SOhappy

Awhile back I read on here that you could grease the unit bearings through the fastener hole that holds the ABS sensor on. I'm not sure if the person was talking 3rd gen or 2nd gen though. Anyone tried it on a 3rd gen?

I've got mine apart right now replacing a u-joint on the front axle and I thought I'd give it a try if it won't hurt anything. Worried about it messing up the wheel speed sensor though.

Colo~Dirtbikers

I do it every 50k.. Have 210k on mine now.

Carey

billie

Same here. I don't think it should be packed tight though. I just add about 4 grease gun squirts each time while turning the hub.

SOhappy

Thanks guys, I'll give it a shot (no pun intended).

Oh...almost forgot. Do you bother installing a zerk in the fastener hole or just shoot it straight from the grease gun?

billie

I just squirt it in the hole since it's only once a year or 2, depending on mileage, and the screw for the ABS is easy to remove.

SOhappy

Got-er-done. The ABS sensor fastener hole is blind, so I had to shoot it through the sensor hole. Use a needle fitting to get the grease down inside, otherwise it tried to spooge out the same way it came in because there is no way for the air to get out.

Thanks again guys.

Sniper05

I broke my ABS sensor, i guess the plastic gets briddle over time, it does seem to work really well though, does anyone know if you can buy the ABS sensor by itself?

billie

Yes, at least up here.

BothellDiesel

You can do this with the wheels on? I thought you had to take the rotor off to access the ABS sensor

trik396

subscribing...

CRXsi

Ok I am confused...as far as I know the front bearings are a sealed unit design which would mean the ABS sensor operates off a tone wheel or magnetic ring that is integrated with the sealed unit? I have never seen a sealed bearing that can be greased externally without removing and separating the bearing...I am going to check the manual but to me it doesn't make sense that you can get grease intot he bearing through the ABS sensor?

CRXsi

Ok looking in the manual it appears the ABS sensor is mounted into the Hub/bearing unit and not mounted onto the knuckle like most cars...so I guess it may be possible to remove sensor and jam grease in there. My next question would then be the risk of introducing dirt/contamination from removing the sensor and putting a grease needle into a hole that is blind. Contamination may be worse than not doing anything....Sealed bearing units are generally fairly reliable. Are they problematic on our trucks? I haven't heard of too many abnormal failures on this site but I may be wrong. If there are a large number of failures then it may be wise to remove the hub/bearing all together, disassemble, flush out all old grease and use a quality synthetic grease to pack it new and reassemble (yes I know it's a sealed bearing, but even then they can sometimes be gently disassembled and packed....somethimes).

billie

For the first 25k miles or so

Mine first went at about 40k and now I'm at 94k and no issues yet. Some have recorded no replacement to 200k+ so it seems to work. As to contamination, clean grease won't cause a problem with magnatism. Dirt would be bad so keep it clean...no problem.

I think those bearings get hot from the brakes and eventually drys out the grease leading to premature failure and they aren't cheap, or under warranty.

I repack sealed ujoints when they're new too. The last one I bought was very sparse for factory grease.

SOhappy

Yes, you have to remove the rotor, which is every time you replace the ball joints or axle u-joints (about every 36k on the OEM ball joints, 70K on u-joints)

Well, I wouldn't exactly call the unit bearing "sealed" in my book. The ABS sensor is mounted with a single screw, no o-ring or gasket. Just the pressure of the single fastener holding the plastic housing of the ABS sensor to the steel hub. I would guess that CTD owners with boats and those doing lots of water crossings off-road/mud/snow will get some moisture in past the ABS sensor and into the bearing. Adding more grease now and again though the hole can't hurt in my opinion.

You have to remove the sensor anyway to work on anything other than the brakes, so contamination risk is based on how clean you keep during disassembly, reassembly, and in-between.

Oh, and a clarification- you don't shoot the grease into the blind fastener hole (blind holes don't go nowhere). You shoot it in through the sensor hole, which is a thru hole.

cbrahs

knock on wood I have over 80k on mine with zero failures. I am just now needing or at least wanting to replace the steering to the upgraded. Ball joints still check out fine. oh and over 80k with 37" or bigger tires since the truck had 33 miles on it.