Front ABS Sensor Chewed Up Again!

[ERIC]

Originally posted by Ray Lobato
Hey Eric,
Did you replace the whole assembly or just the sensor on the front? Also what was the reason for replacing the rear sensor?

Ray, I replaced the whole assemby because there turned out to be a broken seal on the inside of the hub...I frankly handed that over to the dealer as it was more of a job than i could handle. In the process, both the exciter ring and sensor were replaced.

The rear sensor turned out to be bad one, so I replaced that one at the same time.

Basically, I was wrong about the front sensor having been replaced incorrectly, so I gotta eat some humble pie on that issue. Well, it isn't the first time...probably won't be the last! ;-)

 

[gbeck]

How did you determine which sensor was causing the problem?

 

[ERIC]

Originally posted by gbeck
How did you determine which sensor was causing the problem?

Had an ABS light on the dash...read the code.

 

[gbeck]

Mine never lights the ABS light. It doesn't show any codes. I guess that is common for the slow speed activation problem.

 

[ERIC]

I had the slow speed false activation problem a couple of years ago, and that was exactly the case...no light and no code. Just in case you weren't aware of it, there is a tech advisory out on this problem.

 

[SWLathrop]

Problem with the hubs is that the grease seal usually leaks and packs the exciter ring with grease. Then the sensor gets a false reading. This is what happened with my 97 Sport. Just replaced both hubs last month. If you only replace a sensor, then YES you need to replace the other. Reason being is that in 1998 Ford revised the signal strength of the sensors. Thus if you replace a bad sensor with the new type, then the other "GOOD" sensor now becomes a bad sensor because it generates a weaker signal then the new one and the problem will still exist.

 

[ERIC]

Originally posted by SWLathrop
If you only replace a sensor, then YES you need to replace the other. Reason being is that in 1998 Ford revised the signal strength of the sensors.

FWIW, in 1999, I replaced both front sensors. In 2001, I replaced one front sensor. Should not be a problem since the other sensor was replaced after 1998. However, in 2001 I also replaced just one rear sensor...the other one is a 1996 sensor...and everything is working fine. If someone were replacing sensors, I'd recommend at least trying to do it one at a time. Even if the vehicle is being serviced at the dealer, it would only take a couple of minutes for them to determine if it works OK. Considering the cost of replacing sensors, this makes sense to me based on my own experience.