red_fir_smoke

ABS Modulator Valves are becoming a permanently backordered item.
They are getting almost impossible to find, Ford and GM modulator valves look identical, with the exception of the electrical plug, and they're common as candy wrappers,
In addition I don't hear nearly so many complaints about what was a virtually identical system on Fords.
Has anyone done a comparison of wheel cylinder bore size between manufacturers and adapted the closest ABS valve from another manufacturer to a First Gen?
Or has anyone cleaned and rebuilt an ABS valve?
(Yes I've already read the many exhortations to bypass it, )

bigragu

There's a fella on here named Cougar, maybe he'll pipe in, but I believe he rebuilds them. Where he gets the rebuild kit, I am unsure.

I recently got a newly rebuilt one from rockauto. I got on their mailing list to get notified, and 6 weeks later they notified me that there was one available. So, if your patient, they do turn up.
Or, you can contact Oliver Foster or DeereCountry on this 1stGen site and I'm sure they can hook you up with a good, used part.

mknittle

I ditched mine and couldn't be happier. There has been two times that I can say that if I had kept it The truck would have been wrecked.

1STGENFARMBOY

Same here..................except for the almost crashing part.


but you will notice a difference right away.

cougar

I've been trying to get people to send me theirs, but instead they just throw them away. There is no kit, you just match up the seals. Some you can clean up and reseal, others the bores are so badly pitted the bodies are scrap, but the solenoids may still be good.

peckens

I will have to pull mine apart and see how bad it is. I put mine in a box since it didnt work.

bigragu

And just for an updated report since it's been awhile, and to save someone from searching for the (3) fittings used to bypass are a 90 degree 5/16" IFF brakeline to 1/8"NPT Male, a 90 degree fitting that 3/16" IFF brakeline to 1/8"NPT Male, and a union 1/8" NPT, the ones used for brakeline.

red_fir_smoke

The previous owner already deleted the modulator, the rear end (3") locks up easily, long before the disks are fully engaged.
On pavement they lock up on wet, on ice they almost prohibit stopping the truck as the disks are still almost freewheeling.
My wife and kid use this truck so I'm not really interested in a manual valve needing a judgement call when to increase pressure.
The Kelsey Hayes system was used on many rigs and seems identical with the exception of orifice size and software program,

red_fir_smoke

@ Cougar

Have you had any other manufacturers units apart? Do you think it would be viable to take a unit for a Ford F250, and patch the wiring harness together?

mknittle

I don't Have any locking problems with my rears with no RWAL.

cougar

No, only the ones on the 1st gens.

bigragu

Red Fir- does your brake light on the dash work? Does it ever come on when braking? If so, that metering valve inside the differential valve is slipping off center possibly, and may be closing off hydraulic pressures to the front.

If you don't score on a RWAL MODULE in your quest, and have to just deal with what you have, I would see if someone put in the 1 1/8" or 1 3/16" upgraded wheel cylinders, that companioned the 3" wide shoes in that modification upgrade. More than likely you have them. Downsize back down to the 7/8" wheel cylinders, as I did just recently due to extreme lock up( big story behind this, just trust me in it). Downsizing the wheel cylinders helped a lot. I still kept the 3" wide shoes. You'll still have great brakes, a much higher pedal, the response time will be quicker cause your not needing to push so much fluid as you did with the larger cylinders, and a lot of that scary braking will go away.

red_fir_smoke

Thanks, My brake light does work and I've never seen it light up after the start cycle.
I'll check the bore diameter.