Replacing a ABS Sensor on 2003 Ford Galaxy

IrlMonk

Hi,
Just wondering how difficult replacing a abs sensor on a Ford galaxy is.
The cable to the sensor has been ripped apart when it was driven over a falling branch.
I got a price to supply the part it is €120.
It is the Rear drivers side.
What side is that if ordering part online?
Is it Rear Right?
Just wondering if this is handy to replace, I have no means of lifting the car.
Cheers

dooroy

Is the cable just broken or have parts of it gone missing .
If just broken you could try joining it up again - have done this a few times and it worked out fine .
The sensors can be very difficult to remove - years of corrosion causes this . The only thing in your favour is that you are replacing it so if it gets damaged in the process it won't matter . But see about doing a repair first - will cost you nothing;if it works you save money , if it doesn't you are no worse off .

IrlMonk

Hi,
thanks for the reply
No the cable has been ripped apart, about 6inches is missing.
The cable is sheared right down to the rubber grommet that is on the axle bracket, about 8 inches from the sensor.
I got a quote of €120 and that is for the cable and sensor.

edit: i am also using the car at present, i drove the car fast then breaked hard to see if the wheel locks up but it seems safe to drive.
it's a pity i couldn't just replace the cable somehow.

dooroy

If there was any bit of cable left on the sensor you could still try a repair - put in a piece (x2) to replace the missing section .
Have you enquired about a second hand sensor from a breakers - they cost a lot less and would do the job just as well .

Rear drivers side = offside ,rear.

The brakes still work fine - its just that if grip was poor for any reason the wheels could lock up under hard braking ; I presume your ABS light is remaining on so it would have to be sorted for the NCT anyway .

IrlMonk

Are you suggesting to try and pull the cable back to the sheared grommet at the axle?
I haven't enquired yet from a breakers. Traynors in Armagh is the only decent place i know of.

IrlMonk

I can get a spare part from Micksgarage online free delivery for €100, still a bit steep
http://www.micksgarage.com/proddetails.aspx?pid=3223715
I'm unsure about which side is which

dooroy

What I meant is if there is enough cable left on the sensor to join another cable to it then you put in a piece of new cable from there to wherever the 'other' end of the damaged cable is. You would probably need to use soldered joints to ensure a good connection .
The ABS would usually have 2 wires so you would need 2 pieces of cable .
I would imagine that you should be able to get a secondhand one around Dublin as Galaxys were fairly plentiful .
Getting the old one out could be a struggle.
Did you try 'googling' - e.g "changing ABS sensor in a Galaxy" or something like that ; some very helpful videos out there just to find them .

IrlMonk

The attached image shows the missing cable in red.

IrlMonk

dooroy wrote: »

What I meant is if there is enough cable left on the sensor to join another cable to it then you put in a piece of new cable from there to wherever the 'other' end of the damaged cable is. You would probably need to use soldered joints to ensure a good connection .

The cable is sheared right up to the stub that is clamped to the axle bracket, i wonder if there is enough cable showing to join a new cable to it??
Will that pass an NCT?
Any suggestions as to where to get some cable?

dooroy

Then you should be able to repair it . If the cable had been pulled out of the sensor ( thats what I thought you indicated first ) then a repair would hardly be possible .
Have a good look at the front section of the cable ( strip off some of the insulation) - see can you see 2 wires .
Then have a look at the piece attached to sensor ( slit the rubber grommet with Stanley knife or similar). See can you find 2 wires there. If yes then you can repair it . If the wires are different colours be sure to join like to like .
Worth a try - they are very dear at that price .

You can usually buy a small reel of light cable in motor factors/ car accessory shops etc .
If the light goes off as normal NCT should be fine with it . Tape up the joints neatly

IrlMonk

Sounds like a plan.
And from the motor factors is that ABS cable or just light electrical cable?

dooroy

Just light electrical cable - nothing special about it .
Just had a quick look through ebay and there are a few companies in the UK selling them for very reasonable prices - have a look .
Put in " Ford Galaxy rear ABS sensor" and take it from there .
Also remember that the Ford Galaxy , Seat Alhambra and VW Sharan shared a lot of parts if you are trying for second hand .

