Vehicle Speed Sensors are one of the most important components of your car’s ABS system. These are the parts that gather and convey data to the ABS control module to determine its course of action. The ABS Speed sensors are magnetic, which means that they attract a lot of dust, debris, and sand from the environment.
Due to its position and function, the sensors gather a lot of dust. This overtime will mess with the readings of the control module and eventually may mean a mishap with the ABS braking system. So, cleaning the speed sensor should be a part of your regular maintenance ritual. The following will be a list of what you need and the steps on how to clean your Vehicle’s Speed Sensors.
What Items You Need
You will need quite a few things to do the cleaning. However, the process is simple and you can easily do it without any expertise so don’t worry. The items you will need before going into cleaning the sensors are Jack stands, Wheel blocks, Lug wrench, Wrench, Clean soft rag, Degreaser spray, Stiff, non-metallic brush. Make sure you have everything at hand before sitting down to do any work.
Preparation
Be prepared before starting the work. Make sure you have all the things you need and if you need to wear something for working on the car like overalls, then do it. This is how you won’t be distracted by other things while working.
Lifting The Car
The first step is for you to use a jack stand to lift the front of your car. Before lifting the car remember to put stoppers on the rear wheel. After that take the lug wrench and unscrew the nuts from the wheel. After that remove the wheel and put the wheels away in a secure and safe location nearby.
Locating and Identifying the Sensors
After removing the wheels, you need to identify the type of sensor you have. The two different types of sensors are open and hidden. The hidden sensors are covered so they are not exposed to harsh conditions that much. So, they don’t really require regular maintenance. But you should still be careful. If you have open sensors, then regular maintenance is a must.
Sensor Removal
So now that you know what ABS speed sensor your vehicle has, you need to remove it from the car. Take your wrench and start unscrewing the sensor from its brackets. After that remove it from the brackets very carefully. Your vehicle’s speed sensors have a lot of important wiring around it. Make sure you don’t damage any of them. This may even screw up the line and reading for the ABS control module.
Cleaning The Sensor
Now that you have removed the sensor, you need to clean it properly. Take a rag and spray it with some degreaser. After that start cleaning the sensor paying special attention to the top part as it has the most exposure and is the most sensitive part.
Put some degreaser on a brush and then start cleaning the reference ring. Remove all the dirt and dust from the sensor, make sure you are careful with the nooks and crannies of the sensor as a clean sensor also means a good ABS braking system.
Putting the Parts Back Together
After the cleaning is done for each of the sensors in your car, you need to screw everything in place. Start with the sensor, make sure you carefully place and screw the sensor on properly without damaging the wires. After that start attaching the wheel back on.
Test Run
Lower your vehicle from the jacks, and then take it out for a spin. You need to check if the vehicle speed sensor for the ABS control module is functioning properly or not. If you see that there are problems after doing everything then you should consult with an expert as soon as possible.
So here you go, the steps in which you can clean your ABS vehicle speed sensor. Make sure you follow all the steps when starting the cleanup process and then clean away.
