Ford Ranger Pickup With Load Compensator Problem

[helicoptor]

I have had an opinion from a farang mechanic friend of mine who recently visited me for a holiday, he had a 'test' drive of my pickup and informed me when braking sharply, especially in the wet, the back is all over the place.

This is due to the load compensator

I cannot get this across to the Thai mechanic at the garage

Any suggestions?

[sbk]

Is there another word for load compensator? My husband looked in his ford ranger manual and can't find anything like that. Just a statement that if you overload your vehicle it can cause problems with the steering, struts, shocks and brakes.

[soandso]

I know anything about a load compensator and I think the question is not about overloading but braking hard with no load at all.

My New Ranger required me to get used to the hard braking behaviour because it's my first pick-up and the ABS has not the same effect as in sedans.

The car is really moving to the left and right while braking hard. But I guess it's quite normal for a pick-up, or not?

[Crossy]

Not even sure if it has a load compensator, AFAIK the ABS takes care of balancing front-rear braking effort (I could be totally mistaken here mind).

My Ranger is quite lively on the back when empty, the ABS fires up even in the dry if you stand on the anchors hard. Nothing you can't control though, a couple of bags of sand in the bed makes things more manageable

EDIT A question, has your mechanic friend ever driven a pickup before? If he was comparing it to a saloon (sedan) I can understand his concern as the pickup is considerably more 'interesting'.

EDIT 2 The load compensator, found in estates / station wagons reduces the braking effort on the rear wheels under lightly loaded conditions, preventing lock-ups, that's why i suspect the ABS now performs the same function.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Crossy

[helicoptor]

Not even sure if it has a load compensator, AFAIK the ABS takes care of balancing front-rear braking effort (I could be totally mistaken here mind).

My Ranger is quite lively on the back when empty, the ABS fires up even in the dry if you stand on the anchors hard. Nothing you can't control though, a couple of bags of sand in the bed makes things more manageable

EDIT A question, has your mechanic friend ever driven a pickup before? If he was comparing it to a saloon (sedan) I can understand his concern as the pickup is considerably more 'interesting'.

A good question, I honestly do not know, he did act like a joy rider when I let him have a ride in it, its not the way I drive anyway, but the seed was planted; if I ever had to brake hard which is likely around these here parts, I would like to think I can keep control of the beast.

[Crossy]

A good question, I honestly do not know, he did act like a joy rider when I let him have a ride in it, its not the way I drive anyway, but the seed was planted; if I ever had to brake hard which is likely around these here parts, I would like to think I can keep control of the beast.

Mine certainly snakes quite considerably under heavy (unloaded) braking and the din that the ABS makes is initially disconcerting. But it's never felt as if I hadn't got full control over where it was going

Like I noted earlier, bung a couple of bags of sand in the bed (tie them down so they won't move), you'll note a considerable improvement.

[helicoptor]

cheers crossy will try that, as always good advice

[Pomthai]

On my D-Max it has ABS & EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) this might be what your mate is referring to as Load Compensator. Mention that to the garage & get it checked out. I don't feel I have the same loose back end on mine as some posters have commented. Maybe because its a four door and more balanced or this EBD thingy works well. Dunno.

[Daffy D]

In a former life I once had a Ford van with a brake compensator that was situated in the brake line near the rear axle.

The purpose as “CROSSY” pointed out “reduces the braking effort on the rear wheels under lightly loaded conditions, preventing lock-ups” and yes I would think that ABS performs the same function.

I never really studied or worried about it but I don’t believe there was an adjustment on the unit.

Couple of bags of sand in the back of a new vehicle are a good idea to keep the back end down. Just make sure they are secure and don’t slide forward under severe braking and upset your whole balance at that point in time.

D.D.

[Lickey]

Uk Ford vans, escort and transit do have adjustable {although minimal} load sensing valves on the back axle, very prone to siezing and only picked up at mot time.

Youve only got to look at a pick-up here and you will notice all the weight is on the front axle, including 50% of any in cab passengers, under heavy braking in an empty truck of course the back end is going to get skittish [loose] the weight transfer onto the front axle tends to lift the back end, possibly topping out the shock absorbers, so if you dont use a pick-up for what its designed for, why not buy a decent car, estate or otherwise?

Just a thought, Lickey.

[Farma]

My work car is a 4 door ford ranger base model. It’s the second one I’ve had in the past 4 years. It’s regularly serviced by a dealer so I haven’t had problems with the rear wheels locking up.

I’m fairly certain there’s a load compensator valve fitted in the system. I know the rear end locks up easily if I brake with an empty tray while towing a load. With or without a load and not towing it takes a lot of effort to get the rear wheels to lock.

Previously I had Toyota hilux’s at work and the load compensator valves were always causing problems. Slight touch on the brakes would make the rear right wheel lock up.

For peace of mind take it to the dealer and say the rear wheels lock up. Any decent mechanic should know the fault straight away.

Edited April 21, 2007 by Farma