Electrical Fault ABS Sensor Repair

[dayswaste]

So I finally had a look at an intermittent ABS sensor fault. Nanocom has pointed this out to me for awhile and the ohm meter showed the sensor was open circuit, sometimes. I gasped at the price of a replacement so had to have a go at repairing one before I ordered the part. With the sensor removed from the vehicle I attached the ohmmeter and holding everything still wiggled the cable until the circuit broke (around 900Ω to Open Circuit). The fault was within an inch of the sensor canister and after carefully removing the outer sleeve of the cable I found, of course, it was one cable where it enters the cylinder. The cylinder looks to be pretty well crimped in place so I didn't bother trying to open it, figuring I'd brake the coil inside if I tried. So I filed the plastic cap down until I had enough wire exposed to solder to. The first time failed and I couldn't get a strong enough connection and broke the other cable off while testing, so I drilled into and along side the broken wire. I was then able to insert the cable into the hole and solder them together. It looked messy but it held. Wrapped the whole lot in self amalgamate rubber tape, then electrical tape, then a cable tie to hold it all together and add extra support structure. The whole time measuring the resistance in case of failure. It worked, was stable and didn't disconnect while shaking and bending the cable this time. I've re-installed it and will see how long it lasts. In the mean time I'll shop around for a replacement for when my frugal repair fails. To tell you the truth I wasn't expecting to get this far.

ABS Sensor 01.jpgABS Sensor 02.jpgABS Sensor 03.jpg

[Tote]

You might find out that the shorter repaired section works better anyway. My experience with trailer wiring is that soldering makes the connection more brittle and prone to damage. You look to have supported it well enough to stop that happening, it will probably work fine for years.

Regards,
Tote

[dayswaste]

Just thought I'd update that the repair is holding up fine.

[karlz]

Nice useful post especially for the bush mechanics among us.
whats the part cost?

I had an ABS error within 12 months of purchasing my 2015 defender.
replaced under warranty it was a steering sensor!

[rihanar]

I had the similar issue with mine. Just one sensor had come loose the other was in to far and the reluctor ring wore a hole in the sensor. So I clean all the connections and earth. Btw, I found a solution on https://manuals.co/workshop/land-rover/discovery