03 x type automatic 2.5 50,000 miles

ABS light and check engine light both on...Used the Autel DS708 scan tool which showed a fault code for the front left wheel speed sensor....confirmed by driving the vehicle with the scan tool attached...it displayed the remaining 3 sensors working properly. I have already replaced that particular sensor and the light is still on and is still not operating correctly...wondering where I should go from here?! On the front drive shafts I don't remember seeing an ABS ring...but its been a while since I did that so my memory is a bit fuzzy....any ideas?

 

zoolander, your problem is your front left wheel bearing. These are known for failing and causing what you are seeing. Replace the bearing and see what you have at that point. You can prove the sensor is working by removing the sensor, connecting a multimeter (preferably an analog one or a digital one with an analog bar on it) and then passing a large piece of steel near the end of the sensor. With the multimeter set on say "2V scale", you should see a decent movement of the multimeter. The faster and the closer you move the metal to the end of the sensor, the bigger the pulse will be. But that the same time, don't get too close as you can damage the sensor if you strike it.

 

Appreciate the speedy response...The wheel bearing has been replaced...as a matter of fact that is kinda when this all started...I replaced both front wheel bearings and then my abs started to activate for no reason...I isolated it to the front driver side wheel...at this point the abs and check engine light were off...I assumed that I had a bad wheel bearing from Timkin so I pulled that side apart and swapped the bearing out again...that seemed to fix it...then about 5k later the abs started activating under normal braking and then the ABS light came on...then the check engine. there is no movement or sound from the bearing...I will pull the sensor and try the suggested tests to make sure that it is working properly....if that tests ok what direction do you think I should head in....Could I really have 3 bad wheel bearings in 8k? I thought Timkin made a good product?! Thanks again! ZL

 

zoolander, did you put the bearing in the correct way? The ABS ring is mounted off to one end. So, if you put the bearing in backwards, the sensor may not pick up the ring and therefore lead to what you are seeing. After that, I would be looking at the wiring going to the speed sensor. It may be possible that the car picked up something and it damaged the wiring, leading to intermittent connections. What you are looking for is the wiring to make a sharp bend somewhere and when you go to flex the wire, it bends in a very specific spot.

 

Had the same symptoms you are describing. ABS lite on/no cruise. Bearings and sensors replaced. No issues for several weeks, then that damn abs lite came on again. I took it back to the dealer for warranty on the repair and they discovered the left front had 10 pounds less than the right. Equalized and all is good now. ABS lite went out and I have cruise control again. I hope this simple fix works for you

 

OK! the issue is solved....The front driver ABS sensor was bad...this caused the ABS light as well as the check engine light to come on...why the check engine you ask?? Well it turns out that the ABS system works in conjunction with the transmission (I'm guessing ASR) so once that system stopped working it kept the transmission from doing its job properly thus creating a check engine light. Which is absurd in my opinion because the engine was operating as it should. I have to pass an emissions check in order to stay plated or else I would have just ignored the whole damn thing! I used the Autel DS708 to diagnose this issue and I must say that it was awesome! Thanks for all of your help and I hope this helps the next guy!!

 

zoolander, the ABS system is used to send vehicle speed to the tranny computer so the car can look at a 3D graph to determine the correct gear to put the tranny in. If you don't have an accurate speed input to the tranny, then it has to "guess" as to what gear to be in, possibly leading to some interesting shiftings going on. Hence why you see the check engine light as the tranny is considered "part of the engine". You can think of it like the fuel system.

 

Begs the question what cars did before fancy abs systems...those transmissions "guessed" alot lol! I hardly think that this particular issue should trip a check engine light....especially leading to a failed emissions check...it's all a racket in my opinion. I certainly agree with what you are saying in regards as to why it is acting that way but I just think it's kinda overkill...my .02

 

Zoolander, you are correct in some aspects, but keep in mind that the newer cars play a lot more with the tranny fluid pressure which will affect when the tranny shifts and also they are adding in solenoids to force certain pressures to various places to make the tranny do something that the older ones couldn't practically do without having a monster size tranny. Modern day trannies have a lot of the basic stuff of days long ago so that if the tranny computer fails, it falls back to the old "classic" way of shifting. But, by adding a computer and tossing it into the mix, you can make the tranny shift much smoother and in some cases, you can override what the tranny would do if it was purely mechanically based.

I agree that the car should have passed if it was only a tranny issue. But, the rules state "the CEL must be off during normal operation with a P1111 code in memory". You didn't have that condition (however @#$%^^ it is), so, the shop has to fail it. If they didn't and they get caught, it is a big fine for the shop. This is where having a friend that does inspections can be helpful. Not saying that I have ever bypassed the system, but the rules of Ohio are much easier than they are in Hawaii. A lifted truck is about impossible to pass unless you know someone because of how their rules are set up.