ABS Wheel sensors 2000 Chev. Silverado

[michaelpettersen82]

Anyone have any tips how to clean the speed sensor on this vehicle. I have had several recalls to clean theese speed sensors and they have been done, but now my ABS has been locking up on dry pavement so I have taken my ABS fuse out to keep it from activating constanly. I have talked to a chev. dealership and they tell me GM takes theese in on a "case by case" basis and if GM doesnt cover it I will owe them $165 for the inspection. I would rather remidy the situation on my own if possible, but i heard that replacing the sensors does not remedy the issue if there is corrosion in the hub connection, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

[Big Buck Buster]

Is your ABS warning lamp on all the time? The sensor itself can not be cleaned, only the connector to it. The sensor is part of the wheel bearing assembly.

The diagnosis for this should be done with a scanner in order to watch which sensor is causing the issue.

One possibility could be a wire that is shorting out(rubbed through).

Does it do it when turning and braking, at slow speed while braking, when hitting bumps while braking?

There can be a lot of possibilities for this.

[Jeremy airjer W]

The sensors in the front are serviceable. I forgot if it is a torx or hex bolt that holds them in. Unfortunately we live in Minnesota and the winters wreak havoc on the metals that surround the sensor. If you lucky enough to get it out without breaking it than they want you to clean the area under where the sensor mounting surface mates to the hub of all the rust. Then apply a little di-electric grease and reinstall the sensor. What can happen is there can be enough corrosion in this area to increase the gap between the sensor and the exciter so enough that the sensor can no longer create a signal.

I agree that a scan tool is the best option to identify the wheel that is dropping out and then concentrate your efforts on that wheel. If cleaning the area doesn't work than I would replace the the hub assembly. Yes its more money but you get a fresh sensor and a fresh exciter ring along with a new bearing and hub. If you have ever taken an old hub apart it wouldn't surprise you as to why the sensors stop working!

[Macgyver55]

The sensors in the front are serviceable. I forgot if it is a torx or hex bolt that holds them in. Unfortunately we live in Minnesota and the winters wreak havoc on the metals that surround the sensor. If you lucky enough to get it out without breaking it than they want you to clean the area under where the sensor mounting surface mates to the hub of all the rust. Then apply a little di-electric grease and reinstall the sensor. What can happen is there can be enough corrosion in this area to increase the gap between the sensor and the exciter so enough that the sensor can no longer create a signal.

I agree that a scan tool is the best option to identify the wheel that is dropping out and then concentrate your efforts on that wheel. If cleaning the area doesn't work than I would replace the the hub assembly.

As usual Jer is right on! They are usually a hex bolt and I've been pretty lucky in never breaking one. I've done several of these and cleaning them usually works, assuming the hub assembly is good. After pulling the sensor, I usually put a small piece of paper towel in the sensor hole to keep debris from getting into the bearing area. Then, I use a piece of emery cloth to sand the mating surface on the hub until clean metal can be seen and then clean off the sensor. Apply the dielectric grease lightly, remove the piece of paper towel and reinstall.

Without a scan tool you wont know which is the problem, but doing both will take care of that.

[BoxMN]

I have 98 and mine was doing it. There was a recall on some years, but mine to too "old" and GM told me that the ABS in my year was fine... heh. I had scan done, but it kept saying ABS was fine, but it was clearly doing the same thing as you mention, ABS kicking in at low speeds on dry pavement.

I found a place that knew what I was talking about and they fixed both sides, I believe as mentioned above, for $200. I has worked worked fine now for about 5 years.

Good luck.

[Big Buck Buster]

Originally Posted By: airjer

The sensors in the front are serviceable. I forgot if it is a torx or hex bolt that holds them in. Unfortunately we live in Minnesota and the winters wreak havoc on the metals that surround the sensor. If you lucky enough to get it out without breaking it than they want you to clean the area under where the sensor mounting surface mates to the hub of all the rust. Then apply a little di-electric grease and reinstall the sensor. What can happen is there can be enough corrosion in this area to increase the gap between the sensor and the exciter so enough that the sensor can no longer create a signal.

I agree that a scan tool is the best option to identify the wheel that is dropping out and then concentrate your efforts on that wheel. If cleaning the area doesn't work than I would replace the the hub assembly.

As usual Jer is right on! They are usually a hex bolt and I've been pretty lucky in never breaking one. I've done several of these and cleaning them usually works, assuming the hub assembly is good. After pulling the sensor, I usually put a small piece of paper towel in the sensor hole to keep debris from getting into the bearing area. Then, I use a piece of emery cloth to sand the mating surface on the hub until clean metal can be seen and then clean off the sensor. Apply the dielectric grease lightly, remove the piece of paper towel and reinstall.

Without a scan tool you wont know which is the problem, but doing both will take care of that.

I must be one of the "unlucky ones" on that part. Every time I try to remove the bolt, it snaps off, and end up replacing the hub assembly anyway. I don't even mess with trying to clean them anymore.

[michaelpettersen82]

Thank all you guys for your help, worked like a charm! Boy those things sure get rusted around. Dealer wanted to charge me over $200 just for the inspection, I did it myself in 2 Hours, would have been sooner but one of the o-rings broke so I had to go to the parts store and find a replacement for it. But thanks to you guys I saved myself $200 plus. I really appreciate it! Mike