ABS brakes

[Weekly]

This may seem like an odd question but if the ABS braking system of a car goes does it have to be repaired granted it adds to the safety of a vehicle according to certain studies?

What should it cost to replace: "Right Front Hub Bearing/Speed Sensor" on a mid size GM?

Thanks

 

[peterabletare]

The truth...

ABS braking only switches on under certain conditions, which the car senses, such as bad weather or bad road with poor traction. Other than that, it's not on. Without ABS, the ride on let's say a gravel road with poor traction, if you were to brake hard, the car would slide a bit rather than shudder to a stop which it would if it had ABS enabled. It's not crucial really to have it up and running really. You say midsized GM car? My guess it's a Cavaliar? If it were that, then it should be pretty cheap to repair that. I cannot say for sure, but if you drive around in the city, you don't have to repair this till it starts snowing again, and even then, it's not entirely necessary.
Regards,
Daniel

 

[poorboy]

This is a common problem. The sensor and hub are one unit on GM mid size cars. I helped replace one on a Grand Am a few weeks ago. I think the part was around $150 and it took 1.5 hrs at a leisurely pace.

If you are handy, this is what you need and need to do if you know which hub needs to be replaced:

Purchase an aftermarket hub and sensor assembly at a place like Partsource or NAPA.
Borrow a hub puller from Canadian Tire.
Borrow a the proper size hub bolt socket (30mm?)
Remove front wheel.
Remove caliper, pads and disk
Remove hub bolt.
Disconnect sensor
Secure puller and proceed to pull MacPherson Strut assembly away from the hub.
Remove hub
Replace with new hub and torque down to proper spec.

To reassemble, do the reverse.

The stealership will charge you $600 all in. If you go independent, it would probably be half that.

You do not have to replace the sensor if you are hard up for cash. ABS systems are designed so that you can brake should the system fail.

 

[ham2004]

be careful.. very careful

The other posts are right, you don't need ABS to drive your car, but than again you don't need brakelights either, until and unless there is a problem.

ABS is a "safety component", just like airbags and daylight driving lights. You won't miss them unless you need them. In most cases ABS only works in a panic stop or when you are driving in such conditions as anyone of the four wheels lose traction. If you have malfuctioning ABS, you may not be able to safely stop the car. If you are involved in an accident and an investigation finds that you were driving without proper braking, you could be charged, even worst your insurance company may deny you collison coverage.

Take the risk if you wish, but for the few hundred dollars its cost (think of missing two sessions with your favourite sp) it may be the difference between life and death ,yours or someone elses.

 

[Weekly]

Very interesting, my hunch was partially correct it seems about it maybe not being necessary but still an extra safety feature. Ham raises a good point about being liable in an accident. I was thinking not to renew the collision and comprehensive component of my insurance because my car is already 6yrs old. It's a little bigger than a cavalier. The dealer quoted 600 for the job and an Indy shop a little over 4 bills.

 

[poorboy]

The other posts are right, you don't need ABS to drive your car, but than again you don't need brakelights either, until and unless there is a problem.

ABS is a "safety component", just like airbags and daylight driving lights. You won't miss them unless you need them. In most cases ABS only works in a panic stop or when you are driving in such conditions as anyone of the four wheels lose traction. If you have malfuctioning ABS, you may not be able to safely stop the car. If you are involved in an accident and an investigation finds that you were driving without proper braking, you could be charged, even worst your insurance company may deny you collison coverage.

Take the risk if you wish, but for the few hundred dollars its cost (think of missing two sessions with your favourite sp) it may be the difference between life and death ,yours or someone elses.

You need one working brakelight bulb to legally drive a car. Daytime running lights are mandated by law. I'm not sure if you are obligated to fix your ABS.

There is no discount on a car for having ABS. Statistics have shown no decline in accidents as a result of ABS. The reasoning behind it seems to be that drivers take greater risks knowing they have an additional safety feature.

The new car computers store crash information. They know if your brakes have been applied, the thottle position, speed of the vehicle, rate of deceleration, if airbags were deployed and a couple of other things. The police will access this information if the accident is serious enough (i.e. fatality) and can be used against you.

Your car is watching you.

 

[C Dick]

A speed sensor in my car went when I was away, I kept driving it, eventually the speedometer failed and the transmission would not shift, which made getting it to the garage a challenge. There must be some redundancy, but if the rest/other sensors went, you could have a bigger problem.

