Originally Posted By: Bluebonnet
So I went to Midas today -
not sure where the miscom happened, but my truck doesn't have a tone ring - those are only on 4wd, mine is an all wheel drive -
If that's a direct quote from that Midas, stop going there.
I think you mean those are only on 2WD, which have tone rings on each front brake rotor. A 4WD will have the tone ring contained within the sealed hub assembly along with the ABS sensor. Your truck is either 2WD or 4WD.
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the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong - he even scanned for computer codes, and the history, tho he said it'd only go back since I changed batteries, which happens to have been last November, so there's that.
It may not have anything wrong. ABS in my 2002 Ranger isn't the most graceful. You're going to hear a low groaning/rumbling noise when it engages hard and you're going to feel pulsations in the pedal as the system applies and releases the brakes rapidly. If you haven't really had other hard braking events you can remember, you may have just never noticed the system engage. It's not there for 99.9% of the time, it's there to prevent a wheel lockup and possible uncontrolled skid in an emergency braking situation.
If the ABS light comes on once briefly, then goes away either during or after driving it (no problems next time you drive it), it's probably nothing. I have seen the light twice over the last 8 years in my truck while driving in snow. It went away and didn't come back. My truck does have the exposed tone rings on the rotors though. If the light stays illuminated, there is a problem.
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He said there was no kind of maintenance for disk brakes... BUT I then took it to another mechanic for an alignment (which I had already made arrangements for and would be cheaper than Midas) - he also rotated my tires and said the front left rotor was uneven and would need to be changed soon. He showed me where and said "feel this here" but it all felt the same to me (smooth).
Well, changing brake pads should be maintenance, and part of that should be greasing the slide pins that the brake caliper rides on. I use Napa Sil-glyde lubricant, but there are even better products. You don't just use any grease for this or it could really mess up the calipers though, so maybe don't have Midas do this one either. It is an important step to keep the brakes in reliable, safe working order though.
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In the meanwhile, I'm really [censored] because I had the rear differential cover replaced last fall when it was leaking, and it's not only leaking again but the brand new cover I bought from Ford is completely rusted - should it have done that so fast? in like, 6 months? I'm not happy about this at all - I don't want to pay to have it replaced all over again but am quite hesitant to go back to that garage. This particular cover does not take a regular gasket, but a silicone one, and I watched him do it - I believe he should have left the silicone on for a few mins before attaching the cover, which he didn't do.
arghhhhh!!!!!!!
No the cover shouldn't have rusted that fast, but it can happen up north. It probably has nothing to do with the shop's installation method unless they did something to remove the paint.
Aluminum differential covers are available which won't rust, but you will need to know if the axle is a 7.5 or 8.8 before ordering. Hard to say which a 3.0 4WD will be unless you post a picture of the cover.
As for letting the RTV cure, some products are supposed to be sealed up immediately, such as Permatex Right Stuff. Setting/curing instructions vary by product.
