<t>Having a problem with bleeding the ABS brake system on a 2008 Escape Hybrid. I can make it through almost the entire procedure then I get an error. After successfully bleeding all 4 wheels as the procedure indicates, it asks me to open the bleeder screw first on the left front wheel and then on the right front wheel. I open the bleeder (right front wheel) and hit "OK" and forscan responds and tells me that the wrong bleeder is open. I keep the bleeder screw open, click "OK" and after 3 more tries, the service program ends in error. <br/>
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In the same situation, since I've attempted this procedure many, many times, I've tried to open other bleeder screws just to see what happens and end up getting the same error messages. Can anyone help me to solve this problem? I am using forscan software 2.3.27<br/>
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Back round information. The upper shock mount, rear right wheel, rusted out and when the shock dropped it took out the brake line to the rear wheel caliper. I replaced the shock mount and fixed the brake line and I'm trying to get the car back in drivable condition. The only error on on the instrument cluster is a "service brakes now" message and the service brake light on. There is no ABS light. In the DTC, there is a C1525 code. The research I've done to fix the C1525 code, tells me to CARRY OUT the Brake System Air Bleed Check and/or the Brake System Actuation Control Unit Check using a scan tool. I can get through the Brake System Actuation Control Unit Check unit successfully. When I perform The Brake System Air Bleed Check, the procedure errors out, essentially telling me there is air in the system. I am attempting to clear the air from the brake system by performing the ABS bleed.<br/>
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Thanks for your help!<br/>
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</t></t>
ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
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boulderhybrids
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:53 pm
- Vehicle: 2010 Mariner
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
I've had luck with Ford Escape Hybrids bleeding brakes manually (car off) then clearing codes. Sometimes I use a vacuum bleeder first (car off) then manually bleed them for the 2nd pass.
The "official" scan tool procedure is a royal PITA.
Unless you have a good 45 PSI pressure bleeder you cannot use the Scantool method to bleed the brakes.
The "official" scan tool procedure is a royal PITA.
Unless you have a good 45 PSI pressure bleeder you cannot use the Scantool method to bleed the brakes.
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
Thanks for the response boulderhybrids.
I'm at a loss and I appreciate your suggestion. I'm pretty sure that all the "mechanisms" in the brake system are good and just can't figure out why I can't get through the procedure. I think that there is still air in the system, but not sure either.
I'm going to take your suggestion and just try a manual bleed (car off) once or twice and then try the forscan procedure again.
We'll see. If I have success I'll post it here.
Thanks again for your help!!
I'm at a loss and I appreciate your suggestion. I'm pretty sure that all the "mechanisms" in the brake system are good and just can't figure out why I can't get through the procedure. I think that there is still air in the system, but not sure either.
I'm going to take your suggestion and just try a manual bleed (car off) once or twice and then try the forscan procedure again.
We'll see. If I have success I'll post it here.
Thanks again for your help!!
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tblentrprz
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2020 2:20 am
- Vehicle: 2007 Merc Mariner Hybrid
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
Did you ever get things figured out?
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
I'm having the same problem. How did you get it fixed?
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rottenmango84
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2020 6:07 pm
- Vehicle: Ford 4.0L V6, 2003,
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
Did you find out how to fix it? I'm having the same problem
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
I have registered just to say this bug has not been fixed in over 2 years and you absolutely cannot use forscan to do anything to a ford ABS system or HCU on a ford escape hybrid other than inhale/exhale the VIN number. Forscan is bugged on both the PC version and the Android version.
On the PC version, it happens exactly as the OP said, you get to the point where forscan will tell you to open a bleeder valve, you do this and it'll tell you that you haven't opened it, you retry 3 times and it errors out and stops. This is due to a forscan bug, you can do this process completely fine with IDS software.
On the Android version forscan will not read brake depressions when pressing the brake pedal when you're told to press the brake. Because forscan isn't detecting when you press on the brake, the process can never advance.
You can't use any version of forscan to complete any bleed process on any first gen ford escape hybrid. I replaced my HCU and exhaled/inhaled the VIN right, but cannot do the brake bleed procedure due to bugs in the software. I'll take it to a ford dealership and have them do it, but at least forscan left me replace the HCU without spending $5000 at a dealership. It would be nice if they fixed this bug though.
On the PC version, it happens exactly as the OP said, you get to the point where forscan will tell you to open a bleeder valve, you do this and it'll tell you that you haven't opened it, you retry 3 times and it errors out and stops. This is due to a forscan bug, you can do this process completely fine with IDS software.
On the Android version forscan will not read brake depressions when pressing the brake pedal when you're told to press the brake. Because forscan isn't detecting when you press on the brake, the process can never advance.
