulty ABS system (93 Explorer, 95 Mark VIII) it turned out to be a wheel sensor. In both instances, there was no visible damage at all. I paid a local tire & brake shop to read the codes with their "air bag/ABS scan tool," narrowing the causes down to one sensor and eliminating the sheer guesswork.
IMHO, if you value your time at all, call around to some local shops and ask if they have an Air bag/ABS scan tool and what they charge to read codes/test the system.
With my Explorer I also pulled the ABS power fuse (under the hood I think) thus disabling the system until I could repair it. This left normal non-ABS braking.
Of course if you have a disconnected plug at one of your front wheels or under your rear seat cushion...well there you go!
OTC is having a ??sale? on Air bag/ABS scan tools for $1049.95 each. In addition to reading codes, this tool also opens all the ABS valves allowing a full bleed of the entire brake system. A regular brake bleed won't do the ABS pump and valves. Gas bubbles in these components can cause harsh ABS system operation and also trigger a fault.
99 Tropic Green SVT, Tan Leather, 20K miles, "Nice Twin" (factory stock).
99 Tropic Green SVT, Tan Leather, 28K miles, "Evil Twin" (Turbo AER 3L and more in progress)
96 Red LX, Opal Grey Leather 2.5L, ATX, 22K miles
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