ABS sensor replacement

[Gothmolly]

Other than PB Blaster and a hammer, is there a good way to get the ABS sensor off the back of the wheel hub?

 

[sisyphus]

A torch.

 

[P2B]

Other than PB Blaster and a hammer, is there a good way to get the ABS sensor off the back of the wheel hub?

Front or rear? For the rear ones I use a cold chisel to cut off the pickup end, and a punch to knock out the remains. Similar for the front, but they are a bit harder to get at as the tone ring is in the way.

 

[Tdijarhead]

Chisel, hammer, punch, drill, torch, round file, whatever it takes to get the job done. Up here in the northern salt belt those sensors become part of the hub and they do not come loose without destroying them.

 

[tgray]

yes they are a pain. The idea is to get it out whatever it takes. At least they are not a metal housing. They get old and break, so no worries about destroying it. I have used a drill to destroy the old sensor and help it out. Then, sometimes the new ones I bought wouldn't even fit the hole right but I was able to sand them down.

 

[P2B]

sometimes the new ones I bought wouldn't even fit the hole right but I was able to sand them down.

This is a good thing because the bolt that holds them in place has a habit of breaking when you try to remove it. The fact that new sensors are a tight fit saves you the hassle of trying to extract the broken bolt.

 

[Tdijarhead]

I don’t sand my new sensor down, the reason I suggest a small round file (chainsaw file) is to clean up the hole that the sensor sits in. Filing out the rust and any other left over debris from the sensor removal. Then some never seize for the bolt, I have also used never seize on the barrel of the sensor but as of yet I’ve not had to replace one that I tried that on so I don’t know if it works on the sensor itself.

 

[Zak99b5]

As noted above, rears aren’t too bad if you cut off the protruding part then drive out the rest with a good punch.

On the front I again cut it off flush with the knuckle. Then I used a long thin punch that fit through a hole in the tone ring. It’s not big enough to drive it out, but it mashes it up and helps break the bond and relieve the pressure. Then I used a larger punch angled over the tone ring to get it all out.

I wish I had thought about filing the opening to remove the rust, but I just put red grease on the sensors and lovingly tapped them in with a hammer, making sure the bolt hole was lined up correctly.

 

[compu_85]

I made a video of this in 2010:

Yes, I had to torch the plastic out of the hub.

-J

 

[csstevej]

Lol I do both … i use a dremel with either a small drum stone or the small sanding drum to clean and slightly open the hole and I also sand the sensor down a little….especially the ridge that runs the length and then I use antisize ….but that’s me.

 

[Gothmolly]

Thanks guys, it ended up raining on me so I packed it in. The backing plate that it sits in is mostly cobwebs and rust at this point, one good sneeze will rip the whole thing off,. I'm going to pay someone since I dont have the luxury of time. $5 says they demolish the backing plate (dust shield??) and will be unable to replace.

 

[fatmobile]

Get a couple dust shields before you do the job.
They are about $20 each from ID parts.

 

[PakProtector]

Fronts are indeed a PITA unless you do the hub bearing replacement. Only time I did this was due to a tone ring failure, so bearing was getting The Treatment anyway. IFF you get a hub with countersunk bolts holding the tone ring on, suggest removing each bolt, goobering it up with Loctite 648 and re-installing to Goot-n-tite torque spec. For the sensor, drive it out and sand its hole, then anti-sieze its bolt. Should not be too bad. Like mentioned above, if you break the bolt, do not sand...you'll either have to remove it( in which case go ahead and sand so it drops in and takes a new bolt), or count on the force fit. Guess this will turn to another, dislike rust thread if we get carried away...LOL

Douglas

 

[Gothmolly]

Get a couple dust shields before you do the job.
They are about $20 each from ID parts.

Sure, if I was going to be replacing the whole stub axle parts too.

 

[P2B]

Here in the salt belt rear tone rings seem to last at least as long, if not longer, after the dust shields have rotted away.

I have had a new set on the shelf for years. Whenever l am tempted to install them one look at the state of the stub axle bolt heads changes my mind

 

[fatmobile]

You can pull the bearings, fix everything, then put them back on.
I think that's how I put new shields on.
The race stays on the center stub but slides back into the bearing/seal when reinstalled.

Some SP-400 or LPS3 or fluid film would help protect the tone rings.
I think rust is their biggest destroyer.

 

[Zak99b5]

I wouldn't reinstall a rear wheel bearing after pulling it off because of the seal. Just replace with new--they aren't terribly expensive.

I also looked at the bolts for my spash shields on the rear, shrugged, and said forget it.

Good idea though to put some fluid film or similar on the tone rings.

 

[Gothmolly]

Steps:
Remove tire
Remove caliper, hang with a wire off your shock bumpstop
Remove wheel
Hammer with small chisel on ABS sensor until it crumbles/disintegrates. Pick bits out of wheel with needlenose. Hammer with drift or punch on sensor body in dust shield/backer to get the whole body of it out
clean out hole with rag, compressed air, finger, feel for burrs, etc, fix if not smooth
carefully line up new sensor (the screw hole will need to match perfectly)
gently and gradually hammer the new sensor in 1/32" at a time until its mostly in - it will NOT go in easy
put screw in screw hole, tighten screw gradually to skosh the whole piece into the hole until it sits flush with the backing plate
Replace wheel
Replace caliper
Replace tire

Took me 1.5 hours in the dark

 

[PakProtector]

am betting the wheel-tire assembly took 1.4 of those hours.

Or wheel actually should be interpreted as 'brake disc'. Which is not nuts, since the turbine and compressor bits are referred to as wheels and whilst possessed of round-ish parts should not be confused with the wheel/tire assembly that interfaces suspension with the road...

Douglas

 

[Gothmolly]

Another thing to note, I got the part from Auto Parts Plus, it looks super generic.

 

[jimbote]

Nope.