You can't use any version of forscan to complete any bleed process on any first gen ford escape hybrid. I replaced my HCU and exhaled/inhaled the VIN right, but cannot do the brake bleed procedure due to bugs in the software. I'll take it to a ford dealership and have them do it, but at least forscan left me replace the HCU without spending $5000 at a dealership. It would be nice if they fixed this bug though.
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
I let air get into the ABS system on my 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid. It was throwing C1524 and C1524 codes. I tried a manual (non-pressure) bleed with FORScan and the problem remained. After reading about the Escape brake system on brake and front end, I gathered that it would take a pressure bleed to get the air out.
I then got a 1 gallon sprayer from a hardware store, a 1/4 npt female tee, a pressure gauge threaded to male 1/4 npt, appropriate size 1/4 NPTxbarb fittings, 5/16 tubing, and an ARES 50.7mm Master Cylinder Adapter to attach to the brake reservoir and made the necessary connections with hose clamps and teflon tape on the threads. The 5/16 tubing and a hose clamp attached nicely to the unique coupling on the ARES adapter. All said, I had $64 in parts to build the pressure bleeder plus $18 for the adapter. By the way, don't try to use the brake reservoir cap that comes on the car, it won't hold pressure. Don't ask how I know. After you buy the adapter, you will see that it seals with an o-ring inside the neck of the reservoir whereas the cap that comes with the car "seals" on the top. You can (at this time) get a 1-gallon pressure bleeder on amazon for $80 if you don't want to rig one up like I did and you would still have to buy the adapter.
I used FORScan to pressure bleed following the instructions. When prompted, I pumped the sprayer tank up to the stated pressure and pumped while a friend pumped the brakes according to the instructions inside the car. With both the pressure and non-pressure bleeds it seemingly glitched out after all the wheels were complete. The progress bar would go to nearly 100% and then reset to a lower value. It took just over 2 quarts of fluid to complete the bleed. I could see it going into 4 like the directions said in FORScan. Sometimes it didn't register brake pedal pulses so some of the lines took more presses. I can't help but wonder if the unregistered pedal presses were related to air coming out of the system. I couldn't watch because I was too busy pumping my rigged up pressure tank.
My friend accidentally unplugged it when he got out of the car so I just went in and did the ABS air check which tested negative for air and then it automatically did the pedal calibration. After that the codes were gone and I took it out and everything was great. I got on a gravel and locked up the wheels a couple of times to make sure the ABS was working properly and indeed it was.
For me, the pressure bleeder was the solution to get the air out of the ABS on this vehicle. I didn't hear much in the way of valves clicking in the ABS during the procedure but at the end it was successful.
P.S. NEVER..... EVER...... let air get in your ABS system. Hope this helps someone!
I then got a 1 gallon sprayer from a hardware store, a 1/4 npt female tee, a pressure gauge threaded to male 1/4 npt, appropriate size 1/4 NPTxbarb fittings, 5/16 tubing, and an ARES 50.7mm Master Cylinder Adapter to attach to the brake reservoir and made the necessary connections with hose clamps and teflon tape on the threads. The 5/16 tubing and a hose clamp attached nicely to the unique coupling on the ARES adapter. All said, I had $64 in parts to build the pressure bleeder plus $18 for the adapter. By the way, don't try to use the brake reservoir cap that comes on the car, it won't hold pressure. Don't ask how I know. After you buy the adapter, you will see that it seals with an o-ring inside the neck of the reservoir whereas the cap that comes with the car "seals" on the top. You can (at this time) get a 1-gallon pressure bleeder on amazon for $80 if you don't want to rig one up like I did and you would still have to buy the adapter.
I used FORScan to pressure bleed following the instructions. When prompted, I pumped the sprayer tank up to the stated pressure and pumped while a friend pumped the brakes according to the instructions inside the car. With both the pressure and non-pressure bleeds it seemingly glitched out after all the wheels were complete. The progress bar would go to nearly 100% and then reset to a lower value. It took just over 2 quarts of fluid to complete the bleed. I could see it going into 4 like the directions said in FORScan. Sometimes it didn't register brake pedal pulses so some of the lines took more presses. I can't help but wonder if the unregistered pedal presses were related to air coming out of the system. I couldn't watch because I was too busy pumping my rigged up pressure tank.
My friend accidentally unplugged it when he got out of the car so I just went in and did the ABS air check which tested negative for air and then it automatically did the pedal calibration. After that the codes were gone and I took it out and everything was great. I got on a gravel and locked up the wheels a couple of times to make sure the ABS was working properly and indeed it was.
