Wheel Speed Sensor Issues - Assistance Requested

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darkscion0

New member
Hello. 2 Weeks ago I installed a 2.5" budget boost from Rough Country. A couple days ago my ABS/ESC lights blinked on and off and then shortly after stayed on. Looking back we were probably pretty rough on the wires while installing the lift so I blame inexperience but lesson learned. After poking around the intarwebs I found the sensors themselves were pretty cheap so I thought I may try replacing it myself. The issues is that I can't get a dash code to come up using the ON/OFF x 3 ignition trick so I'm not even sure which sensor is malfunctioning. Should I just take it to the dealer to have them look at it?

Second part. What is a good solution for extending these wires long term? I installed the brake line extension brackets so I don't think tension on the wire between the axle and bracket will be an issue. The back shouldn't be an issue as I left one of the retaining clips off the wire so there's lots of slack (maybe too much, which I'll address so it doesn't get jammed in a bumpstop). But on the front all the wire North of the brake line bracket is much tighter than I'd like and I can't find any clips in the engine bay that I could release to get more slack. It's funny because I'm having major issues with this yet the instructions for every 2.5" lift I've found don't mention anything about the wheel speed sensor wires.

Thanks

- Dumb guys who's trying to wrench his own stuff so one day he'll qualify to go on the JK Experience
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Did you make sure to recenter your steering wheel after you installed your lift? If not, that is the reason for your ABS/ESP light coming on and not any damage you might have done to the speed sensors. If it's even slightly off as it will be, that'll cause your computer to think you are in a slide.
 
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darkscion0

New member
I did and here's the weird thing. After the lift the wheel was probably 1/8th turn off. Trying to eyeball when the tires were straight, I overcompensated and ended up with the steering wheel 1/8 turn the other way. I drove for 2 days like this as I dialed in the steering wheel center with no warning lights at all. At this point I don't think I could get my steering wheel any closer to center than it is. The way it is right now when I start the Jeep, the ABS/ESC lights come on and stay on and my hill descent light blinks a couple times then goes off. I have 35" tires coming so I've been looking at an AEV ProCal. I guess I should pull the trigger on it now so I can use the wheel centering mode.

Also to note, the systems don't seem to be acting up (like braking itself) as the ABS and ESC seem to be completely disabled.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
darkscion0 said:
I did and here's the weird thing. After the lift the wheel was probably 1/8th turn off. Trying to eyeball when the tires were straight, I overcompensated and ended up with the steering wheel 1/8 turn the other way. I drove for 2 days like this as I dialed in the steering wheel center with no warning lights at all. At this point I don't think I could get my steering wheel any closer to center than it is. The way it is right now when I start the Jeep, the ABS/ESC lights come on and stay on and my hill descent light blinks a couple times then goes off. I have 35" tires coming so I've been looking at an AEV ProCal. I guess I should pull the trigger on it now so I can use the wheel centering mode.
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I would try making smaller adjustments, quarter turns of the turnbuckle and drive like that for a bit. If in fact the speed sensor is damaged, it could be grounding out whenever it makes contact with metal. Either way, it would take a bit for your computer to diagnois it and that would be the reason why it didn't show up sooner. I would start with small steps and eliminate what you know you can and then go from there. No point in replacing parts if that isn't the cause.
 
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darkscion0

New member
Thanks, I appreciate the help. Anyone know which way turning the turnbuckle rotates the steering wheel which way? To figure that out myself it would take much more than a 1/4 turn of the turnbuckle at a time. :cheesy:
 
Moochie

Moochie

Active Member
I had this problem before and it turned out to be a loose connection on the front passenger sensor wire.
 
biggy

biggy

Member
Some codes will not show up with the key dance thing. If it is a speed sensor then it should throw a code. Some auto parts stores will let you plug in a obd tool for free. You might want to try that.
 
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darkscion0

New member
I gave the turnbuckle a 1/4 turn last night and it did end up centering my wheel. At this point there's no possible way to get it more perfect. Dash lights persist. Is there something I should be doing to reset them? Disconnect battery for 30 mins?
 
xflstl

xflstl

New member
darkscion0 said:
I gave the turnbuckle a 1/4 turn last night and it did end up centering my wheel. At this point there's no possible way to get it more perfect. Dash lights persist. Is there something I should be doing to reset them? Disconnect battery for 30 mins?
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Did you drive your jeep for a few minutes after getting it centered? It usually takes a few good turns for the ecm to figure stuff out and turn the indicators off. Not sure if true but I read somewhere that you needed to break 30mph for it to reset itself after adjusting or centering the wheel. /shrug not sure how true it is, but its an easy try.
 
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darkscion0

New member
xflstl said:
Did you drive your jeep for a few minutes after getting it centered? It usually takes a few good turns for the ecm to figure stuff out and turn the indicators off. Not sure if true but I read somewhere that you needed to break 30mph for it to reset itself after adjusting or centering the wheel. /shrug not sure how true it is, but its an easy try.
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Just getting to work this morning I would have got up to 45MPH, and drove 6-7 miles.
 
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darkscion0

New member
Took to the dealer and there were wire broken above the gas tank which probably happened while dropping the rear axle to install my lift. Dealership fixed them under warranty.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
darkscion0 said:
Took to the dealer and there were wire broken above the gas tank which probably happened while dropping the rear axle to install my lift. Dealership fixed them under warranty.
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Glad to hear you found the problem and got it fixed under warranty :thumb:
 
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