I took out my rear wheel sensors easily, cleaned them up & reinstalled them without a hitch.

Front left - removed the bolt and ground strap, released the retainer for the connecting cable but the sensor refused to come out. I struggled with it until the plastic cap and rubber "O" ring came off but the metal sensor remained seated.

Could someone who has removed a front wheel ABS/Traction Control sensor from a 1996 XJ6 please explain to me what I need to do. If the sensor comes out, can I put the cap back on it and re-use it or will it have to be replaced?

Thanks

 

Hi journeyman,

The sensors live in a harsh environment and sometimes corrode in place. If your sensor looks something like the one on the right in photo 6 in the album at the link below, it is broken and you will need a new one. The sensor shown is from an XJ-S (courtesy of Tommy at the Jag-Lovers forum), but your sensor should be one integral unit and I don't believe it should come apart:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page


If your sensor is broken, you can remove the stuck part by any means necessary without fear of damaging it since it will have to be replaced. You might be able to use a socket extension like a punch to carefully tap it out, or thread a drywall screw into it and pull it, etc. Penetrating oil may help it release from the bore.

It helps to coat the barrel only of the new sensor with anti-seize compound or copper grease to prevent corrosion and siezing, as shown on the sensor on the left in Photo 6 (leave the sensor end clean).

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

You called it Don. The one on the right is "mine"! Your answer is the one I was afraid I would get but I appreciate it all the same.

 

I had the same problem removing a sensor from my car and "unscrewed" the top, leaving the body stuck inside the hub assembly. I found that I could lever the sensor up from inside the hub, by using a flat metal
"blade" using the reluctor ring for leverage.

As an aside, I took a sensor from my 97 donor car but found that they were different! On my 96 car, they are silver and metal bodied but on the 97 car, they are black plastic and shorter in length and didn't appear to be interchangeable.

Either way, the 97 sensor didn't work in my 96 car.

 

Thanks sogood. I'll give it a try.

 

Thanks to tips from Don B and sogood, I was able to remove the stuck ABS sensor from the front wheel of my 96 Vanden Plas.

In this picture at the base of the cup shaped shield you can see the U shaped cutout (that I circled) which exposes part of the sensor. By gently prying with a small flat bladed screwdriver I was able to get it moving.



This is a picture of the same opening sans the sensor. Neither my camera or my photography skills are state of the art but you get the picture.

 

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