ABS Light came on

Ascender2004

Original poster
Member
Dec 7, 2011
16
This is similar to the thread by blazinlow89 , but i may have a little more complexity. A month or so ago I began to hear what I thought was worn bearings in the front driver side hub. I've read that when you start hearing your bearings that it is ok to drive them a little longer, so I did not service them. Today I was towing a trailer with a four wheeler on it and the "rubbing" noise became a light grinding noise. about 25 miles more and the noise became more prominent and seemed to get worse.

Another 5 miles and the ABS light came on. When I started to pulled off the side of the road the ABS light went off the moment I touched the brakes and instantly the ABS kicked in and I could feel the ABS, even though I was barely touching the brakes at this point. They continued the anti-locking until I came to a complete stop. I started again, and the ABS light came back on. I tried the brakes to see if the brakes were still "anti-locking", but they were not.

Now that I'm back to the house, I'm going to jack up the front drivers side and spin the wheel and take a closer look.
Any suggestions for what it might be or what to look for?

Thanks :smile:

EDIT: My vehicle is a 2004 Isuzu Ascender 4WD about 106,000 miles I6
I checked the Wheel, there is some friction when spinning it, but there is lateral lay in the wheel, I checked the lugs and they are tight.
 

MichEnvoyGuy

Member
Dec 3, 2011
522
It shouldnt be any surprise that your hub assembly has bit the dust, after you reported hearing the telltale noise of a bad hub bearing a month ago. After time, it develops more and more play, which will after time damage the ABS pickup signal and alas, your ABS light comes on because its getting an erratic/dead signal from said speed sensor on the very close to dead hub.

Replace the hub assembly, they come with new ABS sensors and the associated wiring harness.
 

Ascender2004

Original poster
Member
Dec 7, 2011
16
MichEnvoyGuy said:
It shouldnt be any surprise that your hub assembly has bit the dust, after you reported hearing the telltale noise of a bad hub bearing a month ago. After time, it develops more and more play, which will after time damage the ABS pickup signal and alas, your ABS light comes on because its getting an erratic/dead signal from said speed sensor on the very close to dead hub.

Replace the hub assembly, they come with new ABS sensors and the associated wiring harness.

Thanks for the quick reply. I figured as much. Is this the type of repair a do it yourself mechanic can do or is it better left done to the experts. Also should
I replace both left and right? Front and rear? Or can they be done as needed?

I have somewhat of a tight budget as many of us do.
 

MichEnvoyGuy

Member
Dec 3, 2011
522
Nah, its pretty easy. Ive replaced mine at least 4x now :crazy:

If you have 4wd, you have to take the CV halfshaft nut off, best done with the vehicle still on the ground so the wheel stays still.

After that, jack the truck up and take off all of the brake hardware. Support the brake caliber up in the frame so you dont damage the brake lines.

There are three (15 or 16mm?) bolts for the hub assembly. Take them out. It might take a few smacks of a lead hammer to break the hub assembly loose because they rust a little sometimes to the knuckle. Sometimes you have to hit the half shaft a few times (best done with the nut threaded on at the end so you dont damage the threads).

All in all, I can do a hub in 25 mins TOPs. I get my hub assemblies from Advance Auto with a discount code, comes to about $75/ea with a 1 year warranty. :thumbsup:

Also, I just replace the one thats bad. Some people replace both but who knows how many miles you can get out of the other side before it goes bad. Thats your choice.
 

Ascender2004

Original poster
Member
Dec 7, 2011
16
Thanks! I appreciate all the help! You've save me a lot of time and money. This was my first thread and its been great. I will post again after I get the new one on!
 

Ascender2004

Original poster
Member
Dec 7, 2011
16
Just finished it up:wootwoot:. Went well after I finally got the right tools to do the job

Future Reference:
Need
35mm deep impact Socket (Hard to find, called around many places before finally found at advanced Auto for $17)
6" 2 Jaw Puller

Thanks again for everyones input:thumbsup:
 

MichEnvoyGuy

Member
Dec 3, 2011
522
Ascender2004 said:
Just finished it up:wootwoot:. Went well after I finally got the right tools to do the job

Future Reference:
Need
35mm deep impact Socket (Hard to find, called around many places before finally found at advanced Auto for $17)
6" 2 Jaw Puller

Thanks again for everyones input:thumbsup:

Awesome!

Now remember how you did it, because you will most certainly be doing it again in the future...lol Like I said, I replaced mine 4 times EACH SIDE. I did the "buy the most expensive brand name" blah blah BS still went bad after 20000 miles. Right now having good luck with advance auto parts hub. Knocking on wood.
 

NikosF

Member
Mar 27, 2012
2
How do I know which side to replace.

I'm getting the ABS kicking in at low speeds and the ABS light comes on occasionally (but not all the time). I don't hear anything, so how can I tell which front hub to replace?

ALso, is it a problem just to disconnect the ABS relay in the meanwhile to stop the ABS kicking in?

THanks!
 

Ascender2004

Original poster
Member
Dec 7, 2011
16
NikosF said:
How do I know which side to replace.

I'm getting the ABS kicking in at low speeds and the ABS light comes on occasionally (but not all the time). I don't hear anything, so how can I tell which front hub to replace?

ALso, is it a problem just to disconnect the ABS relay in the meanwhile to stop the ABS kicking in?

THanks!

I was hearing the typical noise of a worn hub. When I jacked up my car, my wheel that was making the noise had play in it.

As for disconnecting the ABS sensor I am not experienced enough to tell you either way.
 

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