IrlMonk

Cheers for that
Attached is the actual cable that is sheared.

dooroy

At least access is good .
You can ease the grommet out of its bracket to give you some slack.
The cable may push through the grommet so that you can join onto it . If it doesn't push through you will have to slice through the grommet to get to the cable .

Once you have the ends you can strip off some insulation and begin repairs.

Though at some of the prices in the UK replacement could be the answer .

IrlMonk

Ya, i was thinking of a replacement rather than a fix to be honest.
Especially if the Electrical patch cable is light. It might not last too long out in the elements.

If i was to replace the sensor and cable it could still be a bit of a nightmare to take off the old sensor... sure even the wheel nuts are a fecker to undo. I tried it today and the nuts were seized on to it, so i left it for a warmer day. Some penetrating oil will help with that.

I looked at this one on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/FORD-GALAXY-1-9-TDI-1995-to-2006-Rear-ABS-Wheel-Speed-Sensor-ULTRA-1618717-/381075239067?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item58b9dab09b#shpCntId

And i was thinking that if it did not fit correctly sure i could use the cable as the patch cable.

I also sent Traynors a message requesting the part and hopefully they will call back tomorrow. I'll buzz them myself if they don't.

Thanks again

dooroy

At that kind of price replace is certainly the way to go .

As I said earlier the fact that you are replacing means you don't have to worry about damaging the old sensor . Get the attaching bolt out first (usually 10mm) - be careful with this as if it shears you then have nothing to hold sensor in place. Then you can twist the sensor from side to side hopefully .
You could give the lot a spray of penetrating oil a day or two beforehand to give it time to work.

Know what you mean about the wheelnuts - becoming a common problem due mainly I find to being tightened by air guns . Have removed some wheel studs and found the threads distorted due to overtightening - and had to replace them as a result .

IrlMonk

I ended up getting it patched up in a garage today for €40, not bad considering I had nothing to do.
I noticed when I hit the branch I had the abs warning light and the brake sensor warning light on. I thought that the fix would get rid of the two but the fix only got rid of the abs warning light.
Now another problem to sort out. Grrrr
Any suggestions?

dooroy

There could be a few reasons for the brake sensor warning as far as I know
e.g. : handbrake on / low brake fluid level / worn pads .
You could have damaged another wire or pulled it out of place . For example if the wire got pulled out of a brake pad and the bare end was touching metal it would put on the warning light etc .
Have a good check over - if you have a handbook it may tell you what the light indicates .

IrlMonk

Unfortunately I got no manual with the car. They are so handy.
The chap in the garage said bring it back tomorrow and he will check but I don't want to be paying him another 40 or so if it is something easy to fix.
Gonna have a peak tomorrow. I didn't notice any fluid around the area when he had it on the lift today i didn't notice anything either. Is there a sensor on the brake pads because I think that is what the warning light is. A circle with an arc on either side.

IrlMonk

Found this on a previous thread.
Some dude went over a pothole and someone posted this reply:

"The sensors them selfs are good quality but the wires on them clip into clips on the car and over time can come on done with hitting bumps or whatever. You will find the cable will of being quite possibly rubbing again the inside of the wheel or something.

Either way it's a fair simple fix.
If u need and further info just ask"

dooroy

1) Check the level of the brake fluid in the master cylinder. It goes down gradually as the pads wear and the pistons move further out . Perfectly normal,
doesn't mean you have any problem - just top up the brake fluid .

2) The pads often have a wire 'embedded' in them and when the pad has worn to a certain point the end of the wire contacts the metal disc and the warning light goes on . If the wire got pulled out or broken and the bared end contacted metal - the light will go on .

I presume this is not the light that goes on when you pull the handbrake ?

