Hi All

I recently bought an exchange front right wheel hub assembly (secondhand) to replace the existing hub on my XK8 2003....this was due to a noisy bearing. Unfortunately, the new hub throws up an ABS light and DSC Fault...despite me fitting the original ABS sensor. (the sensor from the replacement hub was slightly different in design and threw the same errors)

It appears to have the same part number - MNC1628AA/F - as the original part...but I have been advised by a guy from the local Halfords Autocentre that the hub probably came from an earlier model with a slightly different bearing...thus throwing up the errors.

Sadly, the original hub was damaged on removal so cannot be re-used...so would anyone know if the present hub can simply have a new bearing fitted and possibly the ABS ring...and would that solve the issue? Or would I have to source a wheel hub from the same year as my car?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as usual.

 

Hmm, check the reluctor/ABS ring, and the number of "teeth" in particular. The error happens when driving a bit or at a complete stop?

 

I will check the teeth tomorrow...and the error is there as soon as the ignition is on and remains permanently.

 

On my car, these type of errors only clear if the car is moved a bit, say, the length of the driveway. They do not clear up instantly with the ignition on. You might want to drive the car a bit, if at all possible. If not, then elevate the car and rotate the wheel with the ignition on. I believe the ABS module needs to see some activity from the sensor before giving the OK. You likely spooked the module by plugging the old sensor, and now it needs to be talked into clearing that light.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Read the codes. Then come back

 

Did a round trip from Inverness to Wales plus other driving equalling over 1200 miles in total....does that qualify as moving it a bit?

I plugged in the OBD gadget and it didn't register any errors. It is obviously an incompatibility with the replaced wheel hub.

 

I counted the teeth on the ABS ring and both old and new have 48. I suspect that fmertz is correct in that the older ABS sensor has given the module a hiccup and may indeed need re-setting via IDS software...as it is not doing so by itself.

Thanks for the advice/suggestions.

Andrew

 

At this point, I agree you need to get the actual codes with SDD. In my (limited) experience, ABS systems are good at resetting themselves if the error conditions are gone. They do not seem to hold a grudge and require intervention when things are fine, even if they were not a bit before. In other words, they seem to run their diagnostics every time.

If you have done a lot of work in the area, triple check the harness to the sensor, including the rubber boot. These are known to age poorly.

At this point, you can remove the wheels on both sides and check for any differences between right and left. Check through the sensor hole to see if the ABS ring is aligned the same way (or offset somehow). Check the clearance between the sensor and the ring on both sides. Also check the ABS ring is solid with the axle, not spinning freely. Basically sanity check.

Can you get the exact car this assembly came from so you can compare part#?

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

My ABS problems were caused by two factors:

1. The pins in the connector were making intermitent contact.

2. The wire length from the tie-wrap to the sensor was too short.

I ever so slightly bent the pins so as to make more positive contact within the connectors and added some silicon electrical sealant as well. I cut the tie-wraps and moved the wires' rubber blocks to just outside those cast nibs on the upper control arm, and re-tie-wrapped them there.

I went without an ABS light for over a year.

Give those simple fixes a try before doing anything that will cost you money.

 

Also, be sure to check the condition of the rubber boots at the wheel speed sensor ends of the wiring harnesses. The rubber deteriorates as the years go by and can expose the internal wires to moisture. I noticed that these rubber boots on my wife's 2006 XK8 had split and cracked by March 2013. I cleaned them with dish soap and water, dried them off with a hair dryer, then sealed them up with a tube of neutral-cure RTV silicone that I picked up at Lowe's for $6 or $7. I detached the wiring harnesses from the wheel speed sensors, then globbed some RTV silicone all over the boots until they looked to be about the size of a large marble. Then, I left everything detached overnight for full curing before reattaching everything the next morning....

I check the condition of my RTV silicone "marbles" at every tire rotation and add more silicone if necessary. Between doing that task and scrubbing the wheel speed sensors at every tire rotation as Reverend Sam taught us to do, the spurious ABS dashboard warning messages that my wife was intermittently reporting back in January/February 2013 have never reappeared....

 

I believe the following to be true, but can't be 100% certain.

The very early cars (up to around 1999 I think) had a slightly smaller bearing in the front hub. (76mm increased to 80mm) Although the callipers were the same, the calliper carriers were slightly different.

The ABS rotor / nut is the same throughout - MJA 1849BE
I think the correct ABS sensor - both front and rear - is LJA2226AA

Edit - the earlier "vertical link" is a JLM 2088* part number if BOTH your parts are MNC 1629AA / MNC1628AA - (different for left-hand and right-hand) they should be identical.

 

This true. I swapped my 97 front wheel bearings for later model upgraded [larger] bearings; and did so by swapping out the complete upright assembly for a later model year donor car. I forget the difference in diameter measurements, but they were at least four or five mm larger.