wheel sensor not working need advice

[papasmurfor9]

I have a 99 ranger with 4 wheel abs. the abs light on. my mechanic says my right front sensor is not sending a signal. do I have any option but to the replace the whole hub assembly? I like the 4 wheel abs when on slick mud. it really helps me keep the truck under control.

 

[1996xlt]

You can get away with changing only the sensor (check rock auto), but at that point of disassembly you may as well change the hub out as its likely worn out if its the original.

 

[adsm08]

I would start by checking the bearing to see what kind of shape it is in. In my experience the most common cause for failure of those sensors is the bearing failing and the internals of said bearing moving far enough to wipe out the sensor.

Assuming that the bearing is OK, the sensor can be bought by itself and replaced by itself, but it is common to have the little plastic end break off inside the hole and get stuck. That can be a pain to get out of that happens.

 

[papasmurfor9]

so do I have to remove the hub assembly to change out the abs sensor? if so that gets labor intensive and more costly. both my hub assembly's bearing should be decent. only been on a couple years or so. I'm getting no roar

 

[papasmurfor9]

after some research online it appears this can be done without removing the hub assembly. part is about $65 at autozone with a limited lifetime warranty.

 

[papasmurfor9]

Part is $25 on eBay. Anyone buy one on eBay? How'd it do?

 

[BlackBII]

What brand is the part? And the part number? Have a link?

The cheapest one I see on RockAuto is ~$50, and RockAuto is usually the cheapest.

There are 2wd ones for $25, so make sure it's the right part number.

 

[papasmurfor9]

https://www.ebay.com/i/232108455946

This is the one I bought. I just installed it and the abs lights is still on. Abs still won't work. Any suggestions?

 

[adsm08]

Did you check the bearing? Don't assume it is good because it isn't that old.

There may also be wiring issues involved. Spin the wheel and look for AC voltage at the plug.

 

[papasmurfor9]

The bearing is good. No noise or vibration

 

[1996xlt]

I would start by checking the bearing to see what kind of shape it is in. In my experience the most common cause for failure of those sensors is the bearing failing and the internals of said bearing moving far enough to wipe out the sensor.

Assuming that the bearing is OK, the sensor can be bought by itself and replaced by itself, but it is common to have the little plastic end break off inside the hole and get stuck. That can be a pain to get out of that happens.

This. Just went through the same thing on my 02. I'm assuming it was the original unit with 212K on it, but no noise/play and replaced the sensor a couple of times after it wiped the sensor out. Then it hit me, 'hey dummy, just maaaybe the hub is bad' swapped it out with a new unit (they all come with a new sensor installed) and all is well since.

 

[adsm08]

The bearing is good. No noise or vibration

Only care about play. Play does not always equal noise or vibration.

 

[papasmurfor9]

My bearing seems fine but maybe that is the cause. I'm takin it back to my mechanic this week for him to troubleshoot some more.

 

[papasmurfor9]

Ok I tried two new abs sensors off eBay. Both were damaged by the hub and failed right away. It appears they r too long even with the shim. So once u drive around the end of the sensor is broken off. I installed a brand new hub assembly yesterday and all is good now. It came with abs installed. Btw I had a big rubber o ring leftover. Is it just for the vacuum hub setup and so I don’t need it?