Jump to content

Front ABS leads

DAVES89

By DAVES89
in Buick Reatta

 Share

Recommended Posts

DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
Posted

As most of you know I have taken on the front ABS sensor lead issue. The major problem we have facing us is that first off they are discontinued so we can only work with what we have. The second problem we have is that while the sensor leads work well, when the insulation cracks, it allows moisture to penetrate the coaxial part of the lead and shorts the lead out tripping an ABS code as seen on the dash with a amber ABS warning light.

I have been working with a top quality mechanic who enjoys working with electrical items and isn't afraid to experiment. Here is what we have come up with, which is yet another improvement over what we had been doing in the past. We remove the harness pigtail and then remove all the mounting rubbers. We then install a full length heat shrink encasing the entire lead. We also install more heat shrink at the barrel end to reinforce the barrel to the lead. We then reinstall the rubber mounts, the pigtail end and also cover the pigtail end with yet another piece of heat shrink. What we end up with is a reconditioned sensor lead that has no repair connections to it. As a matter of fact with a casual glance it looks completely stock and is entirely flexible.

This has been done to leads that are just cracked with the insulation mostly intact. The next time we get together we will be doing repairs to leads that work but have huge chunks of missing insulation. We will probably put two full lengths [maybe even three] of heat shrink to build up the lead again and then reinforce the ends as stated above.

We have bench tested these leads as we finished each one and I am confident that they will work fine in our cars.

What we had been doing in the past is cutting the leads at the damaged area and repairing with heat shrink over the top of a TV coaxial cable connector. This works very well, it just doesn't look that stock.

I will post pictures of a completely stock lead, a coaxial repaired lead, and a complete heat shrink ABS lead in the next day or two...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Dave,

Really appreciate the work you've put into this issue.

Can't wait for the pics to post.

How do you manage to get the "pigtail" (plug) removed from the cable without messing it up?

John F.

If I told you everyone would be doing it.[lol] Actually that is why my mechanic friend is involved. He has taking pigtails apart for years and has accumulated special tools to do same...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Machiner 55 10,000+ Points

Machiner 55

Posted
Posted
If I told you everyone would be doing it.[lol]

Not true. If you told me and I didn't tell anyone else, well then, that would make just me and you (you and I) and your Mechanic friend doing it.

And three out of 7,241,054,280 (and counting) people is such a very small percentage as to make it nil. So..

I think you should reconsider.:)

John F.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Tell you what John. You come up to Wisconsin and I will take you on a Gibson's tour, then show you my stash of parts, look over my stable of cars, and then I will address any questions you have about how or why I do things. You are from Indiana which is the "Wanderer" state so just wander up here.

BTW I have also sent Ronnie a set of pictures [9] of sensor leads. Pictures 1-3 are of a full length haet shrink repair. Pictures 4-6 are of a excellent sensor lead needing no repairs. And pictures 7-9 are of a sensor lead in overall very good shape but needing an area specific repair which was done with a TV coaxial repair and heat shrink over the top to seal it from the elements.

Hopefully he will have them here soon...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ronnie 25,000+ Points

Ronnie

Posted
Posted

Here are the photos of Dave's handy work:

Pictures labeled 1,2, and 3 are the pictures where we took off the pigtail end and installed full length heat shrink and then reattached the pigtail.

Pictures labeled 4,5,and 6 are of an original sensor lead in excellent condition. No repairs needed.

Pictures labeled 7,8,and 9 are pictures where we did a coaxial repair to just the damaged area on the sensor lead. The rest of the lead is in very good condition with no repairs needed.

lpost-52331-143142573176_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573183_thumb.jpg

post-52331-14314257319_thumb.jpg

post-52331-14314257317_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573173_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573179_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573181_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573185_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573188_thumb.jpg

post-52331-14314257317_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573173_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573176_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573179_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573181_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573183_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573185_thumb.jpg

post-52331-143142573188_thumb.jpg

post-52331-14314257319_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Machiner 55 10,000+ Points

Machiner 55

Posted
Posted

Wow... good job guys!

John F.

----------------------------------

Dave,

I may just take you up on the visit to WI. There's a Central Fall Meet in Oconomowoc July 31 - August 2.

If I make it up that far. I might just as well go all the way up. I'll keep you posted.

John F.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
  • Author
Posted

John, Oconomowoc is about 90 minutes from me. You should stop by.

BTW here is the secret for taking apart a sensor lead.

