I have a 2000 Ford Ranger 3.0 ext. cab 4x2 and recently just had new brake pads, new rotors, new calipers and brake shoes installed. The problem that i am having is whenever more then 1/3 of the brake pedal is pushed down the anti lock system kicks in and starts "pulsing". Is it suppose to do this? it has nearly caused me to have 2 accidents because of the pulsing and not allowing me to stop as quick as i would like. Is there anyway to get ride of this? It wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't do it when i barely apply pressure to the brakes but like i said anything more then 1/3 of the pedal down and it starts pulsing. I know its suppose to be a "safety" feature but is actually causing more problems and making quick braking impossible. I was going to take it to the ford dealer and see what they had to say but the best advice i have found is from folks on here Thanks for any input in advance!

 

First off, is it 2 or 4 wheel ABS? Secondly, if it IS 4 wheel ABS, did you put ABS rotors on it when you changed them out?
It is not supposed to come on when you just brake or even brake hard. It comes about when you skid one of your tires. Sand on pavement will do it as well as slick roads under hard stops. Ice and snow of course.
If it's 2 wheel ABS then you have one or both of your rear tires skidding or stopping when you apply the brakes. Is you ABS light on in the dash?
If it's 4 wheel ABS then any of the 4 would cause the ABS to come on, but only on the wheel that's skidding.
What you may do is find an empty street or parking lot, maybe hardpack road and try driving it then hard braking it. 15mph should do, take someone with you to watch the tires (from outside of the truck). Check the skid marks and you'll figure out which is having problems.

 

Basically, what Ruffinit said. You should determine if the ABS is activating because one of the wheels locking up, or is it activating for no obvious reason.

If it's activating because a wheel is actually locked up, then you probably have some mechanical problem with your recent brake installation and you need to investigate that. I'm guessing that the problem is in the rear, since those wheels have little weight on them and will lock up much easier.

If it's activating even tho no wheel is locking up, then it's probably a sensor problem and you need to investigate that.

If it's a business that did the brake job, then you should probably return to them for remedial work. It sounds as if the problem is the result of that work.

 

Thanks for all the information, i am not sure if its 2 wheel abs or 4 wheel how do i check that? My old man said he would pay for it as a early birthday present so he took it to the dealer so am not sure what they installed other then what was written down on the receipt. The ABS light dos not come on at all when this happens either. I went out and did some brake tests on drive pavement and any "sudden" braking it still will "pulse". The tires are fairly new and are pretty darn meaty. Is there anyway to just turn it off? Heck my big ole 95 f150 stopped alot quicker and more gentle then this thing dos. I normally step on and off the brakes to stop and obviously doing this prolongs your brake pads but i cant even do that because the "pulsing" effect starts whenever i apply anymore then light pressure. I love this little truck but gosh darn it figures everytime they involve more technology the worse things get Im going to head out and try the braking from 15 mph and see if any lock up.

 

Its been raining for a few days and my brother has been driving the truck but i got a chance to drive it last night. It seems when braking the rear wheels are locking up causing it to slide. The tires are fairly new, is it just that the back end of these trucks is so light it has a hard time with traction? My old 95 f150 weighing in at 6000+ pounds with bald fairly skinny 31x10.5 tires never skid like this.