Thank You!! I checked the shop man., but can not find reference to where it is, can you give a clue? Thanks!

 

well You maybe right! but after I had Maintenance done and they notified me that for both hub replacments with the abs sensor was going to run $908.00 for both sides, I even have the quote from the dealership. Maybe the high price involves other Parts and Labor to replace a speed sensor. I know that a speed sensor itself is only $100 dollars but the cables and all the other stuff might be the extra costs.
Have you had this problem, if so, what can I do to fix the problem without spending so much money.

 

You obviously have more problems than JUST a speed sensor. The best suggestion I have is to fix the most important things, and do the rest as money allows. Otherwise quit driving the vehicle as it is not only unsafe to you, but to anyone else on the road at the same time as you.
Hope this helps ya,
Billy

 

A case of unwanted abs activity.
This is caused by an errant speed signal being given by one or more of the wheel speed sensors.
Measuring ac voltage output from each sensor is a way to find this.
They should produce at least 500 millivolts while spinning the wheel by hand.

 

The original poster will have to realize that most generic OBD2 code readers do not have proprietary code capabilities. I am not familiar with his scan tool but I might be lead to believe that only the PCM was polled for codes and not the ABS system.

 

Wait, GM uses at least a dozen different abs systems.
See if yours has a sensor seperate from the bearing, and also uses an external reluctor wheel. I've seen some vehicles with this system where the reluctor wheel cracks. BTW , this is a very dangerous behaviour and needs to be remedied asap.

 

A little info on my truck might help you and myself out since I wasn't the original post, but related to the same problem.
I have a 98 Chevy extended cab 1500 Silverado. With 65,000 miles, when the problem occurred it was at 56,000. My chevy dealership advised me that they could attempt to clean the corrosion on the sensor, but to no avail they stated, after an attempt to clean that they might break the sensor trying to clean it. So then they told me that I need to have both Hub replacements done to fix the problem. At the time it was looked at they said "that the bolts where frozen holding the sensors. Both sets of bolts will break if removal attempted." Front Hub Replacement (both Sides if needed) $908.51.
Now I am guessing they implied that since both sides are frozen (meaning to me rusted bolts) that they would replace both anyway versus one or the other. Does this help? I would think that this seems simple to do myself but at the cost they estimate at it seems like a bigger job. I had this estimate done in November and to avoid running into my garage or another car because of the prolonged distance to stop, I pulled the fuse for the ABS, and I have been able to run the entire winter with better confidence in stopping. If this is a more serious problem then please let me know!!

 

As a frequent problem I see with trucks such as yours, I would say that the sensor, or sensors are bad for the front. They are non-integral to the wheel bearing. There is a reluctor inside the sealed wheel bearing, and the sensors simply bolt to the wheel bearing. You will need to call a few parts stores to verify the speed sensor can be bought separate. Also, did the shop specify wether or not it was one or both fronts that were bad?
If you can find a place to buy only the sensors, that repair can be done by you, in a matter of minutes. I have one or two of these sensors laying in my tool box.


What was the problem with you truck to begin with anyways? Sorry if I missed it.

 

What's happening to you is the dealer is trying to take you for a ride. They want to replace both hubs because a 6mm bolt is rusted. There are many other options including using heat to get the old bolt out. Even if they break it, it can be drilled and heli-coiled to repair it. They don't want to be bothered.

 

Well to answer both replies as short as possible.

Mr Dummas thanks for the insight, Now that the weather is warmer I will start looking around for the sensors, I know that Autozone has them listed for approximately $130 for one sensor. I will try and figure out which one is faulty, however I don't know which one it is. I know that Bigguy posted earlier that a certain test can be done, but I am not sure what exaclty to test. Should it be simply testing for current before and after the sensor or is there other ways?

Desi501 thanks for your input, its been known for awhile that this dealership is out to screw you, not to mention they forgot to put the oil cap back on after completing an oil change. Found out about that one almost a week later. But I am glad that you see something is fishy about this, GM Corp CS didn't help me out either. So I ended up sending a complaint to US NHTSA and am hoping that they do a recall for a part that should not have developed a problem with only 64K at the time.
Boy am I getting digusted with domestic vehicles, "Enough Said".



PS. Always, Always, Always, check the oil level and look for missing parts after you leave a mechanic/Lube tech.

