Wheel sensor problem (3rd time)
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JK Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 392
Likes: 2
From: Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States
My ABS and ESP lights are lit up once again and when i first put the jeep in fear and accelerate it feels like the brakes are grinding and loosen up. I have had this fixed twice under warranty and now this will be the 3rd time. Has anyone had this kind of issue or advice on what i can do? Id rather not take my jeep in every 4 months for this issue. Jeep is a 2012 with 44,000 miles.
Is your steering wheel perfectly centered? How did they fix it the first 2 times? Was it a sensor each time? Was it the same sensor location each time? If so, the wiring may be routed wrong and getting pinched or pulled.
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I had a unit bearing go bad that was causing this problem. It became contaminated with very fine sand after running through a quicksand filled river. The unit bearing was noisy (gritty noise), and visually, through the hole for the wheel speed sensor, contaminated (though grease in there is normal).
@jonnyringo893 I had a similar problem and found the wheel bearing was bad. It was so slight that raising the wheel off the ground and performing a rock test (grab top and bottom of the wheel and try to rock it) it only showed a very, very slight wiggle. I replaced the sensor first and the problem persisted. I had tested the codes with a ODB tester that reads ABS sensors and knew I had the right corner. I replaced the wheel bearing (with another sensor included) and problem solved. I would say try this rock test and then think about replacing the wheel bearing. Let us know if this helps.
Just to be clear, for our purposes unit bearing and wheel bearing are essentially the same thing. That is, the unit bearing is a fully enclosed housing with the ABS ring wheel and the wheel lugs and the bearings, and a new one even comes with an ABS sensor. They are pre-greased and pretty easy for a DIY install. A true wheel bearing is just the bearing in its bearing cage. JKs don't use them such that they are replaceable since the wheel bearing is enclosed in the unit bearing. I had an old Ford EXP that did. Much cheaper to replace, but a bit more messy work.
Jeep JK unit bearing ...

And a typical wheel bearing image ...

Sorry if I seem pedantic, but I just want to avoid any confusion for future readers of this thread.
Jeep JK unit bearing ...

And a typical wheel bearing image ...

Sorry if I seem pedantic, but I just want to avoid any confusion for future readers of this thread.







