Mk.1 Abs Sensor Queries

[Kevinb]

Hi everyone,

 

I've followed other posters' very helpful advice and run diagnostics on the car and found there is an intermittent reading from the front left sensor.

 

Okay, on the face of it I'm thinking a new ABS sensor lead, but have also read the toothed ring (coming loose) can also be a common issue.

 

Is a loose ring likely to give an intermittent reading in peoples' experience (bearing in mind the car was not in motion and I was not bouncing around(!) when the diagnostics were run? If the ring is the fault, how easy are they to resecure? I'm assuming it's a "driveshaft out" job as I can't see any other way of re-securing it? How easy is it to check the ring for fitting etc? My Haynes manual doesn't seem to make any reference to the 

 

Given the proximity to the road surface, I'm also assuming these leads take a fair amount of punishment and so can go wrong over time. However, are they known as a "common fault" in Galaxies at all?

 

Any other helpful advice/recommendations?

 

Many thank in advance,

 

Kevin

[xavier]

the wires in the sensor units corrode and swell, pushing the sensor tips towards the ring, contacting them then bending them (and ultimately bending so far a reading can't be taken). I'd say they are a common fault.

[Kevinb]

Hi Xavier,

 

Many apologies for not replying to your post, I didn't see that I had been replied to. I found the probable cause of the issue - the reluctor ring has broken and needs replacing.

 

However, the garage I spoke with reckoned the warning light staying on probably meant I had a fault elsewhere as the light should go out once the ABS management system has run it's tests and concluded everything was fine, and then light up once the car is moving and it sees the connection is intermittent. This seems to disagree with a few posts I've seen on the forum which seem to indicate the light will stay on until the system sees it working fine (ie after a repair).

 

Any thoughts?

 

Kevin

[SilverBeast]

I believe you are correct.  I also recall seeing that the car has to be driven for a while before the system decides that the system is functioning correctly.  Driving over 20mph? rings a bell.

[xavier]

When I replaced a faulty sensor, the light stayed on after replacing but after driving 20 meters or so went out. By the way, you should be able to buy a replacement reductor ring itself, you shouldn't need to replace the driveshaft.

[SilverBeast]

...however new driveshafts are about £35 on ebay with a 2 year guarantee and it's easier and less messy than changing changing just the ring.

[paul4617]

I have just changed a ring on my car, it took about 1/2 hour. it is reasonably easy to do. the ring cost about £2.50 on e-bay

[amagnu2012]

Just to add a note here, I had a light on fault and thought it was the abs pump, turned out to be the fuse in the engine bay. there are 2 there that are abs related, check these too.

[xavier]

paul, just discovered my faulty sensor is actually a faulty ring. How did you get it on in 1/2 an hour, did you use some sort of adhesive? Cheers!

[gizmo.john]

this is what you nead it very easy to put on, take your cv joint of, take old abs ring of, clean were the ring goes, then heat the new ring with a blow tourch till its red and then put it in place let it cool and its ready to fit the cv joint back

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-GALAXY-ABS-RING-ABS-RELUCTOR-RING-DRIVESHAFT-ABS-RING-/140633741072?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item20be6c9710

[xavier]

Thanks. Also found the FAQ post which shows the repair, seems "a doddle" so will leave it until I have a free week! Just in case!

[sparky Paul]

Not a difficult job really. I didn't even take the CV joints off when I did mine, I left the CV and driveshaft in situe. Just take the driveshaft bolt out, separate the bottom balljoint from the hub, remove the driveshaft from the hub and remove the old ring. Remove the scale from the CV casing and carefully tap the new ring on, heating up first if necessary - then reassemble.

 

Don't forget to renew the driveshaft bolt on reassembly, it's a stretch bolt and shouldn't be reused.

 

If the sensor is damaged and also has to be replaced, they can be fun to remove - it's easiest done with the driveshaft removed from the hub.

Edited June 28, 2013 by sparky Paul

[Kevinb]

Everyone,

 

Cheers for your input into my query. It seems my dad has also got this problem, on a Chrysler Neon so it's reassuring I'm not the only one... He was told to to go Chrysler as they have "special tools" to diagnose the problem. Uh huh....

 

Based upon the diagnostic tool not being able to test a piece of (non-electrical pressed or cast metal while the car isn't in motion, I can't see how a diagnostic programme can possibly tell whether it knackered and so it concluding the signal from the front left wheel was intermittent makes me think the sensor is faulty as well. Isn't hindsight wonderful? Thanks in particular Xavier for detailing the way the sensor goes faulty - especially with the ring cracking, it makes perfect sense now.

 

Sparky Paul, what can be the issue with the sensor? On the face of it, there's just the one (very exposed to the elements) Allen bolt. It didn't seem particularly difficult to get to? What am I missing?!

 

Cheers again everyone,

 

Kevin

[sparky Paul]

what can be the issue with the sensor? On the face of it, there's just the one (very exposed to the elements) Allen bolt. It didn't seem particularly difficult to get to? What am I missing?

 

The sensor is a fairly tight fit into the casting, and the corrosion which creeps from the inside of the hub makes it extremely tight. If the sensor has been undisturbed for any length of time, you usually have to destroy it to remove it.