Question: I love my 2000 Ford F150 XL short bed regular cab pickup. My heart swells every time I look at it, but there is one problem that concerns me greatly. Every time the truck gets wet — even slightly — and I use the brakes, they tend to lock up and the truck skids or fishtails a bit. This can happen while driving through rain, first thing in the morning or even after washing the truck. These brakes are very sensitive to the slightest bit of moisture. The lockup happens for only a few seconds, but even in that short period of time, the loss of control is very disconcerting. I've driven the truck about 8,000 miles so far, and I haven't asked the dealership about this yet. Do you guys have any idea what's causing this? — Christopher

Ray: Yeah, it's your brakes.

Tom: Very helpful, Dick Tracy.

Ray: OK, it's your drum brakes, which come standard on the rear wheels of the base version of this truck. This is a funny phenomenon. Usually when drum brakes get wet, they get slippery and don't stop the car. But when drum brakes get just a little bit wet, they grab and lock up.

Tom: Why? We don't know, but this is a classic case of moist drum brakes. Your symptoms are textbook!

Ray: But you also have antilock brakes (ABS) on the rear wheels of this truck (they're also standard on the base model). And ABS is supposed to sense wheel lockup as it happens and release and reapply the brakes rapidly to prevent skidding.

Tom: So there are several possibilities here. One is that your ABS system isn't doing squat.

Ray: A second possibility is that the mechanical portion of your braking system is malfunctioning, preventing the ABS from releasing the drum brakes quickly enough.

Tom: But the third and most likely possibility is that, since you bought the cheapest possible version of this truck and you got only rear ABS, the ABS is working fine, and this is as good as it gets.

Ray: That's why we advise against rear-only ABS. The way four-wheel ABS works is by comparing the speeds of all the wheels, and if one's going slower than the other three, the ABS assumes that wheel is locking up, and it corrects it. But if the ABS is only comparing the rear wheels to each other, and both rear wheels happen to lock up, the ABS thinks everything is fine, and you skid.

Tom: In any case, I'd definitely head over to your Ford dealer and ask a mechanic to check out your brake system. If he tells you that it's working as well as it possibly can, then ask him why Ford sold you a truck with this stupid, inadequate, rear-only ABS on it.

Ray: And if he can't help you, putting some weight in the back of the truck might make a big difference. Good luck, Christopher.

Question: We have three vehicles, which are parked in our driveway (we don't have a garage). Rats have hit them pretty hard. I've had to replace the main radiator hose on my Forrester three times in just a few days. My van is now in the shop for numerous hoses and wiring damage. Someone suggested putting mothballs in the engine compartment, which I did. But a rat gnawed a huge hole in the radiator hose, right next to the mothballs. I have a pest guy coming, and I'm sure he'll reduce the local rat population, but I'm worried that my vehicles will eventually get hit again. Any suggestions? — Jim

Tom: We don't know much about rats, Jim, except that they're persistent . . . and adaptable . . . and they multiply like crazy. So I think you did the right thing by calling a professional. He'll undoubtedly look around and tell you if there are environmental factors at work, like construction nearby or loose garbage.

Ray: But if there's nothing that's specifically attracting them to your neighborhood or displacing them from their homes nearby, then the pest control probably WILL be only temporary.

Tom: So what do you do? You need some sort of early warning system. Something to let you know when the rats are back for more radiator snacks.

Ray: I've got it! Jim needs sacrificial radiator hoses.

Tom: Of course! Jim, you need to go to the junkyard and buy 100 old radiator hoses. Then lay them in a circle around all three cars. It'll be like a radiator-hose moat.

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Ray: Right. And always park inside the moat. Then when you start to see the "early warning hoses" getting gnawed on, you'll know it's time to call the pest-control guy again. I love it.

Tom: Me, too. I have only one question: Is there even the remotest chance it'll work?

Ray: I don't know. Jim, write back and let us know.


The Magliozzi brothers' radio show, "Car Talk," can be heard Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at noon on KUER FM 90.1, and on KCPW 88.3/105.1 FM Saturdays at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. If you have a question about cars, write to Click and Clack Talk Cars c/o King Features Syndicate, 235 East 45th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. You can e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk section of the Web site www.cars.com.

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