 

You will need to take it to the shop and have it road tested using a scan tool. With the scan tool, the wheel speed data of the 2 fronts and the rear sensor can be monitored to determine which sensor is the culprit of your problem.

 

Who would be qualified to do such a test? Obviously the local chevy dealer is not on the top of the list. I have a regular mechanic from Car-X Muffler & Brake that could look at it, is this a wise choice or should I go with Another dealer. Also how much should a road test of this nature going to cost?
Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

You can take it to any shop you'd like, as long as they have the diagnostic equipment for ABS. I am not familiar with other scan tools besides the Tech 1 and 2, as alot of independant shops use different brand scan tools.
For a simple 1 minute road test to check out the data, I would not charge the customer. But every place is different. Expect to pay from $0 to $50 for this.

 

The sensors do break at times when removed so they were not lying.If they broke one and the abs light was on all the time who would you blame?It's called CYA.Some times the cleaning procedure doesn't work would you want to pay labor for that if it didn't work?It has also been my experience if the cleaning procedure doesn't do the trick changing the sensor without the bearing will also fail to repair the problem.Why don't you take it some where else and have them clean the sensors if you feel the dealer is lying.In the meantime for safety sake pull the abs relay so the abs doesn't operate at all.That will disable the abs system and you will have regular brakes.

 

I will get this situation addressed in a few days with another dealer. I will report back with the findings of a road test, and diagnostic codes if available and go from there. I will be back in a few days with the answer. I just hope this is something that can be fixed easily.
Although I agreed with them to try and clean the sensor for a charge originally, they refused too, ultimately to avoid further damage of an already broken part , oh well, I guess I will get a Third opinion before anything else. brb

 

Any GM dealer can hook up the tech 2 scan tool and record the speed sensors coming to stop and see which one is dropping out.That's what I do play it back after driving the vehicle so I can watch the road.I doubt both are bad at the same time but it is possible.Like I said pull the relay it will be safer to drive that way than the way it is now.

 

Trust me, The Abs Fuse has been pulled for awhile. I was really getting scared without having control in stopping distances, On dry pavement. This is, What Boils DOWN TO A SAFETY ISSUE THAT GM SHOULD TAKE CARE OF. Thank goodness my wife wasn't driving the vehicle or some old lady, Does ANYONE know a good lawyer? Joking, I just don't have any more pigment in my hair that can turn grey if I did anything about it, Maybe if it was worth a class action lawsuit, I would risk losing the hair and going Bald. :mask:
Quite Frankly its really BLACK EYE for GM Corp. to refuse to fix a problem that developed under warranty, however the situation that I was presented with was 6 months after the warranty expired, BUT within the Mileage covered until 75K. GM will never have satisfied customers when they pull crap like that. And Yes I know that it is whatever comes first is when it expires, But I fully Believe that this should have been taken care of. They even tried to tell me that this was a Regular Maitenance Item and I didn't take care of it. SAY WHAT??? This is GM CORPORATE CUSTOMER CARE, What a JOKE!!!

 

Factory warranty is 3years 36k miles so where is the 75k miles coming from?You also wanted to know what was wrong with the truck not how long you feel the abs should be covered.I think I'm done advising you because that is not what you are looking for.You are looking for a lifetime warranty vehicle.

 

Thank You all!! I dised the abs, till I could scrape together a little jingle and bring the car to my mechanic. It turns out that the right caliper was done. The brake lines collapsed, ( common for GM ), so to keep the left one from locking up and pulling the car in the direction of on coming traffic, the abs kicked in and did not allow that to happen; THE A.B.S. DID IT'S JOB!! So $353.75 later, I have a new caliper, cut rotors, and front pads. I know the 3 things it takes to make a car go: air, gas, and spark, I learned that from my grandfather, the exact quote was ( cause I'll never forget it!! ): "Son it takes 3 things to make a car move, gas, air, and spark, if you don't have that, its not moving; but if it moves, and you don't have brakes to stop it, the other 3 don't mean sh*t!!." Then he said, "Remember this, If you were born, you will die, if you live, you will pay taxes, and if it has wheels or breasts, it will cause problems." TRUE TO THIS DAY!! " Then he said, " I saw how hard you worked to get that car on the road (I was 17), I set the chair in the window and watched to see that you did everything I told you, but remember, you just can't polish a terd!! " I thought about it, 2 days later, I had it towed to the grave-yard. 2 days later gramps was gone, but I'll never forget. and I'm now 39!!. THANKS TO ALL!!