You could Google " Galaxy warning lights" and see if you can find yours and its possible meaning(s)

IrlMonk

Just got new pads last September.
This just happened when i ran over the branch.
The symbol is for worn brake pads:

brake warning light - illuminates when handbrake is engaged. If handbrake is no engaged and light remains on - it could mean that the brake fluid level is low so check it immediately, if the brake fluid levels are acceptable and within limits it could be an ABS sensor failure, which would also see the ABS light illuminated below.

I suppose it could be one thing or the other and I won't find out until I have a look at it.
Jasus, those car lifts are the biz. Might get one off Santa

IrlMonk

Checked brake lines for any leaks but nothing visible. Checked the Brake fluid levels, all good.
Restarted the car and the Brake Pad warning light had gone.
Worked out, not so bad in the end

dooroy

The joys of motoring .
Good outcome though - important not to rush into changing parts etc.

IrlMonk

Yes, indeed
I decided not to leave it in with the mechanic on Saturday as i wanted to have a look at the obvious myself.


Thanks for your help.

IrlMonk

Spoke too soon.....The Brake Pad warning light appeared back on the dash there this morning.
I wonder if the rear pads need changing? It's coincidental how it appeared with the abs light when i hit the branch!
Is changing the brake pads a difficult job with just hand tools?
I might just leave it in with the mechanic :eek: :pac: haha

dooroy

When replacing the rear pads the pistons have to be wound back using a brake rewind tool . The piston has to be turned while at the same time being pushed back . Can be done maybe without the tool but not easy.
I can't remember if the rear pads have a wear indicator - some cars only have them on the front .
Did you remove the front wheels and check out the wiring to the pads - could be a broken wire or something like that .
Also if one of the calipers happened to be stiff or sticking one of the pads could be worn down to the point of putting on the light .

IrlMonk

dooroy wrote: »

I can't remember if the rear pads have a wear indicator - some cars only have them on the front .

Interesting.....I know i deffo got the front two done in September 2014.
If the front two only have worn pad indicators then that narrows it down.
The branch hit the nearside front first and then must have ripped the abs cable on the offside rear when exiting.

I will check the calipers and wiring to the pads on the nearside front if i can get the nuts loose (WD40) because the mechanic over-tightened them :rolleyes:

dooroy

If the wheelnuts are too tight you may be able to have a look in by turning each front wheel in/out in turn ; you may be able to see if there is a loose/hanging wire etc.
This problem with the wheelnuts seems to be getting very common - imagine trying to change a wheel by the roadside on a wet night :mad:

9935452

IrlMonk wrote: »

Interesting.....I know i deffo got the front two done in September 2014.
If the front two only have worn pad indicators then that narrows it down.
The branch hit the nearside front first and then must have ripped the abs cable on the offside rear when exiting.

I will check the calipers and wiring to the pads on the nearside front if i can get the nuts loose (WD40) because the mechanic over-tightened them :rolleyes:

Dont take offense by this but you dont seem too confident around the machanics of a car so i would advise you to take the car back to the mechanic to sort it out for you. You have checked the basics and found nothing wrong.
Better spend a few quid with a mechanic and be safe in the knowledge the car is safe

IrlMonk

9935452 wrote: »

Dont take offense by this but you dont seem too confident around the machanics of a car so i would advise you to take the car back to the mechanic to sort it out for you. You have checked the basics and found nothing wrong.
Better spend a few quid with a mechanic and be safe in the knowledge the car is safe

No offence taken and thanks for the advice.
I dont know an awful lot about cars but do a service twice a year on them. I don't mind giving a car a proper visual before heading off to a mechanic. This is a different job which is why I am asking questions.

dooroy

And keep on asking questions - thats how we all learned .
Hopefully the answers you get are reasonably clear - and if not ask for further clarification.
This , and other forums like it , are intended to share knowledge and help those who want to learn more about their cars.
No one should be put off asking because they think their question may sound silly etc .