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How To Clean Your ABS Wheel Sensor

By Matthew Wright, About.com

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Getting Ready For an ABS Sensor Clean Up

A very dirty ABS wheel sensor.

If your ABS sensor looks like this, you might have problems.

photo by Wild Out White GSR
There are many things that can cause your ABS light to come on. Some are serious, so you should never just ignore the light. But there are times when the light comes on and can be met with a simple solution. For instance, a dirty ABS wheel sensor can cause the system to trigger the ABS light during self evaluation. You'll be shocked when you see how much road gunk can accumulate on this very important sensor.

Even if your ABS light hasn't made an appearance, it's a good idea to clean the sensor. A good time to do it would be during brake pad replacement when you have the wheels off anyway.

What You'll Need:

  • Ratchet wrench and sockets
  • Ratchet extension
  • Jack
  • Jack stands
  • A strong rag

Get your stuff together and you're ready to start. Remember, it's never safe to work on a car supported by a jack, use jack stands!

Index: How To Clean Your ABS Wheel Sensor

  1. Getting Ready For an ABS Sensor Clean Up
  2. Removing the Wheel and Safely Supporting the Vehicle
  3. Remove the ABS Wheel Sensor
  4. Cleaning the ABS Sensor

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