Ford: 1998 Ford Taurus Sedan - ABS and Cruise, cruise control system, speed sensors

Question
I have two problems and not sure if they are related.  For about 18 months now my ABS light comes on and goes off periodically.  The Technician at both the dealership and Midas told me to diagnos the problem I had to bring it in while the ABS light was on.  I brought to each of them with the ABS Light on and both said they could not access the ABS codes.  Then my Cruise control stopped working.  During my last regular servicing I mentioned this to the mechanic and he came out later and told me the cable was loose.  Now Cruise control works however, when I have cruise on and pull down to signal a right lane change the cruise control disengages.  When I push up to indicate a left lane change, it does not disengage.  Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Answer
Hi Kevin!

 To be honest, I doubt that these two problems are directly related.  For the ABS, your car has sensors to tell the car how fast each wheel is travelling.  These sensor are located at each wheel, or at the differential.  You may want to get these sensors checked.  As well, each wheel has a valve to allow the brake fluid to reach the brake at a controlled amount.  The ABS computer (called the controller)watches the speed sensors and controls the valves.  If one or more of the valves are working properly, then the controller will light up the ABS light on your dash.  You might even notice that the ABS light comes on more often when the road conditions aren't good.  With poor road conditions, the ABS system has to apply greater force to each brake, so a faulty valve or sensor would be more noticable.  Just to let you know, this is not the first time I've heard of ABS problems with the '98 Taurus.  The pump is the machine that pushes fluid towards each brake.  Make sure the mechanics check to see that the pump is working properly, and it is not clogged with any debris.

 Now, your cruise control system actually has two cables, so either of them could have been loose.  One is attached to your gas pedal, and one is attached to a vacuum actuator.  Both of these are connected to a pivot that contols the throttle valve, which controls how much air is allowed into the engine.  This is how your speed is controlled.  None of this is directly connected to your turn signals.  Your best bet is to take the car in to a garage and tell them exactly what is happening here.  I have never heard of anything like that problem before, and I can't think of why that is happening.  

I hope I was of some help to you.