 

[poorboy]

The ABS system was designed so that the brakes would work if the system failed. A failure of the accumulator or any of the sensors related to ABS should not cause a problem in any other system in the car.

Other systems are not safety items and can cause problems in other areas.

For example, if the O2 sensor becomes coated to the point where it cannot measure the oxygen content in your exhaust gas, it will alter the amount of fuel being fed to the injectors causing your car to burn rich which could lead to catalytic convertor problems.

Problems can also occur in the newest cars because in order to reduce weight of the wiring harnesses, multiple signals can be sent down a wire. So if a problem pops up in one area, the computer may trigger more than one code because more than one signal is travelling down that wire. Usually they try and make it so problems aren't closely related to each other.

Shouldn't have that problem in a 6 year old GM midsize car though.

 

[Weekly]

ABS repair

Shouldn't have that problem in a 6 year old GM midsize car though.

Maybe I could get GM to pay for the defect if it is.

 

[poorboy]

Maybe I could get GM to pay for the defect if it is.

I was talking about multiple signals traveling down the wires won't be an issue with your car.

GM will not pick up the bill for your sensor and hub. 3 years past warranty.

 

[Weekly]

Clarify

So will ABS work without the speed sensor/warning? this has nothing to do with brake wear correct.

 

[poorboy]

So will ABS work without the speed sensor/warning? this has nothing to do with brake wear correct.

The ABS will not work properly unless you get the sensor in the hub repaired.

This has absolutely no impact on brake wear.

 

[wollensak]

It's a no-brainer

Don't screw around saving money on braking systems, or tires, for that matter. You are used to the ABS system on your car, if it doesn't work as designed, the cars behaviour will be different in an emergency situation, and you may not react correctly. The result could be an accident.

I assume you have had the problem diagnosed and the problem really is with the sensor.

I avoided getting the traction control fixed on my car until I had to, winter coming, and it turned out to be a fuse!!

 

[Weekly]

I'm going to get a second opinion. My ABS light went on a couple of times a few days ago, turned my car off, since then I haven't seen it but am wondering if that's a sign the sensor is starting to go.

 

[james t kirk]

This is a common problem. The sensor and hub are one unit on GM mid size cars. I helped replace one on a Grand Am a few weeks ago. I think the part was around $150 and it took 1.5 hrs at a leisurely pace.

If you are handy, this is what you need and need to do if you know which hub needs to be replaced:

Purchase an aftermarket hub and sensor assembly at a place like Partsource or NAPA.
Borrow a hub puller from Canadian Tire.
Borrow a the proper size hub bolt socket (30mm?)
Remove front wheel.
Remove caliper, pads and disk
Remove hub bolt.
Disconnect sensor
Secure puller and proceed to pull MacPherson Strut assembly away from the hub.
Remove hub
Replace with new hub and torque down to proper spec.

To reassemble, do the reverse.

The stealership will charge you $600 all in. If you go independent, it would probably be half that.

You do not have to replace the sensor if you are hard up for cash. ABS systems are designed so that you can brake should the system fail.

Yes, but you don't really need a hub puller.

Just undo the half shaft nut, and push the half shaft back through the splines of the bearing.

Undo the big bolts that secure the front wheel bearing to front suspension.

Get out your trusty hand held sledge and start hitting that baby all round. She'll come out, and no, there won't be any damage either.

Having done this to my former car, I can state that a GM bearing purchased through a neighbourhood parts guy is about 350 alone I remember. (In my case from Parkdale Auto in Hamilton.)

GM dealership service would be MORE than 600 i bet.

Popham's shop rate is now at 99 per hour I believe.

 

[Weekly]

The drivers manual says,

"If the light stays on, turn the ignition to off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while you're driving, your vehicle needs service."


The light hasn't come on since but my mechanic said I need a new sensor. Is he being honest?

 

[james t kirk]

The drivers manual says,

"If the light stays on, turn the ignition to off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while you're driving, your vehicle needs service."


The light hasn't come on since but my mechanic said I need a new sensor. Is he being honest?

No.

Why don't you just hammer on the brakes (in a safe location) and if the ABS comes on, it's working.

Sometimes the sensors in the front hubs can go down due to moisture (excessive rain, or snow)

But will come back.