My 2003 mercury mountaineer ABS light is staying on. manually, the brakes work however they shimmy.changed the brake pads,checked the brake fluid and ABS fuse,bud when changing the pads,did now clean the wheel sensors.could this be the problem with out a diagnstic tool to checl?

The ABS system has very little to do with the brake pads/shoes themselves. It is a sensor-based system that senses when a wheel locks up and uses solenoids to release brake pressure to the skidding wheel to regain traction and thus help maintain control. You need to have the wheel sensors checked. It is not uncommon to damage a sensor dislodge sensor wiring when performing brake work. There are other issues that can also cause ABS damage as well.

check fluid and pads and clean the abs sensors

Possibly has a bad wheel speed sensor or has a problem with the ABS control module and/or pump. Need to have the ABS codes pulled by a service center. Also, some auto parts stores can pull codes and may be able to pull ABS codes.

Look at your brake master cylinder, open the top to it, and check your brake fluid. If low, that is why the brake light is on. Or check to see if your emergency brake is pushed in. Check your fuses for the cruise control. Hope this helps, James Booth

ABS--is a Braking System, that has a Malfunction

Nothing to do with your brake pads,rotors etc.

Needs to be diagnosed and repaired ,as soon
as a few days, so as to restore proper braking

I think you should get the Tierod ends checked. When you get a Front-end alignment, the mechanic will check them. Although you turned the front Rotors, when you start Braking the front tires can wander differently than when they freewheel.

Sometimes you can get a rust problem on the Rotors that were just made shiny. Moisture on the pads imprints a rust blotch on the Rotor and they grab at the rust until the rust wears down. Then they are ok.

When the rear Rotors were replaced check your bill and see if the Emergency brake shoes were changed. The E brakes should have been adjusted when the Rotors were replaced. The Shimmy you describe can also be the ABS working. The ABS is a pulsating Brake action.

Get your front-end checked first, then as the mechanic road tests it when the Alignment is complete, he can judge the brakes.,

Anti lock brakes have many sensors that could fail, also some cars have a seperate brake fluid resevoir for ABS. If you have a second resevior labeled ABS check the fluid it may just be low. I am no expert in brakes, but I d know you will save money in the long run if you go to a guy who is rather than someone who troubleshoots by replacing parts out of your pocket. Also, what make and model is your car?

Could be just a sensor dirty, or bad connection. Who did the brakes?

Abs and dsc are related and with the light on these won't work. It is possible that you need to go back to where the work was done to look this over.

abs sensor or just code stored in computer have vehicle scanned at parts store for free