Take a very small screwdriver and pry the base off the pigtail lead. Peel it back as best you can and trim off the collar that fits around the base with a side cutter pliers. Slice through the remaining part of the base and peel it off. This will expose the coaxial lead. Then from the top of the pigtail push the copper leads back through the plug with a small phillips screwdriver. This should get the"pins" out of the plug head. Take a small screwdriver and pry under each rubber mount to break the adhesive grip. Work in a circle around the lead until you feel it is loose. Pull each one towards the plug end sliding it off. Once you have them all off slid on a 6mm heat shrink tube and warm up until the seal is made. Then cut a couple of short 1" pieces to slide down to the barrel end. You will want to shrink them down as well butting up to the barrel. You need to do this as you then will be putting on a 16mm heat shrink [about 2" long] to go over the end of the barrel connection and over your two little 6mm heat shrink pieces. This will give you a very good seal and add extra support to the barrel end connection.

Then using a bit of silicone or teflon lubricant [that is what we used] slide the rubber mounts back into place. Then before you put the pins back into the head you must slide two short 2" or so pieces of 16mm heat shrink tubing as well as 3 pieces of 6mm heat shrink tubing on the lead. Then put your pins back in the head. You may have to squeeze the pins slightly to get the pins back into round but they should go back into the head. Once you get the pins started you must push them into place using that small phillips screwdriver mentioned earlier. They should be close to the same position as they were when you pushed them out. It is not an exact placement as I have noticed that the pins in the cars pigtail are fairly long and will reach. Then replace that spacer you sliced open, slide one piece of 6mm heat shrink on, warm it down, then the second and third as well. The 16mm piece needs to go over the head and one person needs to push the sensor lead towards the head while holding the head to make sure there is no slack when you are done. Slide on the second 16mm heat shrink and do it again.

Test with an ohm meter. If it reads 1100 ohms plus or minus 200 you are good. If it doesn't read it is junk...

If you just want to repair simply cut the sensor lead at the trouble spot. Slide the 6mm heat shrink to go to the next rubber mount on both ends of you cut, then cut to length. Cut a 4-5" piece of 16mm heat shrink and slide it over one end of your sensor lead. Repair the coaxial cable as you would repair any coaxial TV lead. Test your lead for ohms making sure it works. If everything is fine, slide over the 16mm piece and shrink into place sealing your repair from the elements.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Machiner 55 10,000+ Points

Machiner 55

Posted
Posted

Dave,

OK, I'll keep you updated as it gets closer.

Re., the WSS repair.

Rest assured that the secret will remain a secret with me.

Wait a minute........ Hey Bob, come here and take a look at this............................:eek:

Seriously though... this would make a great tutorial for the ROJ.

John F.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
  • Author
Posted

You did a good job of reminding me we are all in this together. So that is why I posted it. Besides it is fairly labor intensive and it is a bit intimidating knowing that if you goof up not only is the lead bad but you are also out all that heat shrink. Besides how many guys want to buy 30-40' of 6mm and 15' of 16mm heat shrink to meet minimum orders.

I also have good friends who help me through this stuff and we brainstorm well to keep improving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bhclark 5,000+ Points

bhclark

Posted
Posted

Rockauto currently lists fronts, albeit, quite pricely.

Are these correct? The SMP looks too long.

[TABLE=class: main, width: 1148]

<tbody>[TR=class: part0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0]

[TD=class: alternate0][TABLE=class: parts, width: 1055]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: left][TABLE=class: layout, width: 893]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: partlayout]RAYBESTOS Part # ABS530079 <input type="button" id="node634part0moreinfo" class="moreinfo_default" value="Info" title="Click for more information about this part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1px; padding: 0px 5px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: rgb(73, 73, 106);"> Professional Grade

Rear[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: right, align: right]ABS530079-1.jpg

[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: center leftrightborder boldfont priceonly alternate0, align: center]$93.79[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: part0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0]

[TD=class: alternate0 center, align: center]<input type="button" id="node634part0addtocart" name="addtocart" class="addtocart_default" value="Add Part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 5px 5px 30px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: url(http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/images/AddToCart2.png) 0px 1px no-repeat rgb(73, 73, 106);">[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: part1, bgcolor: #E0E0E0]

[TD=class: alternate1][TABLE=class: parts, width: 1055]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: left][TABLE=class: layout, width: 877]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: partlayout]STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS Part # ALS490 <input type="button" id="node634part1moreinfo" class="moreinfo_default" value="Info" title="Click for more information about this part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1px; padding: 0px 5px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: rgb(73, 73, 106);"> {#3521271}

Front Left

Front Right[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: right, align: right]ALS490_PRIMARY.jpg

[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: center leftrightborder boldfont priceonly alternate1, align: center]$101.79[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: part1, bgcolor: #E0E0E0]

[TD=class: alternate1 center, align: center]<input type="button" id="node634part1addtocart" name="addtocart" class="addtocart_default" value="Add Part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 5px 5px 30px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: url(http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/images/AddToCart2.png) 0px 1px no-repeat rgb(73, 73, 106);">[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: part0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0]

[TD=class: alternate0][TABLE=class: parts, width: 1055]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: left][TABLE=class: layout, width: 884]