For me, the pressure bleeder was the solution to get the air out of the ABS on this vehicle. I didn't hear much in the way of valves clicking in the ABS during the procedure but at the end it was successful.
P.S. NEVER..... EVER...... let air get in your ABS system. Hope this helps someone!
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
The final fix:
So It wasn't over after I made the last post. The next day I got in it and it was throwing codes and checking that there was air in the ABS.
What I figured out is that it would pass the air test when it had the pressure bleeder on it. You can get a commercially made pressure bleeder for about the same as I paid to assemble one from parts as described in my last post.
Anyways, I got the ABS system to return to "normal" mode by running the ABS air check under pressure. Once in normal mode, confirmed by checking DTCs and verifying that none were present for the ABS, still with pressure bleeder pressurized, I cracked the right front bleeder screw with it attached to a bleeder catch bottle and pressed the brake pedal a few times until several codes came up and the ABS went out of normal mode which I could tell by a change in sound of the pump. After this, I closed the bleeder screw, ran the air check under pressure again to clear the codes, then repeated the process with the right rear. I did this because the system is split in two and I believe the right front and right rear are coming from opposite sides of the ABS. I think the trick is getting the pump to run with a bleeder open. I would prefer FORSCAN to do that for you; however, I figured out a trick to get it to work on my own.
Long story short, I ran the air check without bleeder tank pressure and it passed and I'm happily driving again with a very thoroughly flushed ABS system. No less than two gallons of fluid have been through it.
So It wasn't over after I made the last post. The next day I got in it and it was throwing codes and checking that there was air in the ABS.
What I figured out is that it would pass the air test when it had the pressure bleeder on it. You can get a commercially made pressure bleeder for about the same as I paid to assemble one from parts as described in my last post.
Anyways, I got the ABS system to return to "normal" mode by running the ABS air check under pressure. Once in normal mode, confirmed by checking DTCs and verifying that none were present for the ABS, still with pressure bleeder pressurized, I cracked the right front bleeder screw with it attached to a bleeder catch bottle and pressed the brake pedal a few times until several codes came up and the ABS went out of normal mode which I could tell by a change in sound of the pump. After this, I closed the bleeder screw, ran the air check under pressure again to clear the codes, then repeated the process with the right rear. I did this because the system is split in two and I believe the right front and right rear are coming from opposite sides of the ABS. I think the trick is getting the pump to run with a bleeder open. I would prefer FORSCAN to do that for you; however, I figured out a trick to get it to work on my own.
Long story short, I ran the air check without bleeder tank pressure and it passed and I'm happily driving again with a very thoroughly flushed ABS system. No less than two gallons of fluid have been through it.
Re: ABS bleed without pressure bleeder
I'm going to attempt to do this, as Ford has obviously forgotten how to fix their own vehicles, and my experience with this one caused me to buy a Nissan Xterra 4x-pro over a new bronco.
I have purchased 3 tested working used HCU's from ebay from 3 different reputable sellers. Each time I get it, I use forscan to exhale the vin, I remove old HCU and INstall new one, and inhale it into the one i bought. I drive to a ford dealership and have tried 3 different ford dealerships with these 3 different HCU's, and not a single ford dealership can bleed the brakes on a car they manufactured, but they have no issues charging you $200 for each poor attempt they make. Needless to say, this will be the last ford vehicle I ever own.
I will post back after I give this a whack in a week or so, I'm going to buy a power bleeder online instead of making your contraption with the right adaptor, use it to pressurize the system and try to get it to trick the HCU into passing the air check test. Then open the bleeder screw on the one caliper and start pressing the brake, do it with all sides and try for a while to see if I can get it to pass without pressurizing it.
If this doesn't work, off to the junk yard it goes. Never again.
I have purchased 3 tested working used HCU's from ebay from 3 different reputable sellers. Each time I get it, I use forscan to exhale the vin, I remove old HCU and INstall new one, and inhale it into the one i bought. I drive to a ford dealership and have tried 3 different ford dealerships with these 3 different HCU's, and not a single ford dealership can bleed the brakes on a car they manufactured, but they have no issues charging you $200 for each poor attempt they make. Needless to say, this will be the last ford vehicle I ever own.
I will post back after I give this a whack in a week or so, I'm going to buy a power bleeder online instead of making your contraption with the right adaptor, use it to pressurize the system and try to get it to trick the HCU into passing the air check test. Then open the bleeder screw on the one caliper and start pressing the brake, do it with all sides and try for a while to see if I can get it to pass without pressurizing it.
If this doesn't work, off to the junk yard it goes. Never again.