Has anybody replaced an ABS sensor? If you did, how did you do it?
Did you have to disconnect the battery?
Did you have to take caliper/torque member off?
etc. etc.
Does ECU need to be reset after this?

Thanks!

 

i've had mine replaced, but not by me. it was replaced (along with my suspension) after my brakes failed and i hit a curb. but, i know they didn't reset the ecu, because i had the SES light for the drop resistor being unplugged before the accident, and it was still there after i got it back from the shop.

 

ok, before you start flaming me - I know this thread is old, but I recycle

My ABS light just came on and the dealership quoted me $233 to replace the r/f abs sensor. I told them to hump a log and figured that I'd try and replace it myself. There is not too much about this on the forum, so I thought I'd ask. What do I need to do to replace it? From what I understand/read is that I need to take the wheel off, the caliper off, unplug the old, plug in the new, replace the caliper and the wheel then, voi-la.... the abs light goes off.

Is this generally right? Anything I should be mindful of?

This repair is on top of $866 for rear brakes from a frozen caliper .... I had to do it, I was on vacation

Thanks!

 

Are you sure the sensor is fried? The ABS light was on in my Vic but it turned out to be a shorted wire leading to it. Every time it got wet the ABS light came on.

 

I'm not sure. I read elsewhere that it may just need to be cleaned. I priced them out and found a new OEM for $165 which didn't seem too bad but if it's a cleaning that just needs to be done I'm all for that! I'm actually going to change my oil so I'm going to poke around the area and see if that will do the trick. I've never seen an ABS sensor so I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

I have the Haynes book so I'll look in there too!

 

A Bad wheel bearing is usually the culprit that kicks on a abs light, in the rare case a sensor goes bad, Take off your wheel, follow the wire to the hub, theres 1 bolt that holds it in place, remove said bolt, remove sensor, replace. very easy procedure.

 

try cleaning it before you replace it. it just could dirty.

 

I tried to replace the front right ABS sensor but listen to my tale of woe... We get the wheel off and examine the new sensor. It turns out to be for the rear passenger side. We decide to try and take the right front off and clean it, but after about 30 minutes of gently trying to get a screwdriver behind the sensor, we finally get a piece of it off. we spray it with wd40 and move on. about 45 minutes later, we come back and begin to pry it again. Well, we got the sensor off, but well, the actual sensor is stuck inside. Yes, that's right - the sensor broke off. After we realized what happened, we simply put the sensor back on (what we could) and replaced the bolt that keeps it on.

My question/issue is: what is my next option? I'm thinking I'm going to have to take it to the stealership where they are going to gang rape me for breaking it. Then tell me how dumb I was for trying.

Has anyone else run into a similar situation? Any suggestions?

 

by their very nature, those sensors are quite hard to remove. Don't try pulling on it, you won't get it out. Only hope is to get a flathead screwdriver in between it and the metal ring. The key with the sensor is not to apply too much pressure in any one direction. You want to push it out, not wiggle it out side to side.

My suggestion, buy a replacement, even if you just want to try and clean it. Call Dave B, he'll hook you up for around $100. Not bad considering my dealership wanted $500 for a replacement sensor.

maxima_million : just bore the old sensor out. Get a drill and a fair-sized bit and drill it out. I broke mine trying to remove it as well. Not a big deal, don't worry.

I put a bit of anti-seize on the new sensor, in case I have to remove it again, but realistically, I just expect them to be extremely difficult to remove. Shouldn't be any need to remove anything but the wheel. Don't have to take off the caliiper or anything. My only suggestion would be, if you're replacing the left sensor, turn your wheels to the right, so as to expose the sensor and make working with it easier. Vice versa for the other side (front sensors only, obviously.)

edit: the abs system should reset itself once the sensor is fixed. However, I found that the light actually came back on after a few miles of driving. don't worry - just unplug the ABS system fuses. This should really reset everything and you'll be good to go.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to do this, but it certainly sounds like a solid plan! I'll keep you posted!

 

which fuses are there? tried today to reset it but it didnt work
any hack to find out which sensor is bad?

 

maxima million, i dont know if you would have room, but if you do i would suggest drilling a hole in the sensor, then threading a screw or tapping bolt into it and pulling it from there.

 

I unplugged (2) fuses underneath the hood. Shows you which fuses are what on the cover of the unit. Should be (2) abs ones.

I took my car to the dealership to get them to diagnose. There is a way of grounding one of the connector pins so your OBDII reader can pull it, though.. search for a thread.