<tbody>[TR]

[TD=class: partlayout]RAYBESTOS Part # ABS530067 <input type="button" id="node634part2moreinfo" class="moreinfo_default" value="Info" title="Click for more information about this part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1px; padding: 0px 5px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: rgb(73, 73, 106);"> Professional Grade

Front[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: right, align: right]ABS530067-1.jpg

[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD=class: center leftrightborder boldfont priceonly alternate0, align: center]$105.79[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: part0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0]

[TD=class: alternate0 center, align: center]<input type="button" id="node634part2addtocart" name="addtocart" class="addtocart_default" value="Add Part" style="color: white; overflow: visible; width: auto; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 5px 5px 30px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(124, 124, 174) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(22, 22, 55) rgb(124, 124, 174); background: url(http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/images/AddToCart2.png) 0px 1px no-repeat rgb(73, 73, 106);">[/TD]

[/TR]

</tbody>[/TABLE]

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Mike_s

Guest Mike_s

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure which type of heatshrink is being used but some heatshrink is available with a meltable/fuseable inner liner to help seal things up. Might be a bit stiffer though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DAVES89 25,000+ Points

DAVES89

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Not a bit stiffer a lot stiffer. While it works they really are not very flexible. I was so disappointed with the final result I gave them to Mc_Reatta. The heat shrink I use has good temperature and chemical resistance. It allows the lead to be flexible and looks original.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
drtidmore 2,500+ Points

drtidmore

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have found that GM used a type of rubber cement to seal up various other locations where heat shrink was used, such as the door jam switches. It appeared that they applied it such that once the heat shrink was shrunk, there was cement inside the tube then liberally applying it to the outside. This might be a good way to seal up the ends of the heatshrink from moisture incursion without any loss of flexibility.

Edited by drtidmore (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
drtidmore 2,500+ Points

drtidmore

Posted
Posted

I just looked to see if either part # might have reappeared as in stock at RockAuto and at least at the moment, BOTH are showing up. The Raybestos shows to be remanufactured, while the Standard does NOT state whether new or reman. Both are a bit over $100 each. Debating whether to add a couple of these to my spares kit. I have had no issues to date with my front or rear sensors, but again, I realize that it is only a matter of time...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Barney Eaton 25,000+ Points

Barney Eaton

Posted
Posted

Local Reatta owner has a 1991 and the mechanic says he needs a front left sensor. Are the connectors different on the 1991 from the earlier Reattas. I notice the parts book shows a different number. I also checked

Cadillac Seville & Eldorado .. the '88's used the same part number as Reattas but the part number changed on later models.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NCReatta 10,000+ Points

NCReatta

Posted
Posted
Local Reatta owner has a 1991 and the mechanic says he needs a front left sensor. Are the connectors different on the 1991 from the earlier Reattas. I notice the parts book shows a different number. I also checked Cadillac Seville & Eldorado .. the '88's used the same part number as Reattas but the part number changed on later models.

Yes they are very different. If you've ever looked at them they're night and day difference.

88-90 is interchangeable, but 1991 is special. If you're lucky enough to find a 91 riv with ABS you can get them from there, but 92 and 93 are different.

We are out of front 1991 abs leads. When they come in on a parts car the leave within days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dship 10,000+ Points

dship

Posted
Posted

I totally concur with Marck. The 91 Riviera and 91 Reatta front ABS sensors are a one-year-only design. They are not physically the same as previous years, and the 92/93 Riviera front sensors are built into the hub. I've mentioned this a number of times in other threads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Barney Eaton 25,000+ Points

Barney Eaton

Posted
Posted

Does anyone have picture comparisons between the 88-90 Teves units and the 91 Bosch? Where are the differences?

Sensor itself different?

connector different?

molded on mounts.

I am wondering if the 91 Eldorado/Seville units could be made to fit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dship 10,000+ Points

dship

Posted
Posted (edited)

Barney,

I don't have a picture of a 91 Reatta/Riviera front ABS sensor, but take a look at Ronnie's #7 picture. You see that the sensor end looks like a silver/chrome canister. That one would be for the 88-90. The 91 canister looks like black Bakelite and has a metal nipple in the center protruding out about a quarter inch.

Hope this helps any.

Edited by DShip (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
Guest TommyRay

Guest TommyRay

Posted
Posted

Doing some searching I found this...

 

http://natomessageboard.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=236989

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/abs_list.htm

 

I went down the list and looked at Rock Auto's pictures compared to the Reatta, and the sensor ends don't look the same. Although those could be the wrong pictures.

 

Also I found the below link on the Teves Mark 2.  It's for the Thunderbird, but still has an interesting story.

 

http://www.sccoia.org/articles/anti-lock-braking-system/

 

-Tom

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...